[Bug 1552365] Re: Installing Ubuntu Server fails in UEFI mode

Thu Jun 9 08:31:47 UTC 2016

I have found no solution to this problem yet, but a *workaround*

A new computer, Intel NUC6i3SYH, manages to display the text of the
installer in UEFI mode, so I could install Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS in
UEFI mode. In other words, the signed kernel was installed, and it works
with secure boot. The installed system is portable and the text mode
works in UEFI mode in my two computers, that do not like the text mode
installer.

I used my method to create a portable system, that boots in both UEFI
and BIOS mode. It is a minimal system with text mode menus to help
creating an Ubuntu flavour including Ubuntu Server. There is also a menu
entry to create an ultra-light system with the Fluxbox window manager.

It is convenient to set the font (size) of the text console, to make it
fit the screen resolution. See the following link,

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2213631&page=4&p=13481136#post13481136

"A new compressed image file is uploaded:
'dd_text_16.04-UEFI-n-BIOS-4-pendrive-7.8GB.img.xz'"

I think this system can be quite useful, when you want to make a
portable installed system.

-o-

Oldfred taught me to use *tasksel* to make it convenient to install all
the metapackages that are available from the Ubuntu Server iso file. So
I made a new version of the compressed image files of an installed
system that works in both UEFI and BIOS mode.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2213631&page=8&p=13495646#post13495646

"Two updated compressed image files are uploaded"

Alongside with improvements of https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb
(version 10.6.6) it is rather convenient to use this method to install
Ubuntu Server into laptops or other computers, where the debian
installer does not work in UEFI mode. See also the following link,

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/UEFI-and-
BIOS]Installation/UEFI-and-BIOS

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1552365

Title:
  Installing Ubuntu Server fails in UEFI mode

Status in debian-installer package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  Two failures are reported in this bug report:

  1. The text mode fails - the screen does not show the text dialogue in
  two laptop computers (my computers).

  2. The installer fails to install files in a desktop computer
  (oldfred's computer).

  Nota bene: The desktop iso files and their installers work well in these computers, but Lubuntu alternate with the debian installer fails too in UEFI mode.
  -----
  Has anyone installed Ubuntu Server in UEFI mode? Is it intended to work?

  See this link to a thread in the Ubuntu Forums,

  http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2315007

  One of the computers is the Toshiba that I often use for testing, a
  Toshiba laptop with Intel i5 and Intel 3rd gen core proc graphics
  controller. It runs the kernel module i915 in Xenial desktop systems.
  The wifi is RTL8723AE using the kernel module rtl8723ae. (I'm writing
  this report from Lubuntu Xenial in this computer.)

  The graphics and wifi work for me without tweaks with all current
  Ubuntu versions and flavours is UEFI as well as in BIOS mode.

  The other one is a Lenovo X131e with Intel i3 and Intel 2nd gen core
  proc graphics controller. It runs the kernel module i915 in Xenial
  desktop systems. The wifi is Broadcom BCM43228 using the kernel module
  b43.

  The graphics works for me without tweaks with all current Ubuntu
  desktop versions and flavours in UEFI as well as in BIOS mode. The
  wifi does not create any problems when connected via wired network.

  Ubuntu Server amd64 (and its debian installer) works in BIOS mode. But
  there are problems in UEFI mode. I have tried several 14.04 point
  versions, 15.10 and Xenial (of course amd64 versions). The computer
  boots to grub, and the grub menu looks good, but after that the screen
  cannot display anything but some messy lines. It seems that the
  graphics driver does not get the correct information to work (which is
  different from BIOS mode in the same computers). So I cannot see the
  user dialogue, and cannot run the [debian] installer.

  This is for testing purposes and for the future. I can boot these two computers in both BIOS and UEFI mode, but we can expect that computers in the future will not boot in BIOS mode, so we should be prepared not only with the desktop versions and flavours, but also the server and mini versions of Ubuntu.
  ---
  Fred Palmer, 'oldfred' at the Ubuntu Forums, has tried Ubuntu Server too. He has working graphics in a new desktop computer in UEFI mode. But the debian installer failed to install any files:

  'I just tried installing server version in UEFI mode, I had just set
  up 16.04 desktop on sda, and tried server install to sdb.

  It booted and took me all the way to installing software and failed. I could see folders, but no files in folders in new install.'
  ---
  I would say that the debian installer for Ubuntu Server is either buggy, or it has never been intended to use the Ubuntu Server in UEFI mode.

  I think that nobody has really tested Ubuntu Server in UEFI mode, or
  at least it is not tested enough, and I think that it is time to make
  it work in UEFI mode now.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
  Package: debian-installer (not installed)
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-8.23-generic 4.4.2
  Uname: Linux 4.4.0-8-generic i686
  ApportVersion: 2.20-0ubuntu3
  Architecture: i386
  CasperVersion: 1.367
  CurrentDesktop: LXDE
  Date: Wed Mar  2 17:48:35 2016
  DeviceMapperTables: No devices found
  DmraidDevices: no raid disks
  DmraidSets: no raid disks
  LiveMediaBuild: Lubuntu 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Alpha i386 (20160301)
  MachineType: TOSHIBA SATELLITE PRO C850-19W
  MemoryUsage:
   total        used        free      shared  buff/cache   available
   Mem:        4014540      371672     2519080       96852     1123788     3503536
   Swap:       2007264           0     2007264
  ProcEnviron:
   TERM=xterm
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=(loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=/cdimage.ubuntu.com/username/daily-live/current/xenial-desktop-i386.iso splash --
  SourcePackage: debian-installer
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
  dmi.bios.date: 09/24/2012
  dmi.bios.vendor: Insyde Corp.
  dmi.bios.version: 6.10
  dmi.board.asset.tag: Type2 - Board Asset Tag
  dmi.board.name: PLCSF8
  dmi.board.vendor: Intel
  dmi.board.version: Type2 - Board Version
  dmi.chassis.asset.tag: No Asset Tag
  dmi.chassis.type: 10
  dmi.chassis.vendor: OEM Chassis Manufacturer
  dmi.chassis.version: OEM Chassis Version
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnInsydeCorp.:bvr6.10:bd09/24/2012:svnTOSHIBA:pnSATELLITEPROC850-19W:pvrPSCBXE-00C00VN5:rvnIntel:rnPLCSF8:rvrType2-BoardVersion:cvnOEMChassisManufacturer:ct10:cvrOEMChassisVersion:
  dmi.product.name: SATELLITE PRO C850-19W
  dmi.product.version: PSCBXE-00C00VN5
  dmi.sys.vendor: TOSHIBA

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