nixos/crashdump: kexec unrecognized option on raspberry pi

[giomf]

Nixpkgs version

• Stable (24.11)

Describe the bug

Hi,

I encounter some kernel panics on my raspberry pi. Now I want to debug or at least catch the crash dump.
For this purpose I wanted to use the crashdump module using boot.crashDump.enable = true;

Unfortunately, when booting I saw /nix/store/ixxq8sw9p0azxh3zjgwf4pwjklv2yixg-kexec-tools-2.0.29/sbin/kexec: unrecognized option '--reset-vga' in my logs.

Having a closer look into crashdump showed me that the option --reset-vga and --console-vga are used but are not available on my kexec version on my raspberry pi.

Steps to reproduce

• create a nixos configuration for a raspberry pi
• set boot.crashDump.enable = true
• Build an image and flash the pi
• Have a look at the boot logs

Expected behaviour

kexec should exit without an error

Screenshots

No response

Relevant log output

Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: setting up /etc...
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: loading crashdump kernel...
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: /nix/store/ixxq8sw9p0azxh3zjgwf4pwjklv2yixg-kexec-tools-2.0.29/sbin/kexec: unrecognized option '--reset-vga'
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: kexec-tools 2.0.29
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: Usage: kexec [OPTION]... [kernel]
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: Directly reboot into a new kernel
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -h, --help           Print this help.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -v, --version        Print the version of kexec.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -f, --force          Force an immediate kexec,
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: don't call shutdown.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -i, --no-checks      Fast reboot, no memory integrity checks.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -x, --no-ifdown      Don't bring down network interfaces.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -y, --no-sync        Don't sync filesystems before kexec.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -l, --load           Load the new kernel into the
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: current kernel.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -p, --load-panic     Load the new kernel for use on panic.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -u, --unload         Unload the current kexec target kernel.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: If capture kernel is being unloaded
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: specify -p with -u.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -e, --exec           Execute a currently loaded kernel.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --exec-live-update Execute a currently loaded xen image after
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: storing the state required to live update.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -t, --type=TYPE      Specify the new kernel is of this type.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --mem-min=<addr> Specify the lowest memory address to
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: load code into.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --mem-max=<addr> Specify the highest memory address to
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: load code into.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --reuseinitrd    Reuse initrd from first boot.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --print-ckr-size Print crash kernel region size.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --load-preserve-context Load the new kernel and preserve
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: context of current kernel during kexec.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --load-jump-back-helper Load a helper image to jump back
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: to original kernel.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --load-live-update Load the new kernel to overwrite the
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: running kernel.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --entry=<addr>   Specify jump back address.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: (0 means it's not jump back or
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: preserve context)
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: to original kernel.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -s, --kexec-file-syscall Use file based syscall for kexec operation
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -c, --kexec-syscall  Use the kexec_load syscall for for compatibility
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: with systems that don't support -s
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -a, --kexec-syscall-auto  Use file based syscall for kexec and fall
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: back to the compatibility syscall when file based
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: syscall is not supported or the kernel did not
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: understand the image (default)
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --hotplug            Do in-kernel update of kexec segments on CPU/Memory
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: hot add/remove events, avoiding the need to reload
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: kdump kernel on online/offline events.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -d, --debug          Enable debugging to help spot a failure.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: -S, --status         Return 1 if the type (by default crash) is loaded,
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: 0 if not.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: Supported kernel file types and options:
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: vmlinux
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: An ARM64 ELF image, big or little endian.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: Typically vmlinux or a stripped version of vmlinux.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: Image
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: An ARM64 binary image, compressed or not, big or little endian.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: Typically an Image file.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: uImage
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: An ARM64 U-boot uImage file, compressed or not, big or little endian.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: vmlinuz
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: An ARM64 vmlinuz, PE image of a compressed, little endian.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: kernel, built with ZBOOT enabled.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: Architecture options:
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --append=STRING       Set the kernel command line to STRING.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --command-line=STRING Set the kernel command line to STRING.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --dtb=FILE            Use FILE as the device tree blob.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --initrd=FILE         Use FILE as the kernel initial ramdisk.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --serial=STRING       Name of console used for purgatory printing. (e.g. ttyAMA0)
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --ramdisk=FILE        Use FILE as the kernel initial ramdisk.
Jul 05 20:03:06 EppdPi stage-2-init: --reuse-cmdline       Use kernel command line from running system.

Additional context

No response

System metadata

• system: "aarch64-linux"
• host os: Linux 6.6.31, NixOS, 24.11 (Vicuna), 24.11.20250120.ae584d9
• multi-user?: yes
• sandbox: yes
• version: nix-env (Nix) 2.24.11
• nixpkgs: /nix/store/9fk956gyw6mjlrxbbnd4v7h93vig83jm-source

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I really dont know who to mention here. A lot of maintainers but the contributions are old.

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• I assert that this is a bug and not a support request.
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