[Bug 1718463] Re: Low-level DASD format fails on artful d-i

[Frank Heimes]

** Also affects: ubuntu-z-systems
   Importance: Undecided
       Status: New

** Changed in: ubuntu-z-systems
     Assignee: (unassigned) => Canonical Foundations Team (canonical-foundations)

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Title:
  Low-level DASD format fails on artful d-i

Status in Ubuntu on IBM z Systems:
  New
Status in debian-installer package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  When reaching the DASD configuration, DASDs can be selected and configured.
  If in the following step "Format the device" (low-level DASD format) gets selected (Yes) it fails with this message:

  
       ┌──────┤ [!!] Configure direct access storage devices (DASD) ├──────┐      
       │                                                                   │      
       │                     Installation step failed                      │      
       │ An installation step failed. You can try to run the failing item  │      
       │ again from the menu, or skip it and choose something else. The    │      
       │ failing step is: Configure direct access storage devices (DASD)   │      
       │                                                                   │      
       │                            <Continue>                             │      
       │                                                                   │      
       └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘      
                                                                                  
  In parallel these msg appear in the syslog:

  Sep 20 09:27:47 kernel: [  542.045725] dasd-eckd.401b68: 0.0.1629: A channel path to the device has become operational
  Sep 20 09:27:47 kernel: [  542.048242] dasd-eckd.2aa01a: 0.0.1629: New DASD 3390/0C (CU 3990/01) with 30051 cylinders, 15 heads, 224 sectors
  Sep 20 09:27:47 kernel: [  542.049552] dasd-eckd.412b53: 0.0.1629: DASD with 4 KB/block, 21636720 KB total size, 48 KB/track, compatible disk layout
  Sep 20 09:27:47 kernel: [  542.061015]  dasda:VOL1/  LX1629: dasda1 dasda2
  Sep 20 09:27:48 s390-dasd[4756]: Configuring devices in the active configuration only
  Sep 20 09:27:48 s390-dasd[4756]: ECKD DASD 0.0.1629 configured

  Sep 20 09:28:05 s390-dasd[4756]: Try 'dasdfmt --help' for more information.
  Sep 20 09:28:05 main-menu[413]: WARNING **: Configuring 's390-dasd' failed with error code 1
  Sep 20 09:28:05 main-menu[413]: WARNING **: Menu item 's390-dasd' failed.

  
  The DASD was already in use and partitioned in a prior installation:
  # ls -la /dev/dasd*
  crw-------    1 root     root       10,  55 Sep 20 09:34 /dev/dasd_eer
  brw-------    1 root     root       94,   0 Sep 20 09:34 /dev/dasda
  brw-------    1 root     root       94,   1 Sep 20 09:34 /dev/dasda1
  brw-------    1 root     root       94,   2 Sep 20 09:34 /dev/dasda2

  dasdfmt version is:
  # dasdfmt --version
  dasdfmt version 1.39.0-build-20170823
  Copyright IBM Corp. 1999, 2016

  It looks like d-i uses the "-f" option:
  $ pull-lp-source s390-dasd
  (16:51:08) xnox: snprintf (buf, sizeof (buf), "dasdfmt -l LX%04x -b 4096 -m 1 -f %s -y", channel_device (channel_current->name), dev);

  dasdfmt 1.34 mentions that this is deprecated:
  -f node or --device=node
                NOTE: This option is deprecated. Use the required parameter device instead.
                Specify the device using the device node. node is the complete path to the device.

  I assume in between a dasdfmt / s390-tool version between 1.34 and
  1.39 it finally got dropped.

  Hence "-f" needs to be replaced by "--device" - see man page.

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