Bug 3091 - Install on GPT partitioned disk ends up unbootable if a partition is removed during installation
Summary: Install on GPT partitioned disk ends up unbootable if a partition is removed ...
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: Mageia
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Installer (show other bugs)
Version: Cauldron
Hardware: All Linux
Priority: Normal normal
Target Milestone: Mageia 2
Assignee: Pascal Terjan
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: NEEDINFO, USABILITY
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2011-10-18 05:05 CEST by Herbert Poetzl
Modified: 2014-05-08 18:04 CEST (History)
6 users (show)

See Also:
Source RPM: drakx-installer-stage2
CVE:
Status comment:


Attachments

Description Herbert Poetzl 2011-10-18 05:05:30 CEST
Description of problem:
When installing on a GPT partitioned disk, adjusting the partitions (remove, add, etc) works perfectly fine, also the install finishes without any problems, but after the reboot, the disk is 'empty'.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):


How reproducible:
always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. create GPT partitioned disk
2. remove/add some partitions
3. install mageia
Comment 1 Sander Lepik 2011-10-18 08:25:40 CEST
AFAIK legacy grub can't handle GPT partitions.

But there seems to be a workaround for that: http://www.wensley.org.uk/gpt

CC: (none) => sander.lepik

Manuel Hiebel 2011-10-18 22:02:34 CEST

Component: Installer => RPM Packages
Source RPM: unknown => drakx-installer-stage2

Comment 2 Herbert Poetzl 2011-11-03 23:22:27 CET
fair enough, but why does the installer keep the GPT and/or install grub with that if it can't handle it?

adjusted to installer as I think it is an installer issue.

Component: RPM Packages => Installer

Comment 3 Manuel Hiebel 2011-11-11 01:12:13 CET
Could you provide the file /root/drakx/report.bug.gz as an attachment ?
I you don't have the file, you can switch to console 2 (by pressing 'Ctrl-Alt-F2') during installation, put a floppy in floppy drive or plug a USB key/stick and type: bug then press Enter. It will put report.bug on the floppy/key.
Comment 4 Nicolas Vigier 2011-11-18 14:18:48 CET
Grub legacy is supposed to support GPT. At least, we have a patch for this :
http://svnweb.mageia.org/packages/updates/1/grub/current/SOURCES/grub-gpt.diff?revision=101464&view=markup

CC: (none) => boklm

Comment 5 Nicolas Vigier 2011-11-18 17:57:09 CET
I installed today a server with 4TB GPT partitions on Mageia 1, and it works fine.

The installer does not support creating GPT partitions, however it can install on GPT partitions if the partitions are already created. So I first install Mageia using old dos partition table, then installed gdisk, created the GPT partitions using gdisk, rebooted and installed Mageia again.
Comment 6 Marja Van Waes 2012-01-15 19:43:17 CET
(In reply to comment #5)
> I installed today a server with 4TB GPT partitions on Mageia 1, and it works
> fine.
> 
> The installer does not support creating GPT partitions, however it can install
> on GPT partitions if the partitions are already created. So I first install
> Mageia using old dos partition table, then installed gdisk, created the GPT
> partitions using gdisk, rebooted and installed Mageia again.

So I suppose there should be a message about this in installer, and in the wiki too

first cc'ing doc team, then assigning to maintainer

Keywords: (none) => USABILITY
CC: (none) => doc-bugs, marja11

Marja Van Waes 2012-01-15 19:43:44 CET

Assignee: bugsquad => thierry.vignaud

Comment 7 Herbert Poetzl 2012-01-16 04:31:23 CET
because of the obvious confusion (and the big success last time :), I prepared two screen captures showing two different emanations of the same bug when installing to a gpt partitioned disk (after modifying the partition table)

the example disk image can be created like this (for simulation):
# dd if=/dev/zero of=disk_1T_sparse.img bs=1k seek=1023M count=1
# gdisk disk_1T_sparse.img
| Command (? for help): r
| Recovery/transformation command (? for help): l
| Enter backup filename to load: disk_1T_250_250_20.gpt
| Recovery/transformation command (? for help): w
| ...
| Do you want to proceed, possibly destroying your data? (Y/N): y

http://vserver.13thfloor.at/Stuff/MAGEIA/BUGS/gpt.flv.xz
http://vserver.13thfloor.at/Stuff/MAGEIA/BUGS/gpt2.flv.xz
http://vserver.13thfloor.at/Stuff/MAGEIA/BUGS/disk_1T_250_250_20.gpt

Version: 1 => Cauldron
Target Milestone: --- => Mageia 2

Comment 8 Herbert Poetzl 2012-02-29 08:31:25 CET
just verified, issue is still present in Mageia2 Beta1

CC: (none) => herbert

Thierry Vignaud 2012-03-12 18:10:50 CET

Assignee: thierry.vignaud => pterjan

Comment 9 Pascal Terjan 2012-03-12 18:14:40 CET
As far as I know the installer can create GPT partitions, it can not however create a GPT partition table on a new empty disk.
Comment 10 Herbert Poetzl 2012-03-12 20:10:14 CET
please be so kind and take the time to actually _read_ the bug report and if it is still unclear, _watch_ the screen captures ...

thanks!
Comment 11 Pascal Terjan 2012-03-12 20:27:12 CET
Please find someone else to fix your bug.

Assignee: pterjan => bugsquad

Comment 12 Pascal Terjan 2012-04-05 00:00:06 CEST
So, removing first partition and created a new one, it gets numbered n+1, 7 in my case, 4 in the report.

* tell kernel del (sda 1  ) force_reboot= rebootNeeded=
* tell kernel add (sda 7 2048 17784833) force_reboot= rebootNeeded=

And then bootloader config is totally wrong

CC: (none) => pterjan

Pascal Terjan 2012-04-05 00:01:12 CEST

Summary: Install on GPT partitioned disk ends up unbootable => Install on GPT partitioned disk ends up unbootable if a partition is removed during installation

Comment 13 Pascal Terjan 2012-04-06 00:05:24 CEST
I just committed a fix in svn
Comment 14 Pascal Terjan 2012-04-07 11:48:05 CEST
A stage2 containing the fix for GPT partitions numbering was uploaded (Version 14.3)
Comment 15 Marja Van Waes 2012-05-26 13:01:46 CEST
Hi,

This bug was filed against cauldron, but we do not have cauldron at the moment.

Please report whether this bug is still valid for Mageia 2.

Thanks :)

Cheers,
marja

Keywords: (none) => NEEDINFO

Comment 16 Marja Van Waes 2012-06-11 20:26:32 CEST
(In reply to comment #14)
> A stage2 containing the fix for GPT partitions numbering was uploaded (Version
> 14.3)

@ Pascal

So this bug is fixed, or were you leaving it open for Herbert to confirm it is?
Comment 17 Marja Van Waes 2012-07-01 15:47:00 CEST
(In reply to comment #16)
> (In reply to comment #14)
> > A stage2 containing the fix for GPT partitions numbering was uploaded (Version
> > 14.3)
> 
> @ Pascal
> 
> So this bug is fixed, or were you leaving it open for Herbert to confirm it is?

ping?
Comment 18 Pascal Terjan 2012-07-01 16:48:58 CEST
Yes it should be fixed, closing

Status: NEW => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => FIXED

Thierry Vignaud 2012-09-04 10:02:19 CEST

CC: (none) => thierry.vignaud
Assignee: bugsquad => pterjan

Nicolas Vigier 2014-05-08 18:04:15 CEST

CC: boklm => (none)


Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.