Bug 1012132

Summary:	RFE make missing bootloader target error message more understandable
Product:	[Fedora] Fedora	Reporter:	Chris Murphy <bugzilla>
Component:	anaconda	Assignee:	Martin Kolman <mkolman>
Status:	CLOSED RAWHIDE	QA Contact:	Fedora Extras Quality Assurance <extras-qa>
Severity:	unspecified	Docs Contact:
Priority:	unspecified
Version:	rawhide	CC:	anaconda-maint-list, awilliam, collura, dshea, g.kaviyarasu, jonathan, mkolman, sbueno, vanmeeuwen+fedora
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Fixed In Version:		Doc Type:	Bug Fix
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Last Closed:	2014-01-27 23:49:33 UTC	Type:	Bug
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Description Chris Murphy 2013-09-25 19:26:45 UTC

Description of problem: On GPT disks, if a required BIOSBoot or EFI System partition isn't present, anaconda's error message is: "you have not created a bootloader stage1 target device". This message doesn't adequately inform most users how they should resolve the problem.


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
anaconda-20.18-1.fc20.x86_64

How reproducible:
GPT disks on BIOS or (U)EFI computers.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Use Manual Partition and don't create either a BIOSBoot or /boot/efi partition. Then try to install.


Actual results:
"you have not created a bootloader stage1 target device"

Expected results:
a.) The installer simply creates what's required using some rational default if the user doesn't (reduce their input /home by the needed amount).

b.) The installer presents the user with a more helpful message to resolve the problem, e.g.

BIOS: You need to create BIOSBoot mountpoint, size 1MB.
(U)EFI: You need to create /boot/efi mountpoint, size 200MB.


Additional info:
I'm uncertain if this message occurs with MBR partition scheme.

Comment 1 Adam Williamson 2014-01-27 23:49:33 UTC

This was fixed for GPT+BIOS back in the F16 timeframe, and I just verified that it still is. From blivet/__init__.py, sanityCheck() :

            #
            # check that GPT boot disk on BIOS system has a BIOS boot partition
            #
            if _platform.weight(fstype="biosboot") and \
               stage1 and stage1.isDisk and \
               getattr(stage1.format, "labelType", None) == "gpt":
                missing = True
                for part in [p for p in self.partitions if p.disk == stage1]:
                    if part.format.type == "biosboot":
                        missing = False
                        break


I just tested both F20 (release ver) and current F21 nightly, doing a custom partition layout to a GPT-labelled disk with an existing partition (so it wouldn't get automatically re-formatted to ms-dos), and saw that error message in both cases.

I just today had a patch committed which fixes the UEFI case:

https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/blivet.git/commit/?id=c81cbd05a5e29b1c82706fc5a3b09424c087ba0d

I'm about to send a change which fixes it a different way that dlehman is more happy with, but either way, I happen to have just fixed the UEFI case. So, closing as RAWHIDE.