[Bug 889647] Re: ubiquity 'rm -rf's all directories in filesystems mounted during install!

[Colin Watson]

It's really not supposed to do that, and I can't make out from the code
where it might be doing that; it's supposed to remove only a limited set
of directories it specifically knows about.  Are you sure it wasn't
/usr/backup2 or /var/backup2 or something?

** Package changed: ubiquity (Ubuntu) => partman-target (Ubuntu)

** Changed in: partman-target (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided => Critical

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/889647

Title:
  ubiquity 'rm -rf's all directories in filesystems mounted during
  install!

Status in “partman-target” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  I was reinstalling my mythbuntu system from scratch, I have an lvm
  parition storing all of my media which I wished to remain intact
  during the reinstall, so I moved all the storage directories into a
  single directory on the lvm volume, /backup2

  I then proceeded to install, selecting this lvm parition to be mounted
  at /var/lib/mythtv, as it had been previously, and selecting that it
  *not* be formatted. I was warned after moving on to the next step that
  any "system directories i.e. /etc /var and so on would be deleted" I
  assumed (naively) that this would mean my /backup2 directory would be
  left untouched. I started the install and went through the next few
  configuration steps.

  While waiting, I noticed that the install had not progressed very far
  and that the disk was grinding away. I ran a ps to find that it was
  grinding away at a "rm -rf backup2"!!!!! The installer had managed to
  blow away 600gigs of my data with no warning. I am now left fighting
  with ext4undelete to save whatever I can.

  This is a serious critical data-loss bug. I wanted to not format that
  partition for a reason and the installer went off and attempted to
  delete everything there anyways!

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