/usr/sbin/grub-install: error: will not proceed with blocklists.

[Thomas Bechtold]

I'm trying to create a Ubuntu 12.04 image with this command:

sudo DIB_RELEASE=precise disk-image-create -x --offline --no-tmpfs vm ubuntu

but get the following error:

Creating config file /etc/default/grub with new version
Generating grub configuration file ...
done
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.19-0ubuntu6.6) ...
++ which grub-install
+ GRUBNAME=/usr/sbin/grub-install
+ '[' -z /usr/sbin/grub-install ']'
+ '[' -z /usr/sbin/grub-install ']'
++ /usr/sbin/grub-install --version
++ grep 0.97
++ wc -l
+ '[' 0 -ne 0 ']'
+ echo 'Installing GRUB2...'
Installing GRUB2...
+ GRUB_OPTS=
+ [[ ! '' == *--target* ]]
++ /usr/sbin/grub-install --version
+ [[ /usr/sbin/grub-install (GRUB) 2.02~beta2-9ubuntu1 =~ 2\. ]]
+ '[' -d /sys/firmware/efi ']'
+ [[ amd64 =~ ppc ]]
+ /usr/sbin/grub-install '--modules=biosdisk part_msdos' /dev/loop2
Installing for i386-pc platform.
/usr/sbin/grub-install: warning: File system `ext2' doesn't support embedding.
/usr/sbin/grub-install: warning: Embedding is not possible. GRUB can only be installed in this setup by using blocklists. However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and their use is discouraged..
/usr/sbin/grub-install: error: will not proceed with blocklists.
++ check_break after-error run_in_target bash
++ echo ''
++ egrep -e '(,|^)after-error(,|$)' -q
+ trap_cleanup
+ exitval=1
+ cleanup
+ unmount_image
+ sync
+ unmount_dir /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt
+ local pattern=/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt mnts=
+ '[' -n /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt ']'
++ awk '{print $2}'
++ grep '^/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt'
++ sort -r
+ mnts='/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/tmp/in_target.d
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/sys
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/proc
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/dev/pts
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/dev
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt'
+ '[' -n '/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/tmp/in_target.d
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/sys
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/proc
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/dev/pts
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/dev
/tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt' ']'
+ sudo umount -fl /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/tmp/in_target.d /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/sys /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/proc /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/dev/pts /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt/dev /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt
+ '[' -n 'detach_loopback /dev/loop2' ']'
+ detach_loopback /dev/loop2
+ local loopdev=/dev/loop2
++ echo /dev/loop2
++ sed 's/\/dev\///g'
+ loopdev_name=loop2
++ sudo dmsetup ls
++ grep loop2
++ awk '{ print $1 }'
+ mapper_name=
+ '[' '' ']'
++ seq 10 -1 1
+ for try in '$(seq 10 -1 1)'
+ sudo losetup /dev/loop2
/dev/loop2: [65025]:2884682 (/tmp/image.u11pQq5W/image.raw)
+ sudo losetup -d /dev/loop2
+ return 0
+ cleanup_dirs
+ sudo rm -rf /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/built
+ sudo rm -rf /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh/mnt
+ sudo umount -f /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh /tmp/image.u11pQq5W
umount: /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh: not mounted
umount: /tmp/image.u11pQq5W: not mounted
+ true
+ rm -rf --one-file-system /tmp/image.A7GhFhsh /tmp/image.u11pQq5W
+ exit 1

[Thomas Bechtold (toabctl)]

So the problems seems to be the "vm" element. Without that, I can build an image.

[Thomas Bechtold (toabctl)]

But the image is not bootable.

[Clint Byrum (clint-fewbar)]

Hi Thomas. Can you please include the exact commandline you used, any elements not in the diskimage-builder tree, and what OS you're trying to create the image from? I just tried this on Ubuntu 14.04 (creating an Ubuntu 12.04 image) and it worked fine, and was bootable:

DIB_RELEASE=precise bin/disk-image-create -x ubuntu vm

Thanks!

[Thomas Bechtold (toabctl)]

Hi Clint,

sudo DIB_RELEASE=precise disk-image-create -x --offline --no-tmpfs vm ubuntu

I'm running this on a openSUSE Tumbleweed host. I don't use any special elements. Basically the steps to reproduce are:

#!/bin/bash
virtualenv dib-test
source dib-test/bin/activate
pip install diskimage-builder
sudo DIB_RELEASE=precise disk-image-create -x --offline --no-tmpfs vm ubuntu

[Thomas Bechtold (toabctl)]

So the problem seems that no partition table was created:

+ sudo sfdisk /dev/loop0
This disk is currently in use - repartitioning is probably a bad idea.
Umount all file systems, and swapoff all swap partitions on this disk.
Use the --no-reread flag to suppress this check.

Adding the "--force" flag leads to:

+ SFDISK_DEBUG=all
+ sudo sfdisk --force /dev/loop0
This disk is currently in use - repartitioning is probably a bad idea.
Umount all file systems, and swapoff all swap partitions on this disk.
Use the --no-reread flag to suppress this check.

line 1: unsupported command
++ check_break after-block-device bash

I'm using util-linux 2.26.1 and seems that there were some changes in sfdisk.

[Ben Kero (ben-kero)]

I spent all day today confirming this issue. :)

Simply downgrading to util-linux 2.25 will fix it. I experienced this running Archlinux.

A bug with more info is available here: https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/44349

[OpenStack Infra (hudson-openstack)]

Fix proposed to branch: master
Review: https://review.openstack.org/174272

[Thomas Bechtold (toabctl)]

Just for the record: The patch proposed creates this parition schema:

openSUSE Tumbleweed with util-linux 2.26.1:

basilikum:~ # fdisk /dev/loop0

Welcome to fdisk (util-linux 2.26.1).
Changes will remain in memory only, until you decide to write them.
Be careful before using the write command.

Command (m for help): p
Disk /dev/loop0: 1.6 GiB, 1675427840 bytes, 3272320 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x96ef5726

Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/loop0p1 * 16065 3272319 3256255 1.6G 83 Linux

Ubuntu 14.04.2 with util-linux 2.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.4 :

$ sudo fdisk /dev/loop0

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/loop0: 1675 MB, 1675821056 bytes
189 heads, 49 sectors/track, 353 cylinders, total 3273088 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

      Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/loop0p1 * 16065 3273087 1628511+ 83 Linux

[Thomas Bechtold (toabctl)]

And another output:

openSUSE Tumbleweed with util-linux 2.26.1:

# sfdisk -u S --dump /dev/loop0
label: dos
label-id: 0xaf4cdd43
device: /dev/loop0
unit: sectors

/dev/loop0p1 : start= 16065, size= 3256255, type=83, bootable

Ubuntu 14.04.2 with util-linux 2.20.1-5.1ubuntu20.4 :

$ sudo sfdisk -u S --dump /dev/loop0
[sudo] password for tom:
# partition table of /dev/loop0
unit: sectors

/dev/loop0p1 : start= 16065, size= 3257023, Id=83, bootable
/dev/loop0p2 : start= 0, size= 0, Id= 0
/dev/loop0p3 : start= 0, size= 0, Id= 0
/dev/loop0p4 : start= 0, size= 0, Id= 0

[Thomas Bechtold (toabctl)]

@Ben Kero (ben-kero) : Does the proposed fix work for you?

[gcmalloc (gcmalloc)]

I had the same issue today, and the patch worked for me.
on my version of fsdisk, the -u option is deprecated though.

[OpenStack Infra (hudson-openstack)]

Change abandoned by Thomas Bechtold (<email address hidden>) on branch: master
Review: https://review.openstack.org/174272
Reason: I think it's fixed with util-linux 2.26.2 so I'm no longer interested in working on this.

[Gregory Haynes (greghaynes)]

This has been fixed with an update to the vm element