Next comparison: lower logging level, same destination

The quiet ordinary run showed mounted sysroot and starting closure lookup. The debug-plus-console comparison showed the kernel’s pre-exec /init announcement but no systemd/version/unit output within 180 seconds. Neither identifies a blocked instruction or establishes guarded ordinary-root acceptance. The debug capture alone does not prove /init exec success; the quiet run did show systemd PID1 startup. Subsequent NEW protected recovery after the latter debug capture passed.

Source inspection places backend setup before the version banner. Systemd first selects kmsg, mounts early API filesystems, parses logging arguments, then opens the selected backend. Explicit console logging opens /dev/console and writes synchronously. See pinned startup source and logging source. These are possible observation boundaries, not a demonstrated console failure. Selected system init and packaged systemd ELF match digest d3e109a270c0b4463ac5b7b0655ce7667d7c55f6f93341bb461300a5dd5c8c63. Read-only derivation inspection pins version 261.2 and the tag source. The exact official archive extracted privately passes nix hash path --sri PRIVATE_EXTRACTED with the derivation source hash sha256-w0Fxx+zYBs806whyaKBytGwSgn89ARdukAm6Hp+XlQQ=. All seven patches/postPatch were inspected: none changes main.c or log.c. Raw main.c SHA256 is 946eb61164c94f6c4b3f3362137aaf027f91f6182165162d4428a74ccfc16528; log.c is 9f639754bd544921001923d3f607496e50c8d81b20c1d09edf27646491d24bce. Startup/backend selection is raw main.c:3516–3536, banner call 3713→2488; console open is raw log.c:102–121, synchronous writes 486–498. These are raw-file line references; browser extraction renumbers lines. No Nix realization, build or hardware action was used for this source audit.

The smallest proposed child comparison changes only rd.systemd.log_level=debug to rd.systemd.log_level=info, retaining rd.systemd.log_target=console, current p2 artifacts and every prior control. Argument bytes become 355 and literal command bytes 373. It requires a separate typed --initrd-info-logging selector, both existing join/marker-free selectors, and exclusion of --initrd-debug-logging. Save/restore the selected mode with old state defaulting false; reject unsupported combinations, types and inherited aliases before output/UART. Existing defaults and the debug path stay unchanged.

Run meaningful focused fixtures and actual immutable-artifact preparation, then one passive 180-second capture after NEW protected recovery. Keep five load/CRC guards, exact printed/live arguments and complete private logs. Unknown readiness or I/O sends no further candidate input. New recovery is independent. If systemd progress returns, report sensitivity to this one-value change, not an identified output-call stall. If silent, earlier startup and console open/write remain indistinguishable. Do not add kernel verbosity, masks, targets, tracing, alternate PID1 or a build to compensate.

Controller and actual host qualification completed and were independently reviewed. The physical capture again showed only the kernel/init announcement, with no systemd startup/login inside180s. Lowering verbosity did not restore observed progress. Ordinary root/panel/glass acceptance and task5b.5 stay UNVERIFIED and open.