[Bug 838875] New: Problems installing openSUSE 12.3 with GRUB2 in LINUX-(Software-)RAID
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c0 Summary: Problems installing openSUSE 12.3 with GRUB2 in LINUX-(Software-)RAID Classification: openSUSE Product: openSUSE 12.3 Version: Final Platform: PC OS/Version: openSUSE 12.3 Status: NEW Severity: Major Priority: P5 - None Component: Bootloader AssignedTo: jsrain@suse.com ReportedBy: office@hantsch.co.at QAContact: jsrain@suse.com Found By: --- Blocker: --- User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:23.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/23.0 Hello, because most cheap RAID-controllers lack support of huge harddisks (3-4 TB) and I do not really trust a BIOS RAID, I usually set up systems with 100% Linux RAID. I create first Linux-RAID-partitions for /boot, swap, / (in this order) and clone then my partitioning onto the other HDDs, and finally define RAID1's across the related partitions of all drives. I usually assign ext4 to /boot and xfs to / and other partitions, I do not use a LVM setup. YaSt creates the partitions and md-devices, then it installs all software packages (default setup). When it comes to bootloader installation, repeatedly an error in installing the GRUB2 bootloader occures. When I install the system with GRUB as bootloader, everything works fine and the system is able to boot. I would love to see bootloader installation working really properly as soon as possible. Currently I am permanently praying that it will work, this leaves always a bad taste and feeling. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Do a md-RAID-1-setup of partitions for /, /boot, swap on some harddisks (2-4) 2. Do the default install of openSUSE 12.3 from DVD (default settings, so it suggests GRUB2) 3. Watch setup process. After installing all system files, the setup rises problems with setting up the GRUB2 bootloader. Actual Results: I have to re-install the system and enforce GRUB to get a running system. Expected Results: A system, able to boot. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Component|Bootloader |Installation AssignedTo|jsrain@suse.com |bnc-team-screening@forge.pr | |ovo.novell.com -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c FeiXiang Zhang <fxzhang@suse.com> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CC| |fxzhang@suse.com AssignedTo|bnc-team-screening@forge.pr |arvidjaar@gmail.com |ovo.novell.com | -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c1 Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status|NEW |NEEDINFO InfoProvider| |office@hantsch.co.at --- Comment #1 from Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> 2013-09-09 17:20:40 UTC --- I cannot reproduce it. I used 2 disks with 3 partitions in RAID1. Installer suggested MBR on /dev/sda as bootloader location and system did boot normally. I would expect it to use both /dev/sda and /dev/sdb but that's different issue. You need to give more information about your setup. Please attach /var/log/YaST2 from installed system immediately after installation has completed. If you cannot boot at this point, boot from DVD and fetch logs from installed system. Without logs or clear step by step description how to reproduce it - no way to fix it. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c Alberto Planas Dominguez <aplanas@suse.com> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status Whiteboard| | SILVER -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c2 --- Comment #2 from Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> 2013-09-25 18:51:24 UTC --- I am surprised about that, because I experienced this with almost every machine with more than two and BIG HDDs. I will have to assemble a new server soon, then I will document every step I do. So I will have the full path as screen-pictures for you then. But this will need some time from now. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status|NEEDINFO |ASSIGNED InfoProvider|office@hantsch.co.at | -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c3 --- Comment #3 from Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> 2013-10-23 16:12:25 UTC --- Created an attachment (id=564648) --> (http://bugzilla.novell.com/attachment.cgi?id=564648) First Error -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c4 --- Comment #4 from Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> 2013-10-23 16:14:04 UTC --- Created an attachment (id=564650) --> (http://bugzilla.novell.com/attachment.cgi?id=564650) Second Error -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c5 --- Comment #5 from Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> 2013-10-23 16:18:37 UTC --- I could repeat the whole problem with GRUB2 today on a new (identical) server and made hereby a series of pictures. The last ones I attached right before, showing the error messages. I documented the whole setup, if you want to check it out. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c6 Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status|ASSIGNED |NEEDINFO InfoProvider| |office@hantsch.co.at --- Comment #6 from Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> 2013-10-23 16:35:24 UTC --- (In reply to comment #5)
I could repeat the whole problem with GRUB2 today on a new (identical) server and made hereby a series of pictures.
The first picture cut off the install device (argument to grub-install). On the second picture it is quite clear error - you try to install GRUB2 in MBR of disk with GPT label and this is possible only if you have created special partition - BIOS Boot. In your original message you said "I create first Linux-RAID-partitions for /boot, swap, / (in this order)". So do I understand it correctly - you manually partition disk in expert mode? -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c7 Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status|NEEDINFO |ASSIGNED CC| |office@hantsch.co.at InfoProvider|office@hantsch.co.at | --- Comment #7 from Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> 2013-10-23 17:39:16 UTC --- Exactly. I manually partition the first disk in expert mode, clone it to the other disks, and finally create the mdraid drives from that. How else should/could I do that? But I must say, Yast2 should either warn or automatically select a working configuration, instead of running through the whole setup and finally crash. So I currently still use GRUB, which works as expected. In case that this is my fault, could you, please, explain me detailled (step by step) how to do that correctly then? I want to be able to boot the system from mdraid, regardless which disk failed. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c8 Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status|ASSIGNED |NEEDINFO InfoProvider| |office@hantsch.co.at --- Comment #8 from Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> 2013-10-23 17:57:45 UTC --- (In reply to comment #7)
But I must say, Yast2 should either warn or automatically select a working configuration, instead of running through the whole setup and finally crash.
Well ... I can only suggest filing enhancement request at this point.
In case that this is my fault, could you, please, explain me detailled (step by step) how to do that correctly then?
You need to create BIOS Boot partition on every disk where you intend to install grub2. Size should be 2 - 3 MB (all grub2 modules are about 2MB in total). These partitions should not be mirrored. On summary screen go to Bootloader, confirm that "Enable Redundancy for MD Array" is checked (and check it if not) and exit with OK (not Cancel!). This should install bootloader on both disks. Now I'm not sure how yast actually checks whether configuration is eligible for MD redundancy; it may happen that unmirrored partitions will confuse it. We'll see. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c9 --- Comment #9 from Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> 2013-10-23 18:02:49 UTC --- (In reply to comment #7)
Yast2 should ... automatically select a working configuration,
You are in expert mode. You are solely responsible for results. I agree that having checkbox "Create RAID1 based configuration" would be nice and that checking for existence of BIOS Boot partition if grub2 and GPT are used would also be nice. But these are not bugs. In my limited checking yast creates correct configuration on GPT if you allow it to do it automatically. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c10 Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> changed: What |Removed |Added ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status|NEEDINFO |ASSIGNED InfoProvider|office@hantsch.co.at | --- Comment #10 from Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> 2013-10-23 19:35:08 UTC --- Ok, thank you for the info. I doubt that any "automatic" setup will allow a mixed setup in this complexity, where some partitions (across 4 disks!!) are mirrored (RAID1), so their content is surely identical, while the biggest partition across all 4 drives is mounted at /srv and configured as RAID5 to get high capacity. (This way I usually configure high capacity servers with 10 TB of user capacity with 4x4TB drives. So it will almost always end up in an individual manual setup. Well, the server is now configured and running, I use again GRUB, as this worked. Will try it on next server again. This BIOS Boot partition has to be the first one. Is it the replacement for /boot? Does this partition need a special partition type? -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c11 --- Comment #11 from Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> 2013-10-24 02:36:26 UTC --- (In reply to comment #10)
This BIOS Boot partition has to be the first one.
It does not matter but as usual it makes sense to avoid problem with accessing very large LBAs from BIOS.
Is it the replacement for /boot?
No. It is unrelated.
Does this partition need a special partition type?
Yes. Partition type is "BIOS Boot" :) -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c12 --- Comment #12 from Rainer Hantsch <office@hantsch.co.at> 2013-10-24 07:45:35 UTC --- I tried (and then aborted before disturbing the with GRUB running) system the following steps of setup: 1. I booted and chose New installation. Then I confirmed defaults until I reached the harddisk partitioning, there I selected again manual config in expert mode. 2. I deleted all MD-RAID definitions and all partitions of drive sda. 3. I wanted to add a new (first) partition and assign it type "BIOS boot". I entered 5MB --> Yast refused because the partition is too small I tried allocating blocks 0-1, this worked. Then I searched for "BIOS Boot", but could nowhere find a point for assigning it! So I aborted the installation and kept this way the already running system alive (with GRUB). Please, give me step-by-step instructions on how to define the partitions. I also wonder about partitioning itself: I usually create only primary partitions of type Linux-Raid: 5GB --> for /boot 8GB --> for swap 60GB -> for / Remaining capacity (3.7 TB) -> for /srv After having done that on /dev/sda, I clone this drive to the other drives, sdb,sdc,sdd. Then I enter RAID management. I choose all sdX1 partitions and combine them in RAID1 (EXT4, /boot) I choose all sdX2 partitions and combine them in RAID1 (swap) I choose all sdX3 partitions and compine them in RAID1 (XFS, /) I choose all sdX4 partitions and combine them in RAID5 (XFS, /srv) This is what I do, I carefully searched for "BIOS Boot", but could not find that anywhere. With this drive setup, I can install a working system when I choose GRUB, but GRUB2 is problematic. Hope that GRUB will be available for next 20 years or that GRUB2 will work ad be set up correctly. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875 https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=838875#c13 --- Comment #13 from Andrey Borzenkov <arvidjaar@gmail.com> 2013-10-24 16:48:50 UTC --- Created an attachment (id=564862) --> (http://bugzilla.novell.com/attachment.cgi?id=564862) Screenshot of partition tool with BIOS Grub (In reply to comment #12)
This is what I do, I carefully searched for "BIOS Boot", but could not find that anywhere.
I apologize. It is BIOS Grub, not BIOS boot. See screenshot. -- Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email ------- You are receiving this mail because: ------- You are on the CC list for the bug.
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