Bug#514338: grub-common: grub-probe fails on RAID with "error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?"

[Rasmus Bøg Hansen]

Package: grub-common
Version: 1.96+20080724-12
Severity: important

On two of my systems with software raid install-grub fails with an error message:

root at samsi-server:~# /usr/sbin/grub-install --recheck --no-floppy /dev/sda
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
Installation finished. No error reported.
This is the contents of the device map /boot/grub/device.map.
Check if this is correct or not. If any of the lines is incorrect,
fix it and re-run the script `grub-install'.

(hd0)	/dev/sda
(hd1)	/dev/sdb
(hd2)	/dev/sdc
root at samsi-server:~# 

Exactly the same happens when I use sdb or md0 instead of sda. Running grub-install through bash -x reveals that grub-probe is the problem:

++ grub-probe --device-map=/boot/grub/device.map -t drive -d /dev/sda
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
[...]
+++ grub-probe --device-map=/boot/grub/device.map -t device /
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
[...]
+++ grub-probe --device-map=/boot/grub/device.map -t device /boot/
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
[...]
++ grub-probe --device-map=/boot/grub/device.map -t drive -d /dev/sda1
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
[...]
+++ grub-probe --device-map=/boot/grub/device.map -t device /boot/grub/
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?
[...]
++ grub-probe -t fs /boot/grub
error: array->nr_devs > array->total_devs (2)?!?

System 1 is configured with root on /dev/md0 (and /boot on /):

Personalities : [raid1] 
md1 : active raid1 sdc2[2](S) sda2[0] sdb2[1]
      966992448 blocks [2/2] [UU]
md0 : active raid1 sdc1[2](S) sda1[0] sdb1[1]
      9767424 blocks [2/2] [UU]
root at samsi-server:~# fdisk -l /dev/sda

Disk /dev/sda: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000e2ef1

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        1216     9767488+  fd  Linux raid autodetect
/dev/sda2            1217      121601   966992512+  fd  Linux raid autodetect
root at samsi-server:~# fdisk -l /dev/sdb

Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 121601 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000ead2c

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1        1216     9767488+  fd  Linux raid autodetect
/dev/sdb2            1217      121601   966992512+  fd  Linux raid autodetect

System 2 is configured with root on /dev/md0 (and /boot on /):

md1 : active raid1 sdd2[2](S) sdc2[3](S) sdb2[1] sda2[0]
      987904 blocks [2/2] [UU]
md2 : active raid5 sdd3[3](S) sdc3[2] sdb3[1] sda3[0]
      1443616768 blocks level 5, 64k chunk, algorithm 2 [3/3] [UUU]
md0 : active raid1 sdd1[2](S) sdc1[3](S) sdb1[1] sda1[0]
      9775424 blocks [2/2] [UU]

All four disks partitioned the same way:

root at sleipner:~# fdisk -l /dev/sda

Disk /dev/sda: 750.1 GB, 750156374016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 91201 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        1217     9775521   fd  Linux raid autodetect
/dev/sda2            1218        1340      987997+  fd  Linux raid autodetect
/dev/sda3            1341       91201   721808482+  fd  Linux raid autodetect

On system 2 the etch version of grub (0.97-27etch1) is able to boot the system.

On system 1, however, neither etch grub, lenny grub or lenny grub-pc will install without the error message. If I install grub 0.97-51 (experimental) and grub-common (1.96+20081201-1) grub installs without error message.

I have not tried rebooting system 2 with the grub installations that gives error messages as the system is located abroad (4 hours total travel time by plane). System 1 is just 10km away but unreachable for the next week and I have only tried the etch grub.

I have tried to remove the spares on both md0 and md1 on system 1; nothing changes. I have also tried changing partition types on sdc to 83 instead of fd; still no change.

I am at a loss. I cannot figure out what is the problem, nor how to fix it. To me it seems like a bug in grub-probe from grub2. I will gladly give any information that might help.

Regards
/Rasmus Bøg Hansen

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 5.0
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.26-1-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=da_DK.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=da_DK.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8) (ignored: LC_ALL set to da_DK.UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages grub-common depends on:
ii  base-files                    5          Debian base system miscellaneous f
ii  libc6                         2.7-18     GNU C Library: Shared libraries

grub-common recommends no packages.

Versions of packages grub-common suggests:
pn  multiboot-doc                 <none>     (no description available)

-- no debconf information