Bug#783081: installation-reports: Jessie daily installer installs kernel in flash without any further confirmation (QNAP TS-212)

[Martin Michlmayr <tbm@cyrius.com>]

* Bernhard Übelacker <bernhardu@vr-web.de> [2015-04-21 21:00]:
> But I was not aware that the Installer would overwrite the kernel in
> the internal flash without further asking. (Most probably because
> the internal flash holds for installations without serial console
> already the kernel/initrd of the debian installer.)

> As a comparision on x86 the user gets asked where or even if the bootloader should be installed.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience.  As you point out, 99% of users will
start Debian installer on QNAP devices by writing it to flash.  Hence,
there's no point in asking if they are ok with writing the Debian
kernel/ramdisk to flash at the end of the installation.

QNAP devices aren't really general purposes device and debian
installer was adapted in a way that people would be able to install
without a serial console.  Hence, it's important a suitable kernel and
ramdisk is written to flash at the end of the installation.  Unlike on
x86, dual boot isn't really an option for most people.

Maybe it makes sense to introduce a question for the 1% (or probably
0.1%) who don't want to have anything written to flash but my main
concern is that some users will choose that option and end up with a
system that doesn't boot.

BTW, my unofficial QNAP install guide mentions making a backup of MTD
partitions and says that the installer is written to flash.  But I
know this isn't mentioned in the official d-i install guide and that's
my fault.

So I'm open for comments.  I've also copied Ian Campbell, the current
flash-kernel maintainer.

> So that is not a big problem as I would have somewhere backups of the internal
> flash around (which I probably will never need) and also now I can just power up
> this device and can just upgrade the kernel without the hazzle :-)
> 
> (Therefore I was not sure if I should file against debian-installer or give it
> another severity.)

-- 
Martin Michlmayr
http://www.cyrius.com/