[Bug 1847898] Re: System doesn't boot after installation - Legacy mode / 2 disks

[Dimitri John Ledkov]

** Description changed:

+ [Impact]
+ 
+  * Sometimes, installer was not installing the bootloader on the right
+ drive, if there were more than two to pick from.
+ 
+ [Test Case]
+ 
+  * Install onto a machine with two different drives, i.e. sda & nvme
+  
+ * Ideally wipe both drives clean, to prevent bootloader from previous installation making it seem that installation works, when it does not.
+ 
+  * Pick one drive or the other, during guided installation
+ 
+  * Before rebooting, inspect /var/log/syslog, to ensure that "grub-
+ installer" was run against the same drive as the one used for
+ installation (i.e. mounted in /target)
+ 
+  * At the end of both installs, machine should reboot off the target
+ drive just fine.
+ 
+ [Regression Potential]
+ 
+  * The currently behaviour of choosing the "first" drive to be the
+ bootloader device, is flawed logic under BIOS, as the same drive as the
+ rest of the installation should normally be used for installation. Some
+ may have been relying on this behaviour and installing bootloaders on
+ one drive, to boot off the other. Such users can still go into
+ "Something else" and precisely pick the desired drive for the bootloader
+ installation. (See the workaround below)
+ 
+ 
+ ===
+ 
+ 
  Workaround installing on SATA drive (sda)
  
  * Click Something Else custom first
  * Change boot loader drop down from nvme to sda
  * Click back
  * Use wipe & install
  * Select sda for install
  * Complete install & reboot
  
  --
  
  Ubuntu 19.10 "Eoan Ermine" - Beta amd64 (20191012)
  
  Dell Inspiron 7472 with 2 disks: sata and nvme
  Boot in legacy mode
  System installed on sda
  
  After installation the system doesn't find a bootable device.
  The same problem occurs if I install Ubuntu on the nvme drive instead.
  
  If I perform the installation in uefi/no secure boot mode, it boots
  fine.
  
  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 19.10
  Package: ubiquity 19.10.19
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.3.0-18.19-generic 5.3.1
  Uname: Linux 5.3.0-18-generic x86_64
  NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair
  ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu8
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperVersion: 1.424
  CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
  Date: Sun Oct 13 05:00:22 2019
  InstallCmdLine: file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed initrd=/casper/initrd quiet splash nomodeset ---
  LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 19.10 "Eoan Ermine" - Beta amd64 (20191012)
  ProcEnviron:
   TERM=xterm-256color
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=C.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: ubiquity
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

-- 
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1847898

Title:
  System doesn't boot after installation - Legacy mode / 2 disks

Status in Release Notes for Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in ubiquity source package in Focal:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  [Impact]

   * Sometimes, installer was not installing the bootloader on the right
  drive, if there were more than two to pick from.

  [Test Case]

   * Install onto a machine with two different drives, i.e. sda & nvme
   
  * Ideally wipe both drives clean, to prevent bootloader from previous installation making it seem that installation works, when it does not.

   * Pick one drive or the other, during guided installation

   * Before rebooting, inspect /var/log/syslog, to ensure that "grub-
  installer" was run against the same drive as the one used for
  installation (i.e. mounted in /target)

   * At the end of both installs, machine should reboot off the target
  drive just fine.

  [Regression Potential]

   * The currently behaviour of choosing the "first" drive to be the
  bootloader device, is flawed logic under BIOS, as the same drive as
  the rest of the installation should normally be used for installation.
  Some may have been relying on this behaviour and installing
  bootloaders on one drive, to boot off the other. Such users can still
  go into "Something else" and precisely pick the desired drive for the
  bootloader installation. (See the workaround below)


  ===


  Workaround installing on SATA drive (sda)

  * Click Something Else custom first
  * Change boot loader drop down from nvme to sda
  * Click back
  * Use wipe & install
  * Select sda for install
  * Complete install & reboot

  --

  Ubuntu 19.10 "Eoan Ermine" - Beta amd64 (20191012)

  Dell Inspiron 7472 with 2 disks: sata and nvme
  Boot in legacy mode
  System installed on sda

  After installation the system doesn't find a bootable device.
  The same problem occurs if I install Ubuntu on the nvme drive instead.

  If I perform the installation in uefi/no secure boot mode, it boots
  fine.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 19.10
  Package: ubiquity 19.10.19
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.3.0-18.19-generic 5.3.1
  Uname: Linux 5.3.0-18-generic x86_64
  NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_modeset nvidia zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair
  ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu8
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperVersion: 1.424
  CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
  Date: Sun Oct 13 05:00:22 2019
  InstallCmdLine: file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed initrd=/casper/initrd quiet splash nomodeset ---
  LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 19.10 "Eoan Ermine" - Beta amd64 (20191012)
  ProcEnviron:
   TERM=xterm-256color
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=C.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: ubiquity
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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