xenial server fails to install; preseed doesn't catch grub-installer/bootdev

[Max Brustkern]

When installing xenial-server, I get logs like this:
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> SETTITLE debian-installer/grub-installer/title
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> GET grub-installer/bootdev
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> GET cdrom-detect/hybrid
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 false
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> PROGRESS STEP 1
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> PROGRESS INFO grub-installer/progress/step_bootdev
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 OK
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> GET grub-installer/bootdev
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0
Dec 21 19:51:20 grub-installer: debug: q='grub-installer/only_debian' state='1' defbd='/dev/vda' bd=''
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> FGET grub-installer/bootdev seen
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 false
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> INPUT high grub-installer/only_debian
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 30 question skipped
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> GO
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 ok
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> GET grub-installer/only_debian
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 true
Dec 21 19:51:20 grub-installer: debug: select_bootdev: arg=''
Dec 21 19:51:20 grub-installer: debug: Bootdev Choices: '/dev/vda'
Dec 21 19:51:20 grub-installer: debug: Bootdev Descriptions: '/dev/vda'
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> SUBST grub-installer/choose_bootdev DEVICES_LIST /dev/vda
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: Adding [DEVICES_LIST] -> [/dev/vda]
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> SUBST grub-installer/choose_bootdev DESCRIPTIONS /dev/vda
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: Adding [DESCRIPTIONS] -> [/dev/vda]
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> INPUT high grub-installer/choose_bootdev
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 30 question skipped
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> GO
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 ok
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> GET grub-installer/choose_bootdev
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 manual
Dec 21 19:51:20 grub-installer: debug: select_bootdev: result=''
Dec 21 19:51:20 grub-installer: debug: q='grub-installer/only_debian' state='2' defbd='/dev/vda' bd=''
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> FGET grub-installer/bootdev seen
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 false
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> INPUT critical grub-installer/bootdev
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: <-- 0 question will be asked
Dec 21 19:51:20 debconf: --> GO

I'll see if I can find away around it in a preseed or if we need to check with someone on the ubiquity side.

[Max Brustkern (nuclearbob)]

I see this on desktop as well when running under xenial.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Some of this was due to the ubiquity-dm failure with modern plymouth, which I fixed over the break.

I've also just uploaded this, which may help (will also require a ubiquity upload for desktop; I'll do that a bit later):

grub-installer (1.128ubuntu2) xenial; urgency=medium

  * If grub-installer/choose_bootdev only has one non-manual choice, default
    to that and reduce question priority to low. May fix LP: #1528360.

 -- Colin Watson <email address hidden> Mon, 04 Jan 2016 14:06:44 +0000