Cannot Boot Remote Exam Live ISO USB for Remote Exam, Boot hanging at 100%

[o1e]

Hello all,

i’m having some issues with the boot of the Remote Exam Live ISO.

During the preparation for the Remote Exam for ROL Course DO288, i tried to boot my Laptop using the Remote Exam Live ISO. I'm following the docs available here: https://www.redhat.com/en/resources/remote-exams-preparation-ebook.

Downloaded https://static.redhat.com/downloads/training-certification/rhrexboot.iso and written it to USB Stick by using the dd utility.

The boot process is starting until the screen "environment is loading into memory" appears, it counts up to 100% and then nothing more is happening. 

I tried different USB-Stick, always the same result.

For tests, i also used the rhrexboot-2020-08.iso Image, which i found as reference in an redhat Issue description, this one is working for me. Boot is without error, and the hardware compatibility checks are successful.

I plan to do the exam soon, thanks to advice how to proceed. I only have one Laptop available for the training/exam, it's a Lenovo Thinkpad P50.

Greetings

Oliver

[PetrCihlar · Accepted solution]

The issue you are experiencing is a compatibility issue and using an older ISO currently available at https://static.redhat.com/downloads/training-certification/rhrexboot-2020-08.iso

resolves it.

However, though you can still use the old ISO now, the users are advised to download the current ISO several days before the exam and test it.
It is very likely the ISO you download in the future will already support your computer, apart from other necessary features it might have in order to improve your exam experience.
The termination date of the older ISO is not known yet, we expect it to happen in days or weeks.
We recommend you contact the Support team by raising a ticket or by chat in case you have any issues or doubts concerning the current ISO in several days ahead of the exam.

[Travis]

I too am experiencing the issue with the latest ISO. It shouldn't be an unsupported system as it is the same exact system used for the Individual Exam stations Lenovo P7x series. I've been able to confirm that the boot USB and ISO is good as it works on a Lenovo P1 from the same USB media. 

There are no error messages displayed nor are there ways to check other ISOs and track down compatibility issues.

Also submitting feedback regarding the issue for further investigation.

Tagging @Florian @Geoff @Lene  for visibility here.

[Diskoteket]

I have had similar problems and also did a download of rhrexboot-2020-08.iso and it worked like a charm. I also opened a chat with Red Hat asking if this iso still was valid for use and they said it was.

[dwi1024]

Hello,

I have the same issue on a Medion AKOYA MD661550.  Starting at 100% then again to 0% and at the end hanging at 100%.  Working fine with old iso mentioned above.
New iso also no working on macbook pro (with only USB-c), not easy to have enough adapters to attach usb keyboard/webcam ....
Not tested with old iso yet.

[ericbos]

Maybe this helps, I am still using a USB that I prepared a year ago (June 2020) and I sat an exam last Friday without any issues.

[PALANIVELRAJAN]

I also faced same issue on Thinkpad P50 with latest ISO 2021.
Luckily i have old ISO which works fine on P50.

[o1e]

Hi Palanivelrajan,

yes, i confirm the ISO https://static.redhat.com/downloads/training-certification/rhrexboot-2020-08.iso is working with P50. Meanwhile, i did my exam and this ISO was working without any problems.

[BRIANWALLACE]

Same thing here. I tried with the same laptop Thinkpad P50 which was recommended by Red hat. It didn't work. I had to download the older iso, then had to switch to an older Lenovo x220 and that worked. I sat the exam. I did not pass it however, probably because we were do far into troubleshooting and was stressed out. so back to square one. Oh well.

[walkermescc1994]

Same issue here, tried 4 different machines and three types of USBs.
Gigabyte ( Custom Machine ) i9
Dell Ultrabook i7
HP Elitebook i5
Dell Precision 7750

The issue has to be with the ISO, I think I may of had this issue a few months ago aswell. Due to the stress of all of it I can't remember.

RedHat need to fix this issue.