[Bug 1726855] Re: 17.10 installer has trouble with swap partitions

[Paul White]

** Package changed: ubuntu => debian-installer (Ubuntu)

** Also affects: ubiquity (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided
       Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1726855

Title:
  17.10 installer has trouble with swap partitions

Status in debian-installer package in Ubuntu:
  New
Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Hi,

  I just ran with both the graphical installer from 17.10 ubuntu desktop
  and the console installer from 17.10 lubuntu alternate into a problem,
  that I already had reported some time ago for an older release, but
  which has now become a more severe problem. Before, it occasionally
  kept ubuntu from booting, now it always keeps ubuntu from booting.

  Problem:

  I use that scheme to install machines with SSD:

  /dev/sda1  small ext4 as /boot , not encrypted
  /dev/sda2  luks-encrypted swap
  /dev/sda3  luks-encrypted root (ext4 or btrfs)

  
  both installers do create the swap partition, but do put the "swap" flag into /etc/crypttab. The system then fails to boot. 

  The reason is that systemd can't deal with that and tries to create a
  fresh plain or randomly generated swap partition, while at the same
  time trying to decrypt the device with the given UUID. While this
  former UUID as mentioned in /etc/crypttab does not exist anymore,
  systemd's task to create and mount that waits forever.

  Simple solution: take the swap flag from /etc/crypttab and recreate
  the initramfs, without the swap flag systemd works well and just
  decrypts as expected, then attaches as a swap device without trying to
  recreated this.

  That swap flag worked before the migration to systemd, and the
  installers still use it, although systemd can't properly cope with it.


  Only with the graphical installer, I ran into another, related
  problem.

  When I create these partitions as described and in the order above,
  the installer becomes unable to generate /dev/sda3. Reason: the
  installer creates /dev/sda2 as described. But then, systemd
  immediately finds this as a swap devices and uses it as a swap. After
  entering the configuration for sda3, the installer checks, finds an
  "unencrypted swap" (not sure whether the installer takes the encrypted
  as unencryptd or whether systemd again misinterpretes /etc/crypttab
  and randomly creates a plain swap in the raw device) and aborts with
  an error message before finishing /dev/sda3.

  
  However, if I change the order and configure in the order sda1 sda3 sda2 , thinks work normally. It's because the installer then does not perform the check again after creating the swap.

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