Bug#605516: Bug#602539: Successfull install creates broken system (mounting fs fails)

[Goswin von Brederlow <goswin-v-b@web.de>]

Christian PERRIER <bubulle@debian.org> writes:

> Quoting Denis Laxalde (dlaxalde@gmail.com):
>> clone 602539 -1
>> reassign -1 base-installer
>> retitle -1 should check size of common mountpoints before proceeding to installation
>> tags -1 d-i
>> thanks
>> 
>> On Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:15:19 +0100, Goswin von Brederlow wrote:
>> > Install base system:
>> >   + Check size of common mountpoints (/, /usr, /var)
>> >     At first I made / too small and it failed much later during the
>> >     installation of the kernel image. Debian kernels are HUGE
>> > compared to my usual build-to-fit custom kernel.
>> >     It would be good if the installer would know the size requirement
>> > for all the usual mountpoints people use and check if the defined
>> > partitions have sufficient space. The numbers should be known for at
>> > least the standard task, more would be better.
>> 
>> This may also be a wishlist.
>
> Why against base-installer? 

I would have thought partman and/or tasksel would have to do this.

> This wishlist is a chimera, imho. The best (or less worse) we can do
> is in partman-auto and have reasonable decent sizes there. Everything
> else is too dependent on user choices (or even the current
> *installation languages*, or the architecture...or the installation
> media... that imagining we'll find a solution to warn users when they
> create too small partitions....for something they don't even have
> chosen already (what to install) is just science-fiction.

You can warn during partitioning if there isn't even space for the
standard task. As for size differences for each architecture you can
know those. Install media should not matter. Filesystem type and
blocksize might to some degree but you can add some safety margin to the
warning. As to the users choices, like later selecting gnome or kde, you
can then give a warning.

The important point is to prevent the download of all the debs just to
fail at 90%.

It is enough if it covers the basic mountpoints like /usr and /var the
installer already knows as common mountpoints. If the user does
something too complicated, like having /usr/lib or /usr/share seperate
then he probably knows what he is doing. The check doesn't need to be
perfect. It just needs to catch the obvious cases.

MfG
        Goswin