Bug#288351: Debian installer bug report

[Frans Pop]

On Thursday 03 February 2005 11:31, you wrote:
> It's a long time since I send a report.
> I had no time until now.
> I test sarge-netinstall again.
> This time the Release: Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 20:28:21 UTC
> I found next errors:
>
> 1. After entering hostname, partitioning begin,
>      but whit error:
>
> No partitionable media
>
> No partitionable media ware found
>
> Please check that a hard disk is attached to this machine
>
>     I switch to second console and start looking what was wrong
>     I found that script /lib/partman/init.d/30parted
>     runs another program /bin/parted_devices,
>     which can't load one shared library
>
> ~ # /bin/parted_devices
> /bin/parted_devices: error while loading shared libraries:
> libparted-1.6.so.0:
> cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
> ~ #
>
>     As workaround I did
>
> ~ # cp /lib/libparted-1.6.so.12 /lib/libparted-1.6.so.0
> ~ # /bin/parted_devices
> /dev/scsi/host0/bus0.......
> /dev/scsi/host1/bus0.......
> ~ # rm /var/run/parted_server.pid
>
> After this "Partition disks" from installer menu starts without errors

This is a case of unlucky timing: we started implementing a new version of 
libparted last weekend which should fix several problems. This is causing 
some breakage this week in the daily builds until all related components 
have been updated to use the new library. Should be fixed soon.

> 2.  I also checked where and how the file /boot/grub/menu.lst is set.
> In script /var/lib/dpkg/info/grub-installer.postinst is a function
> update_grub.
> Inside update_grub there is a call
> "chroot /target /sbin/update-grub"
> which create the file /boot/grub/menu.lst (on /target)
> I change  /var/lib/dpkg/info/grub-installer.postinst in a way that
> I ware able to check /target/etc/mtab and /target/etc/fstab before and
> after "update_grub".
> They ware correct.
>
> It seems to me, that /sbin/update-grub from grub package is bugy.

Yes, it does not have a good test to determine the root device of a raid1. 
I have submitted a patch to update-grub in:
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=292274

It would be very nice if you could give that patch a test during an 
installation. Just apply it on /target after base-installation but before 
running grub-installer.

> 3. After reboot the swap partition is not "on"
> "cat /proc/swaps" shows nothing
> /etc/fstab has no swap entries
> I don't know which part of d-i should do that,
> or the swap is not needed anymore.

If you defined a swap partition during partitioning, d-i should add this 
to /etc/fstab for the installed system and the swap should be started 
after reboot.
Could you try this again later this week or early next week (after the 
libparted problems should be fixed)? Please submit a _new_ installation 
report with the results and attach the syslog, messages and partman log 
from the installation (available in /var/log/debian-installer after the 
reboot).

> 4. I tested this on a new machine, which is mine for next 10 day
> It include two SATA 160 GB disks, "SATA" controler is Intel ICH5
> On Internet I found, that the drivers for ICH5 are not very stable.
>
> If RAID1 mirror synhronization is run, then the kernel freeze for some
> time (from few sec to several minutes). In that time the disks
> are active, so mirror synhronization is active.
> Commands such as "cat /proc/mdstat", "ls" or login on virtual console
> freeze for some time.
>
> This happens when installing debian or after reboot, when creating
> new raid1 devices. The  problem is if the raid1 disk is big, eg. 100G.

That sounds like a kernel driver problem. It would be best to submit a 
separate bug report against the kernel-image package you are using.

> Marjan Blatnik

Thank you very much for your additional information and efforts.

Cheers,
Frans Pop