ubuntu-server install fails at grub-install stage when running in a KVM image

[Alex Bennée]

Binary package hint: grub-installer

When installing the latest Ubuntu Server into a KVM machine the install locks up at the point it tries to install the grub bootloader. Further investigation shows it fails after installing stage_1_5. It will hag after that point although Ctrl-C will bring it out of that.

KVM Setup: Running on Ubuntu 8.04

/usr/bin/qemu-system-x86_64 -M pc -no-kqemu -m 768 -smp 1 -monitor pty -no-acpi -boot d -hda /home/vnms/kvm/ubuntu-base.qcow2 -cdrom /home/vnms/kvm/ubuntu-8.04.1-server-amd64.iso -net nic,macaddr=00:16:3e:4c:3e:96,vlan=0 -net user,vlan=0 -usb -vnc 127.0.0.1:0

Ubuntu ISO:

vnms@vnms1:~/kvm$ ls -l ubuntu-8.04.1-server-amd64.iso
-rw-r--r-- 1 vnms vnms 583249920 2008-07-01 05:38 ubuntu-8.04.1-server-amd64.iso
vnms@vnms1:~/kvm$ md5sum ubuntu-8.04.1-server-amd64.iso
e7351d79903588699a383ae77854f734 ubuntu-8.04.1-server-amd64.iso

Screenshot of KVM session attached

[Alex Bennée (ajbennee)]

My current work-around was to build an image with ubuntu-kvm-image-builder, boot it with the server CDROM (for some reason despite having a working GRUB it failed to install a kernel image), install the image and the reboot.

[Shane (duairc)]

I'm also getting this problem.

[Shane (duairc)]

I'm actually getting this on the latest Intrepid installer, just to clarify.

[Henrik Nilsen Omma (henrik)]

Also confirmed by liw

[Bruno Cornec (bruno-cornec)]

Also hit that bug with 8.10.

I booted the QEMU VM with a rescue CD, mounted the root FS and then chroot in it
Even when launching grub-install manually, same blocking occurs.

However, using lilo instead did allow me to create a bootable VM.

I use QEMU 0.9.0-18.2mdv2008.1 on Mandriva 2008.1

[Yufei (yufei)]

I have find the root cause since I encounter the same problem

the grub-pc fail to install because of its dependency package grub-common is not installed.

I change my preseed.cfg file to add the following line to fix this problem:

d-i pkgsel/include string grub-common

Also, there need some formal resolution.