Bug#1088151: Bug: GRUB fails to boot after minimal install on Dell 2950 RAID; XFCE resolves issue

[CharlesWorks Support]

Package: grub-pc
Version: 2.06-13+deb12u1  (I do not know if this is the exact version used in the minimal install)
Operating System: Debian 12 (Bookworm)
Hardware: Dell PowerEdge 2950 with PERC 6/i RAID controller
RAID Configuration: RAID 5 with 6 x 2TB SAS drives
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Description of the Problem
I am encountering a consistent issue where GRUB fails to boot into Debian after performing a minimal installation of Debian 12 on a Dell PowerEdge 2950 server with a RAID 5 configuration. The same server and RAID setup worked without issue on  Debian 11, Debian 10, and CentOS, suggesting that this problem may be tied to changes in GRUB or the minimal installation path in recent Debian releases.
When performing a fresh minimal installation of Debian 12, the installation completes successfully, but the server fails to boot after rebooting, presenting the following error:

GRUB Loading.
Welcome to GRUB!
error: attempt to read or write outside of 'hd0'.
grub rescue>


Reinstalling Debian 12 using the XFCE desktop environment option resolves the issue, and the server boots successfully. This suggests a missing dependency, module, or configuration step in the minimal installation process that is addressed when XFCE is selected.
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Steps to Reproduce

  1.  Install Debian 12 (Bookworm) on a Dell PowerEdge 2950 server with the following configuration:
     *   PERC 6/i RAID controller configured as RAID 5 with six 2TB SAS drives.
     *   Partitioning set to use the entire disk with default options.
     *   Choose the minimal installation option during the installer.
  2.  Complete the installation process.
  3.  Reboot the server.

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Expected Behavior

  *   GRUB should load properly, and the server should boot into the Debian operating system.

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Actual Behavior

  *
GRUB fails to boot, displaying the error message:

GRUB Loading.
Welcome to GRUB!
error: attempt to read or write outside of 'hd0'.
grub rescue>


  *
Running ls in the GRUB rescue shell outputs:

grub rescue> ls
(hd0) (hd0,gpt3) (hd0,gpt2) (hd0,gpt1)


     *   Only (hd0,gpt2) contains the /boot directory and shows a valid filesystem.
     *   (hd0,gpt1) and (hd0,gpt3) return "unknown filesystem."
  *
Attempting to set the root and prefix in GRUB rescue mode (set root=(hd0,gpt2) and set prefix=(hd0,gpt2)/boot/grub) does not resolve the issue. Commands like insmod normal or insmod ext2 also fail with the same error.

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Workaround
Reinstalling Debian 12 with the XFCE desktop environment option allows the system to boot correctly. This suggests that the XFCE installation process includes missing dependencies or configuration steps not present in the minimal install.
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Additional Information

  *
Logs:
     *   The GRUB error is consistent across multiple Dell machines that have PERC present. The error has not presented on minimal installations on systems using standard PC boxes with no RAID subsystem.
     *   GRUB configuration from /boot/grub and /etc/default/grub appears standard when inspected in a working XFCE installation.
  *
Hardware Details:
     *   Dell PowerEdge 2950 with PERC 6/i RAID controller (RAID 5 with 6 x 2TB SAS drives)
     *
Dell PowerEdge 2950 with PERC 5/i RAID controller (RAID 5 with 6 x 2TB SAS drives)
     *
Dell PowerEdge 2900 with PERC 5/i RAID controller (RAID 10 with 8 x 2TB SAS drives)
     *   Dell PowerEdge 2950 with PERC 6/i RAID controller (RAID 10 with 8 x 600GB SAS drives)
  *
GRUB Behavior:
     *   GRUB seems to successfully install during the minimal installation, but fails to locate or load necessary modules at boot.
  *
Historical Context:
     *
On the last server minimal install, I tried a minimal install using Debian 11 and then a minimal install of Debian 10 as well and the same GRUB error was exhibited. I have not tried uninstalling XFCE to see if any boxes become unbootable as these are production servers.

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Request
This issue seems to be tied to the minimal installation path in Debian 12 and earlier versions. I suspect there is a missing dependency, configuration step, or GRUB module that is included when XFCE is selected but omitted in the minimal installation.

  *   Please investigate this issue to identify the missing dependency or misconfiguration.
  *   If additional information (e.g., logs, configuration files, or specific tests) is required, I am happy to provide it.

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Thank You
Thank you for maintaining and improving Debian. I hope this report helps address what seems to be a long-standing issue with GRUB in minimal installations on certain hardware configurations.
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Contact Information
Charles Oropallo
charles at charlesworks.com
+1 603-924-9867
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