[Precise] [Regression] Grub doesn't recognize other Linux distros anymore

[Swâmi Petaramesh]

- Regression since latest grub2 updates on Precise Beta

- Observed on 2 different machines.

- Grub doesn't recognize the presence of other Linux distros on same machine anymore (it was working perfectly before) (There's a Mint /boot on /dev/sda6 here).

- OTOH it identifies FreeBSD, which it didn't automagically do before...

Grub now spits "no such disk" error that I had never seen before.

Example:

$ sudo update-grub
[sudo] password......:
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-19-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-19-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-18-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-18-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /memtest86+.bin
grub-probe : erreur : no such disk.
grub-probe : erreur : no such disk.
Found FreeBSD on /dev/sda1
Found Windows Recovery Environment (loader) on /dev/sda3
done

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: grub-pc 1.99-18ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-19.30-generic 3.2.11
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-19-generic i686
ApportVersion: 1.94.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: i386
Date: Tue Mar 20 09:24:34 2012
SourcePackage: grub2
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-03-13 (7 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[decafbad (decafbad-deactivatedaccount)]

one of my systems is affected by this bug, the other one isn't.
update-grub says it found my fedora installation, but it does not add it to grub.cfg.

root@x61:~# update-grub
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-19-generic-tp
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-19-generic-tp
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-19-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-19-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-18-generic-tp
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-18-generic-tp
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-18-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-18-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Found Fedora release 16 (Verne) on /dev/mapper/vg_ssd0-lv_root_fedora
done
root@x61:~# grep -i fedora /boot/grub/grub.cfg
root@x61:~#

root@x61:~# grub-mkconfig > output_of_grub-mkconfig
Generating grub.cfg ...
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-19-generic-tp
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-19-generic-tp
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-19-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-19-generic
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-18-generic-tp
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-18-generic-tp
Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-18-generic
Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-18-generic
Found memtest86+ image: /boot/memtest86+.bin
Found Fedora release 16 (Verne) on /dev/mapper/vg_ssd0-lv_root_fedora
done
root@x61:~#

[Swâmi Petaramesh (swami-petaramesh)]

Since I filed this bug I've noticed that :

- It's OK on my Son's machine who doesn't use LVM and has several Linux distros and a Windows on bare partitions.

- That's broken on 3 machines of mine that uses (encrypted) LVM with only distros /boot on a separate partition for each.

I see from decafbad's report above that the machine he reports uses LVM as well... Would be interested in knowing if his machine "that is OK" uses LVM as well...

So that might be a grub/LVM issue...

[Swâmi Petaramesh (swami-petaramesh)]

This bug occurs on each and every machine which has several Linux distros installed and is LVM-based.

Again, this is a regression - this didn't happen before Precise, and now it happens with all other Linus distros that are Precise derivatives (i.e. Mint 13, Voyager...)

I further noticed something :

- All other Linus distros ARE detected if their root FS is mounted anywhere in the current Linux FS (i.e. MINT root FS mounted under /mnt/MINT) at the time when "update-grub" is run.

- Oherwise (if not mounted) other distros stay undetected.

[Marcus Tomlinson (marcustomlinson)]

This release of Ubuntu is no longer receiving maintenance updates. If this is still an issue on a maintained version of Ubuntu please let us know.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for grub2 (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]