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Bug#568975: marked as done ([squeeze/lenny][i386][2010-02-04] grub-installer fails, system unbootable)

Your message dated Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:12:27 +0000
with message-id <201103191012.28130.elmig@debianpt.org>
and subject line 
has caused the Debian Bug report #568975,
regarding [squeeze/lenny][i386][2010-02-04] grub-installer fails, system unbootable
to be marked as done.

This means that you claim that the problem has been dealt with.
If this is not the case it is now your responsibility to reopen the
Bug report if necessary, and/or fix the problem forthwith.

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-- 
568975: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=568975
Debian Bug Tracking System
Contact owner@bugs.debian.org with problems
--- Begin Message --- 
Package: installation-reports

Boot method: network, PXE image
Image version: daily installer 20100204-22:53 (see below)
Date: 2010-02-09

% cat /var/log/installer/lsb-release
DISTRIB_ID=Debian
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Debian GNU/Linux installer"
DISTRIB_RELEASE="6.0 (squeeze) - installer build 20100204-22:53"
X_INSTALLATION_MEDIUM=netboot

Machine: Dell PE 2950, 2 disks, no h/w raid.
Partitions:
 There are two disks, partitioned identically.
 There are three partitions.
 All the partitions are type 0xFD, ie 'linux raid autodetect'
 They are sized and used as:
 /dev/md0 1 Gb for / (ext3)
 /dev/md1 4 Gb (swap)
 /dev/md2 the rest (LVM container).
 /boot is contained within the / partition.

Base System Installation Checklist:
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it

Initial boot:           [o]
Detect network card:    [o]
Configure network:      [o]
Detect CD:              [o]
Load installer modules: [o]
Detect hard drives:     [o]
Partition hard drives:  [o]
Install base system:    [o]
Clock/timezone setup:   [o]
User/password setup:    [o]
Install tasks:          [o]
Install boot loader:    [E]
Overall install:        [E]

Comments/Problems:

I am doing a preseeded install of Lenny, using the Squeeze installer.
I am using this version of the installer so I can preseed s/w raid + LVM.
This used to work, at least it was working in Nov/Dec 2009.

Everything works (great!) up to the point where grub-installer is run.
This fails because the call 'chroot /target /usr/sbin/grub-install' fails.
Tracing the execution there reveals
 - a bug in grub-install, which has already been fixed (#568835)
 - a complaint from grub-probe:
     grub-probe: error: no mapping exists for `md0'
 - a final error message:
     The file /boot/grub/stage1 not read correctly.

The final error seems to be coming from a failure in 'grub --batch'.
I hacked grub-install to show the logfile; it generates output like:

+ /usr/sbin/grub --batch --device-map=/boot/grub/device.map
+ cat /tmp/grubDyCCBC


    GNU GRUB  version 0.97  (640K lower / 3072K upper memory)

   [ Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported.   For
     the   first   word,  TAB  lists  possible  command
     completions.  Anywhere else TAB lists the possible
     completions of a device/filename. ]
grub> dump (hd0,0)/boot/grub/stage1 /tmp/grubWkT2MC
Error 2: Bad file or directory type
grub> quit

See also the output log in the attachments.

It appears grub is partially installed.
If I "continue the install without a bootloader",
everything else in the install sequence seems to work.
But when the system tries to boot I get:

  GRUB loading stage 1.5

  GRUB loading, please wait...
  Error 2
And nothing further.

When I booted GRML and checked the filesystems, /boot/grub
had everything expected in it, except for the menu.lst file.


I tried to fix the system by using grub-install and the grub shell,
in a variety of ways, e.g.
 - preseeding grub-installer/bootdev as (hd0)

 - installer# chroot /target /usr/sbin/grub-install --no-floppy --recheck /dev/sda [1]

 - installer# chroot /target
   target# grub

and so forth. I also tried to use the lenny installer in rescue mode.

None of these attempts worked, for reasons which are obscure to me.
I always get errors like 'Bad file or directory type' or
'Cannot mount selected partition' or 'Cannot find file'.
I now have a system that is installed, but unbootable.
I have not resorted to LILO but I may get that desperate yet.
I have not attempted to use grub2 because AIUI grub2 doesn't support
software raid.
Any advice on how get a bootable system would be welcome.


In attachments.tar.bz2:
 hardware-summary
 syslog.0
   (up to the point where grub-installer initially fails)
 partman.0
   (partman log, up to the same point)
 test.1
   (output from running [1] above)
 preseed.log
   (preseeding file, copied from /var/lib/preseed/log)
 fdisk.sda, fdisk.sdb
   (fdisk output)

--

Kind regards,
Vince

Attachment: attachments.tar.bz2
Description: Binary data


--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message --- 
closing as grub2 now supports metadata > 0.9
See #554500.

-- 
Melhores cumprimentos/Best regards,

Miguel Figueiredo
http://www.DebianPT.org

--- End Message ---
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