[Bug 1012886] Re: "No root file system is defined" error using preseeded LVM/atomic partitioning scheme

[Riccardo Murri]

** Attachment added: "screenshot of sfdisk/lvs output from console, showing that the disk is correctly partitioned"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/debian-installer/+bug/1012886/+attachment/3189263/+files/no-root-fs.png

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Title:
  "No root file system is defined" error using preseeded LVM/atomic
  partitioning scheme

Status in “debian-installer” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  I am using a preseed file for automating netboot installs.

  However, *if there's only one disk and it is already partitioned* I
  often get this error:

  """
  !! Partition disks
  No root file system
  No root file system is defined.

  Please correct this from the partitioning menu.
  """

  It seems that the installer gets confused when it would have no
  changes to perform on the filesystem (i.e., installing a machine twice
  in a row with the same preseed file).

  I have never seen the error if there is more than one disk (however,
  in this setup the disk being installed is not the first one, which may
  or may not be relevant).

  I have never seen this error when starting with a blank disk.

  The error is frequent but not systematic: there are times when the
  installation proceeds normally.  So far, I have only tested the
  procedure with VMs so I cannot say if this can be replicated with a
  physical machine.

  The relevant section from the preseed file is:

          ### Partitioning

          d-i partman-auto/disk string /dev/sda
          d-i partman-auto/method string lvm
          d-i partman/default_filesystem string ext4

          d-i partman-auto/disk string /dev/sda
          d-i partman-auto/method string lvm

          # do not ask for confirmation, ever
          d-i partman/choose_partition                      select   finish
          d-i partman/confirm                               boolean  true
          d-i partman/confirm_nooverwrite                   boolean  true
          d-i partman/exception_handler                     select   Retry
          d-i partman-basicfilesystem/no_swap               boolean  false
          d-i partman-lvm/confirm                           boolean  true
          d-i partman-lvm/confirm_nooverwrite               boolean  true
          d-i partman-lvm/device_remove_lvm                 boolean  true
          d-i partman-md/confirm                            boolean  true
          d-i partman-md/device_remove_md                   boolean  true
          d-i partman-partitioning/confirm_write_new_label  boolean  true

  I have also tried the following explicit recipe, to no avail:

          d-i partman-auto/expert_recipe string                         \
                boot-lvm ::                                             \
                        32 64 128 ext2                                  \
                                $primary{ } $bootable{ }                \
                                method{ format } format{ }              \
                                use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext2 }    \
                                mountpoint{ /boot }                     \
                        .                                               \
                        512 10240 -1 ext3                               \
                                method{ lvm } format{ }                 \
                                $primary{ } $defaultignore{ }           \
                                device{ /dev/sda } vg_name{ vg0 } \
                        .                                               \
                        1024 8192 16384 ext3                            \
                                $lvmok{ } in_vg{ vg0 } lv_name{ root }  \
                                method{ format } format{ }              \
                                use_filesystem{ } filesystem{ ext4 }    \
                                mountpoint{ / }                         \
                        .                                               \
                        64 512 300% linux-swap                          \
                                $lvmok{ } in_vg{ vg0 } lv_name{ swap }  \
                                method{ swap } format{ }                \
                        .

  
  This could be the same issue described in bug #993552 .

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