GPT+BIOS with manual desktop partitioning - absence of bios_grub partition causing grub-install to fail

[Uli Herrmann]

fresh install on newly partitioned and formatted sdb1.
Installed yesterday using GPT/UEFI and everything gone smooth (except windows dualboot). Flashed SDCARD again (Rufus) today using MBR. Crash during install or when install was just ready.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 23.10
Package: subiquity (unknown)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.5.0-9.9-generic 6.5.3
Uname: Linux 6.5.0-9-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: zfs
ApportVersion: 2.27.0-0ubuntu5
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CasperVersion: 1.486
CloudArchitecture: x86_64
CloudID: nocloud
CloudName: unknown
CloudPlatform: nocloud
CloudSubPlatform: seed-dir (/var/lib/cloud/seed/nocloud)
CurtinAptConfig: /var/log/installer/subiquity-curtin-apt.conf
Date: Sat Nov 18 21:02:41 2023
DesktopInstallerRev: 1269
ExecutablePath: /snap/ubuntu-desktop-installer/1269/bin/subiquity/subiquity/cmd/server.py
InterpreterPath: /snap/ubuntu-desktop-installer/1269/usr/bin/python3.10
LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 23.10.1 "Mantic Minotaur" - Release amd64 (20231016.1)
MachineType: To Be Filled By O.E.M. To Be Filled By O.E.M.
ProcAttrCurrent: snap.hostname-desktop-installer.subiquity-server (complain)
ProcCmdline: /snap/hostname-desktop-installer/1269/usr/bin/python3.10 -m subiquity.cmd.server --use-os-prober --storage-version=2 --postinst-hooks-dir=/snap/hostname-desktop-installer/1269/etc/subiquity/postinst.d
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 LD_LIBRARY_PATH=<set>
 PATH=(custom, no user)
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/casper/vmlinuz layerfs-path=minimal.standard.live.squashfs --- quiet splash
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.11, Python 3.11.6, python3-minimal, 3.11.4-5
PythonDetails: N/A
RebootRequiredPkgs: Error: path contained symlinks.
SnapChannel: latest/stable/ubuntu-23.10
SnapRevision: 1269
SnapUpdated: False
SnapVersion: 0+git.1c719695
SourcePackage: subiquity
Title: install failed crashed with CalledProcessError
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 03/12/2018
dmi.bios.release: 4.6
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: P3.00
dmi.board.name: Z77 Extreme4
dmi.board.vendor: ASRock
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.chassis.version: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvrP3.00:bd03/12/2018:br4.6:svnToBeFilledByO.E.M.:pnToBeFilledByO.E.M.:pvrToBeFilledByO.E.M.:rvnASRock:rnZ77Extreme4:rvr:cvnToBeFilledByO.E.M.:ct3:cvrToBeFilledByO.E.M.:skuToBeFilledByO.E.M.:
dmi.product.family: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.product.name: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.product.sku: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.product.version: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.sys.vendor: To Be Filled By O.E.M.

[Ferdinando (fcermelli)]

At the time of partitioning the procedure does not propose the EFI partition for the GRUB installation.
Could this be the problem?
If so, how is it resolved?

[Olivier Gayot (ogayot)]

On GPT+BIOS systems, a bios_grub partition should be present for grub-install to succeed. However, the desktop installer does not seem to enforce creation of such partition ; while the server installer does.

[Olivier Gayot (ogayot)]

I believe that this is specific to manual partitioning in the desktop installer. I would expect the guided scenarios to create the bios_grub partition as intended.

[Olivier Gayot (ogayot)]

This is not specific to 23.10, it also happens on 24.04.

[George Tasker (georgetasker)]

I believe this problem showed up because of certain settings being
corrupted on the hard drive. When I clobbered the suspect hard drive
the problem disappeared. As to which settings they might have been I
would be unable to tell you.

George Tasker.

On Thu, 2024-07-18 at 10:48 +0000, Olivier Gayot wrote:
> This is not specific to 23.10, it also happens on 24.04.
>

--
George Tasker

supernova
 up 2 days, 23 hours, 53 minutes

There is a 20% chance of tomorrow.