18.04.3LTS server install fails to detect SATA or NVME drives

[Randy Rue]

Trying to install the ubuntu-18.04.3-live-server-amd64.iso on a Dell Precision 3630 workstation and can't make the installer see either disk, not the nvme/PICe SSD or the SATA.

I'm booting using UEFI as these Dells can boot using legacy/BIOS boot for external media for purposes of installation but are not capable of booting an OS from any internal device. I've confirmed this by booting in BIOS mode, can install and tell grub-install to boot from /dev/nvme0n1, but on reboot no OS is found.

Tried loading nvme options as per https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln299303/loading-ubuntu-on-systems-using-pcie-m2-drives?lang=en with no change.

With or without the nvme_load=YES option, if I alt-F2 to the console at the point where the installer says "Unfortunately probing for devices to install to failed..." I can run fdisk -l and see both drives. I can also mount, format and write/read data on both disks. This suggests the kernel/OS are seeing the disks but the installer is failing to detect them.

The error message also suggests logging a bug here and including the contents of /var/log/installer (attached).

Any guidance is appreciated.

Randy Rue
Seattle WA

[Ryan Harper (raharper)]

2019-10-03 17:52:22,159 curtin:1156 Validation error: 'eui.ace42e00954452d62ee4ac0000000001' is not valid under any of the given schemas in
{
 "id": "disk-nvme0n1",
 "path": "/dev/nvme0n1",
 "serial": "PC601 NVMe SK hynix 256GB_SI97N023411607H19",
 "type": "disk",
 "wwn": "eui.ace42e00954452d62ee4ac0000000001"
}

This looks like a duplicate of:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/curtin/+bug/1840524

Can you test out the installer from edge?

https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/how-to-test-the-latest-version-of-subiquity/12428

[Randy Rue (randyrue)]

After searching on that "Unfortunately probing for devices" error I tried the more fully-featured alternate installer ISO and it works. Installed to /dev/nvme0n1 and booted successfully to the new OS without needing to load any added arguments to the boot kernel.