efivarfs_set_variable: writing to fd 7 failed: Invalid argument.

[Cliff Carson]

With the 3/24/2021 update grub failed to install. Getting messages;

grub-install: warning: Cannot set EFI variable Boot000B.
grub-install: warning: efivarfs_set_variable: writing to fd 7 failed: Invalid argument.
grub-install: warning: _efi_set_variable_mode: ops->set_variable() failed: Invalid argument.
grub-install: error: failed to register the EFI boot entry: Invalid argument.

when doing sudo grub-install /dev/sda. Reinstalled grub-efi-amd64-bin successfully but get the same error on the grub-install command.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 21.04
Package: grub-efi-amd64-bin 2.04-1ubuntu44
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.11.0-11.12-generic 5.11.0
Uname: Linux 5.11.0-11-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu60
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: unknown
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Wed Mar 24 11:42:52 2021
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-11-17 (126 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 21.04 "Hirsute Hippo" - Alpha amd64 (20201117)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: grub2-unsigned
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Cliff Carson (ccarson1)]

Got a grub error after installing grub-efi-amd64-bin 2.04-1ubuntu44 during daily update/upgrade on 3/24. The message indicated the boot process may fail. Attempted to re-install grub on two different devices both failed with the error noted above. Thought my only option was to re-install 21.04 so was prepared to do that but when attempting to re-boot the system every thing worked as expected. Still get the error message when doing grub-install. Will put off re-installing the system until 21.04 distribution or some error on boot.

[Cliff Carson (ccarson1)]

Don't know what I'm looking at but the out put of efibootmgr -v shows a Boot000B set and it is current.

cliff@Desktopps:~$ efibootmgr -v
BootCurrent: 000B
Timeout: 1 seconds
BootOrder: 000B,0016,0014,0013,000C,000E,0012,0018,001A,001E,001F
Boot000B* ubuntu HD(1,GPT,f3c85e85-56e3-4154-bee2-3c14f6e140a9,0x800,0x64000)/File(\EFI\UBUNTU\SHIMX64.EFI)
Boot000C* UEFI OS PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1f,0x2)/Sata(0,65535,0)/HD(1,GPT,f3c85e85-56e3-4154-bee2-3c14f6e140a9,0x800,0x64000)..BO
Boot000E* UEFI OS PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1f,0x2)/Sata(0,65535,0)/HD(1,GPT,f3c85e85-56e3-4154-bee2-3c14f6e140a9,0x800,0x64000)..BO
Boot0012* UEFI OS PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1f,0x2)/Sata(0,65535,0)/HD(1,GPT,f3c85e85-56e3-4154-bee2-3c14f6e140a9,0x800,0x64000)..BO
Boot0013* CD/DVD Drive BBS(CDROM,,0x0)..GO..NO........O.A.S.U.S. . . . .D.R.W.-.2.4.F.1.S.T. . . .b.................>..Gd-.;.A..MQ..L.6.E.0.D.L.C.4.0.1.1.7.8. . . . . . . . ........BO
Boot0014* Hard Drive BBS(HD,,0x0)..GO..NO........O.S.a.m.s.u.n.g. .S.S.D. .8.5.0. .E.V.O. .2.5.0.G.B.................>..Gd-.;.A..MQ..L.2.S.N.1.S.N.F.A.2.C.6.3.2.1. .B. . . . ........BO..NO........O.S.a.m.s.u.n.g. .S.S.D. .8.5.0. .E.V.O. .2.5.0.G.B.................>..Gd-.;.A..MQ..L.2.S.6.R.B.N.H.0.5.B.1.5.9.5. .F. . . . ........BO..NO........Y.S.a.m.s.u.n.g. .S.S.D. .9.7.0. .E.V.O. .5.0.0.G.B.................H..Gd-.;.A..MQ..L.S.a.m.s.u.n.g. .S.S.D. .9.7.0. .E.V.O. .5.0.0.G.B........BO
Boot0016* UEFI OS PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1f,0x2)/Sata(0,65535,0)/HD(1,GPT,f3c85e85-56e3-4154-bee2-3c14f6e140a9,0x800,0x64000)..BO
Boot0018* UEFI OS PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1f,0x2)/Sata(0,65535,0)/HD(1,GPT,f3c85e85-56e3-4154-bee2-3c14f6e140a9,0x800,0x64000)..BO
Boot001A* UEFI OS PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x1f,0x2)/Sata(0,65535,0)/HD(1,GPT,f3c85e85-56e3-4154-bee2-3c14f6e140a9,0x800,0x64000)..BO
Boot001E* UEFI OS HD(1,GPT,f3c85e85-56e3-4154-bee2-3c14f6e140a9,0x800,0x64000)/File(\EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI)..BO

[Cliff Carson (ccarson1)]

Grub update 2021-04-02 grub-efi-amd64-signed (1.169+2.04-1ubuntu45) installation failed. Again doing an grub-install indicates that the process failed to set Boot000B.

[Cliff Carson (ccarson1)]

Problem has been corrected by some update between 2021-04-02 and 2021-04-20.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Benjamin Drung (bdrung)]

Since the original reporter says that the problem has been corrected by some update between 2021-04-02 and 2021-04-20, I am setting this bug to Fix Released. If someone experiences a bug with similar error messages, please file a new bug report and include your motherboard information (because it could also be a problem of the EFI implementation there).