Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Installation Fails on Dell XPS 15

[Yunfan Zhang]

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS fails to install on Dell XPS 15 due to a subiquity bug. The installation fails consistently on my machine and never succeeds. The platform is Intel Alderlake and I previously had a Windows 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS dual boot, if that matters.

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/common/api/server.py", line 164, in handler
    result = await implementation(**args)
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/server/controllers/filesystem.py", line 1052, in v2_GET
    return await self.get_v2_storage_response(self.model, wait, include_raid)
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/server/controllers/filesystem.py", line 1038, in get_v2_storage_response
    disks=[labels.for_client(d) for d in disks],
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/server/controllers/filesystem.py", line 1038, in <listcomp>
    disks=[labels.for_client(d) for d in disks],
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/usr/lib/python3.10/functools.py", line 889, in wrapper
    return dispatch(args[0].__class__)(*args, **kw)
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/common/filesystem/labels.py", line 327, in _for_client_disk
    can_be_boot_device=boot.can_be_boot_device(disk),
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/usr/lib/python3.10/functools.py", line 889, in wrapper
    return dispatch(args[0].__class__)(*args, **kw)
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/common/filesystem/boot.py", line 343, in _can_be_boot_device_disk
    plan = get_boot_device_plan(disk, resize_partition=resize_partition)
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/common/filesystem/boot.py", line 319, in get_boot_device_plan
    return get_boot_device_plan_uefi(device, resize_partition)
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/common/filesystem/boot.py", line 279, in get_boot_device_plan_uefi
    part_align = device.alignment_data().part_align
  File "/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/models/filesystem.py", line 745, in alignment_data
    return self._m._partition_alignment_data[ptable]
KeyError: 'unsupported'

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 24.04
Package: subiquity (unknown)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.8.0-31.31-generic 6.8.1
Uname: Linux 6.8.0-31-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: zfs
ApportVersion: 2.28.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
BootstrapLog: Error: [Errno 40] Too many levels of symbolic links: '/var/log/installer/ubuntu_bootstrap.log'
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CasperVersion: 1.498
CloudArchitecture: x86_64
CloudID: nocloud
CloudName: unknown
CloudPlatform: nocloud
CloudSubPlatform: seed-dir (/var/lib/cloud/seed/nocloud)
Date: Wed May 8 10:05:16 2024
DesktopInstallerRev: 171
ExecutablePath: /snap/ubuntu-desktop-bootstrap/171/bin/subiquity/subiquity/cmd/server.py
InterpreterPath: /snap/ubuntu-desktop-bootstrap/171/usr/bin/python3.10
LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS "Noble Numbat" - Release amd64 (20240424)
MachineType: Dell Inc. XPS 15 9520
ProcAttrCurrent: snap.hostname-desktop-bootstrap.subiquity-server (complain)
ProcCmdline: /snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/usr/bin/python3.10 -m subiquity.cmd.server --use-os-prober --storage-version=2 --postinst-hooks-dir=/snap/hostname-desktop-bootstrap/171/etc/subiquity/postinst.d
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=C.UTF-8
 LD_LIBRARY_PATH=<set>
 PATH=(custom, no user)
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/casper/vmlinuz --- quiet splash
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.12, Python 3.12.3, python3-minimal, 3.12.3-0ubuntu1
PythonDetails: N/A
RebootRequiredPkgs: Error: path contained symlinks.
SnapChannel:

SnapRevision: 171
SnapUpdated: False
SnapVersion: 0+git.2d119e1b3
SourcePackage: subiquity
Title: request to /storage/v2?wait=true crashed with KeyError
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 07/07/2023
dmi.bios.release: 1.16
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1.16.0
dmi.board.name: 0MWGD4
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvr1.16.0:bd07/07/2023:br1.16:svnDellInc.:pnXPS159520:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0MWGD4:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct10:cvr:sku0B19:
dmi.product.family: XPS
dmi.product.name: XPS 15 9520
dmi.product.sku: 0B19
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Gary Miguel (garymm)]

Seeing this on Dell OptiPlex 7070

[Gary Miguel (garymm)]

I guess it was something to do with the contents of the driver (rather than the hardware itself) because I was able to install an OS via MAAS and then come back and the 24.04 installation via USB worked.