[Installer] Installation on JFS file system fails

[Robert Engelhardt]

Using Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE), 32-bit version, 201101 re-spin.

How to reproduce: select JFS as file system in the installer for the root mountpoint (/), and try to continue the installation (I selected JFS also for the other partitions, if that matters).

What happens: installation fails. The installer gets stuck during the format step (showing activity, but then not progressing anymore), before even starting to copy the files.
This occurs every time. The phenomenon is also mentioned here:
http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1604#comment-33282
and described (by myself) here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=64863 (item 3)

Note: unfortunately the installers insists on formatting the partition itself (as opposed to the installer of the main edition, where I can skip that). If that was not forced, I would be able to crate and format the partition myself so this first step could be completed successfully...

[Justin Krehel (jkrehel)]

Since already marked for LMDE upcoming, I am confirmed this bug.

[Robert Engelhardt (mail-robert-engelhardt)]

Update: bug still exists in new release "LMDE 201109", officially available since a few days :(
Described hang still occurs, and still no possibility to avoid the formatting step even if done otherwise prior to installer run...

[Ian Abbott (ian-abbott)]

As mentioned in Bug #793197, the mkfs.jfs run by the installed needs a '-q' option to prevent it waiting for a Y/N confirmation on standard input. I guess piping the output of the 'yes' command to the mkfs input would have the same effect!

[Clement Lefebvre (clementlefebvre)]

Thanks for the feedback.

This was fixed in live-installer 2012.04.20.1.