After any boot test, prove which kernel answered

scope: generic · severity: trap · confidence: proven · subsystem: boot

“Something answered ssh” is not evidence that the kernel under test is the one answering.

A watchdog reset, a retry-counter drop, or a failed slot flip can put the previous kernel back, and from the host it looks exactly like success. You then attribute the old kernel’s behaviour to your new one.

Two commands, every time:

cat /proc/version      # which build
cat /proc/cmdline      # did your tokens actually survive?

A cmdline token you cannot read back in /proc/cmdline was never applied. Same for a module parameter absent from /sys/module/<mod>/parameters/.