[Bug 1396379] Re: installer uses first EFI system partition found even when directed otherwise

[Andrew Byrd]

I encountered this last week installing Ubuntu 22.04. I booted from USB
install media and installed to a second attached USB storage device. I
created an EFI system partition on the install target device, and
specifically selected this EFI system partition in the GUI as the place
to install the bootloader. However the bootloader was instead installed
to the EFI system partition of the machine's internal SSD.

I reproduced the process running ubiquity from a terminal with the debug
flag. The section of the logs that appears relevant is reproduced below.
The logs show it fetching the debconf value and running "grub-install
/dev/sdd1", which correctly reflects the partition I selected in the UI.

Based on documentation and various forum discussions I'm reading, my
impression is that the device is specified as a parameter to the grub-
install command (as Ubiquity seems to be doing here) for MBR installs
and EFI installs work differently, requiring the target EFI system
partition to be mounted on /boot/efi. Is this correct, and it possible
Ubiquity is missing some unmount/remount steps here?


debconf (developer): <-- METAGET grub-installer/progress/step_bootdev description
debconf (developer): --> 1 Determining GRUB boot device...
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): --> 0 OK
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): <-- FGET grub-installer/bootdev seen
debconf (developer): <-- FGET grub-installer/bootdev seen
debconf (developer): --> 0 true
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): <-- GET grub-installer/bootdev
debconf (developer): <-- GET grub-installer/bootdev
debconf (developer): --> 1 /dev/sdd1
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): <-- PROGRESS STEP 1
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): widget found for grub-installer/progress/title
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): --> 0 OK
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): <-- SUBST grub-installer/progress/step_install_loader BOOTDEV /dev/sdd1
debconf (developer): <-- SUBST grub-installer/progress/step_install_loader BOOTDEV /dev/sdd1
debconf (developer): --> 0
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): <-- PROGRESS INFO grub-installer/progress/step_install_loader
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): widget found for grub-installer/progress/title
debconf (developer): <-- METAGET grub-installer/progress/step_install_loader description
debconf (developer): --> 1 Running "grub-install /dev/sdd1"...
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): --> 0 OK
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): <-- INPUT low grub-installer/force-efi-extra-removable
debconf (developer): <-- METAGET grub-installer/force-efi-extra-removable Type
debconf (developer): --> 1 boolean
debconf (developer): <-- INPUT low grub-installer/force-efi-extra-removable
debconf (developer): --> 30 question skipped
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): <-- GO 
debconf (developer): <-- GO 
debconf (developer): --> 0 ok
May  7 21:22:29 debconf (filter): <-- GET grub-installer/force-efi-extra-removable
debconf (developer): <-- GET grub-installer/force-efi-extra-removable
debconf (developer): --> 1 false
May  7 21:22:32 debconf (filter): <-- GET grub-installer/make_active
debconf (developer): <-- GET grub-installer/make_active
debconf (developer): --> 1 true
May  7 21:22:32 debconf (filter): <-- PROGRESS STEP 1
May  7 21:22:32 debconf (filter): widget found for grub-installer/progress/title
May  7 21:22:32 debconf (filter): --> 0 OK
May  7 21:22:32 debconf (filter): <-- PROGRESS INFO grub-installer/progress/step_config_loader
May  7 21:22:32 debconf (filter): widget found for grub-installer/progress/title
debconf (developer): <-- METAGET grub-installer/progress/step_config_loader description
debconf (developer): --> 1 Running "update-grub"...

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to ubiquity in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1396379

Title:
  installer uses first EFI system partition found even when directed
  otherwise

Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  (k)ubuntu 14.04.1
  package version: 2.02~beta2-9ubuntu1

  i installed ubuntu on my external hard disk, where i also have a previously installed fedora system. i also have a windows
  (efi-booted) system in the internal hard disk.

  at install time via ubiquity i get all grub configuration files in the first EFI-labelled partition (i.e. /dev/sda2 in my case) instead of the one i selected (/dev/sdb1).
  later i changed my fstab mounting /boot/efi on /dev/sdb1 and tried to reinstall grub package (apt-get install --reinstall grub-efi-amd64); now all grub configuration files are in the rigt place, but booting from the external hard disk still shows the fedora grub installation, while selectin the internal hard disk from the bios menu shows a submenu listing ubuntu and windows.
  explicitly installing grub in the correct disk (grub-install /dev/sdb; grub-mkconfig -o /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/grub.cfg) has no effect, nor it has running efibootmgr (efibootmgr -c --disk /dev/sdb --part 1).

  expected results: grub shoud have been installed in the disk/partition i chose;
  actual results: ubuntu always chooses the first disk to install grub on.

  Note that this is not just about the dummy grub install location
  selector that is not used in EFI mode, but configuring one partition
  as do not use, and the other as ESP in the manual partitioning screen.

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1396379/+subscriptions