Installer crashed

[Matthew McEachen]

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/ubiquity", line 130, in ?
    install(sys.argv[1])
  File "/usr/bin/ubiquity", line 55, in install
    ret = wizard.run()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/ubiquity/frontend/gtkui.py", line 266, in run
    self.process_step()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/ubiquity/frontend/gtkui.py", line 741, in process_step
    self.mountpoints_to_summary()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/ubiquity/frontend/gtkui.py", line 1029, in mountpoints_to_summary
    self.progress_loop()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/ubiquity/frontend/gtkui.py", line 538, in progress_loop
    raise RuntimeError, ("Install failed with exit code %s; see "
RuntimeError: Install failed with exit code 1; see /var/log/installer/syslog and /var/log/syslog

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

/var/log/installer/syslog

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

/var/log/syslog

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

/var/log/partman

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

Note that this was during the use of the xubuntu 6.06 installer ISO.

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

Hardware: HP pavilion zt3000:

$ lspci
0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82855PM Processor to I/O Controller (rev 03)
0000:00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82855PM Processor to AGP Controller (rev 03)
0000:00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
0000:00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
0000:00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
0000:00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-M) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
0000:00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev 81)
0000:00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
0000:00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801DBM (ICH4-M) IDE Controller (rev 01)
0000:00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) SMBus Controller (rev 01)
0000:00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)
0000:00:1f.6 Modem: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM (ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 01)
0000:01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Radeon R250 Lf [FireGL 9000] (rev 01)
0000:02:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): VIA Technologies, Inc. IEEE 1394 Host Controller (rev 80)
0000:02:01.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 20)
0000:02:02.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation PRO/Wireless LAN 2100 3B Mini PCI Adapter (rev 04)
0000:02:04.0 CardBus bridge: ENE Technology Inc CB1410 Cardbus Controller (rev 01)

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

Harumph.

$ sudo grub-install --root-directory=/target /dev/hda
Probing devices to guess BIOS drives. This may take a long time.
The file /target/boot/grub/stage1 not read correctly.

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

I tried update/upgrade, then redo the grub-install, but to no avail:

$ sudo aptitude update
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Initializing package states... Done
Building tag database... Done
Get:1 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security Release.gpg [189B]
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com dapper Release.gpg [189B]
Get:3 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security Release [30.9kB]
Get:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com dapper Release [34.8kB]
Get:5 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main Packages [25.1kB]
Get:6 http://archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Packages [619kB]
Get:7 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/restricted Packages [4253B]
Get:8 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main Sources [6227B]
Get:9 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/restricted Sources [974B]
Get:10 http://archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Packages [4571B]
Get:11 http://archive.ubuntu.com dapper/main Sources [255kB]
Get:12 http://archive.ubuntu.com dapper/restricted Sources [1478B]
Fetched 983kB in 4s (219kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
ubuntu@ubuntu:/target/etc/apt$ sudo aptitude upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Initializing package states... Done
Building tag database... Done
The following packages have been kept back:
  linux-image-386 linux-restricted-modules-386
The following packages will be upgraded:
  binutils-static firefox gdm libfreetype6 libnspr4 libnss3 libtiff4 libxine-main1 linux-386
  linux-restricted-modules-common mozilla-thunderbird
11 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 2 not upgraded.
Need to get 25.1MB of archives. After unpacking 28.7kB will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?]
Get:1 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main binutils-static 2.16.1cvs20060117-1ubuntu2.1 [536kB]
Get:2 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main libfreetype6 2.1.10-1ubuntu2.1 [415kB]
Get:3 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main libnspr4 2:1.firefox1.5.dfsg+1.5.0.4-0ubuntu6.06 [146kB]
Get:4 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main libnss3 2:1.firefox1.5.dfsg+1.5.0.4-0ubuntu6.06 [669kB]
Get:5 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main firefox 1.5.dfsg+1.5.0.4-0ubuntu6.06 [7911kB]
Get:6 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main gdm 2.14.6-0ubuntu2.1 [1714kB]
Get:7 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main libtiff4 3.7.4-1ubuntu3.1 [461kB]
Get:8 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main libxine-main1 1.1.1+ubuntu2-7.1 [2934kB]
Get:9 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/restricted linux-386 2.6.15.23 [23.4kB]
Get:10 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/restricted linux-restricted-modules-common 2.6.15.11-2 [17.7kB]
Get:11 http://security.ubuntu.com dapper-security/main mozilla-thunderbird 1.5.0.4-0ubuntu6.06.1 [10.3MB]
Fetched 25.1MB in 54s (459kB/s)
Preconfiguring packages ...
(Reading database ... 67140 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace binutils-static 2.16.1cvs20060117-1ubuntu2 (using .../binutils-static_2.16.1cvs20060117-1ubuntu2.1_i386.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement binutils-static ...
Preparing to replace libfre...

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

$ ps -ef
...
root 19252 6388 0 15:30 pts/1 00:00:00 /bin/sh /sbin/grub-install --root-directory=/target /dev/hda
root 19387 19252 0 15:30 pts/1 00:00:00 //sbin/grub --batch --device-map=/target/boot/grub/device.map
ubuntu 19404 6388 0 15:33 pts/1 00:00:00 ps -ef

ubuntu@ubuntu:/target/etc/apt$ lsof -p 19387

lsof: WARNING: can't stat() tmpfs file system /cow
      Output information may be incomplete.
COMMAND PID USER FD TYPE DEVICE SIZE NODE NAME
grub 19387 root cwd unknown /proc/19387/cwd (readlink: Permission denied)
grub 19387 root rtd unknown /proc/19387/root (readlink: Permission denied)
grub 19387 root txt unknown /proc/19387/exe (readlink: Permission denied)
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 138444 10401947 /rofs/sbin/grub
grub 19387 root mem REG 0,0 0 [heap] (stat: No such file or directory)
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 8204 10400936 /rofs/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libdl-2.3.6.so
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 1232784 10400880 /rofs/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc-2.3.6.so
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 262860 4375307 /rofs/lib/libncurses.so.5.5
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 86404 4374946 /rofs/lib/ld-2.3.6.so
grub 19387 root NOFD /proc/19387/fd (opendir: Permission denied)

ubuntu@ubuntu:/target/etc/apt$ sudo lsof -p 19387
lsof: WARNING: can't stat() tmpfs file system /cow
      Output information may be incomplete.
COMMAND PID USER FD TYPE DEVICE SIZE NODE NAME
grub 19387 root cwd DIR 3,2 151 100663425 /target/etc/apt
grub 19387 root rtd DIR 0,15 340 1029 /
grub 19387 root txt REG 7,0 138444 10401947 /rofs/sbin/grub
grub 19387 root mem REG 0,0 0 [heap] (stat: No such file or directory)
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 8204 10400936 /rofs/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libdl-2.3.6.so
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 1232784 10400880 /rofs/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc-2.3.6.so
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 262860 4375307 /rofs/lib/libncurses.so.5.5
grub 19387 root mem REG 7,0 86404 4374946 /rofs/lib/ld-2.3.6.so
grub 19387 root 0r REG 0,20 85 194358 /tmp/sh-thd-1150556833 (deleted)
grub 19387 root 1w REG 0,20 0 194352 /tmp/grubAsBdby
grub 19387 root 2u CHR 136,1 3 /dev/pts/1
grub 19387 root 3u BLK 3,0 4639 /dev/hda
grub 19387 root 4u REG 3,2 105428 34021059 /target/boot/grub/stage2

[Matthew McEachen (mrm-ubuntu)]

I rebooted into xfce, opened a terminal and editted /etc/apt/sources.list to include:

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-updates main restricted

I then did

$ sudo aptitude update
$ sudo aptitude upgrade

THEN launched the installer (and chose reiserfs this time instead of xfs as the single mega-partition type). The installer worked without a hitch this time.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Thanks for your report. Due to some reliability problems with GRUB and XFS, you need to use a non-XFS root filesystem or create a non-XFS /boot filesystem. Bug 47848 is filed to note that the partitioner should warn you about this up-front.