[Bug 1815225] Re: Ubuntu System on USB Drive Breaks with Updates Requiring Restarts

[Kai-Heng Feng]

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

** No longer affects: update (Ubuntu)

** Also affects: update-manager (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided
       Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1815225

Title:
  Ubuntu System on USB Drive Breaks with Updates Requiring Restarts

Status in linux package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in update-manager package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  First, please forgive me if I do not report this issue correctly. I'm
  new here and don't generally live in the Launchpad world. (I've tried
  this at askUbuntu.com, and it was suggested I come here.)

  In brief: I have a 2006 Dell Inspiron (32 bit) with a (slow) 40 GB
  hard drive running Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. Having the system exactly the way
  I want it, I used the application "Systemback" to install the system
  on a (fast) 128 GB USB drive, which, being bootable, worked exactly
  the same as if I booted from the hard drive. So I started using the
  faster 128 USB drive exclusively.

  Now typically, Software Updater, if not requiring a restart, updated the running USB drive just fine. But one day, after Software Updater did an update that required a restart, this happened:
  the GRUB 2 bootloader the USB drive that was booted from, AND ALSO the GRUB 2 bootloader on the laptop's hard drive got broken, to the point where neither was bootable, taking me to the dreaded "grub rescue" command line when trying to boot either one. (Thankfully, I had a second USB drive with my Ubuntu system on it, and was able to install it from there to both the laptop's hard drive and the other now-ruined USB drive to bring them back to a pre-broken, normal existence.)

  With that background, I ask: Can Ubuntu's updates that require
  restarts merely work with the drive that was booted from, and not any
  affect any others (including an unmounted hard drive that was not
  booted from) ?

  If so, then anyone could get a Linux the way they want that they can
  take anywhere, bootable from any computer, AND update-able from any
  computer, bypassing all need for hard drives of any sort. No longer
  would people need to even buy laptops with hard drives or even
  operating systems. They could simply buy a smaller, cheaper, hard-
  drive-less and OS-less device that runs merely by plugging an Ubuntu
  Linux USB drive into it as "the system".

  Thank you very much for your time!

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
  Package: linux-image-3.13.0-165-generic 3.13.0-165.215
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-165.215-generic 3.13.11-ckt39
  Uname: Linux 3.13.0-165-generic i686
  ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29
  Architecture: i386
  AudioDevicesInUse:
   USER        PID ACCESS COMMAND
   /dev/snd/controlC0:  noname     2014 F.... pulseaudio
  CurrentDesktop: Unity
  Date: Fri Feb  8 12:12:35 2019
  HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=230fdc83-e7b8-40a5-8731-075b72792c69
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-12-31 (39 days ago)
  InstallationMedia:
   
  IwConfig:
   lo        no wireless extensions.
   
   eth0      no wireless extensions.
  MachineType: Dell Inc. ME051
  ProcFB: 0 inteldrmfb
  ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-165-generic root=UUID=7cfb23c6-b380-495e-9e1c-813436961fef ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
  RelatedPackageVersions:
   linux-restricted-modules-3.13.0-165-generic N/A
   linux-backports-modules-3.13.0-165-generic  N/A
   linux-firmware                              1.127.24
  RfKill:
   
  SourcePackage: linux
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2018-12-31 (39 days ago)
  WifiSyslog:
   
  dmi.bios.date: 12/22/2005
  dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.bios.version: A04
  dmi.board.name: 0TD535
  dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.chassis.type: 8
  dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA04:bd12/22/2005:svnDellInc.:pnME051:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0TD535:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvr:
  dmi.product.name: ME051
  dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

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