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Bug 1899759 - kernel install fails when /proc/cmdline is empty
Summary: kernel install fails when /proc/cmdline is empty
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED DEFERRED
Alias: None
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Classification: Red Hat
Component: s390utils
Version: 8.4
Hardware: s390x
OS: Linux
unspecified
medium
Target Milestone: rc
: 8.5
Assignee: Dan Horák
QA Contact: Vilém Maršík
URL:
Whiteboard:
: 2052695 (view as bug list)
Depends On: 1815043 1851111
Blocks: 1609325 1879091 1903942 1916117
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2020-11-19 22:55 UTC by Jan Stodola
Modified: 2022-12-19 13:34 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Doc Type: If docs needed, set a value
Doc Text:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2022-12-19 13:34:40 UTC
Type: Bug
Target Upstream Version:
Embargoed:
pm-rhel: mirror+

Attachments (Terms of Use)


Links
System ID Private Priority Status Summary Last Updated
IBM Linux Technology Center 189820 0 None None None 2020-11-20 08:22:23 UTC

Description Jan Stodola 2020-11-19 22:55:06 UTC 
Description of problem:
An installation of an s390x VM using virt-install fails at the end of the installation process with the following anaconda error:

"DNF error: Error in POSTTRANS scriptlet in rpm package kernel-core."

The problem looks similar to bug 1746069, but this time it's happening on s390x.

The following errors are printed when executing kernel-install in chroot at the end of the installation:
[anaconda root@localhost ~]# chroot /mnt/sysroot/
[anaconda root@localhost /]# kernel-install add $(uname -r) /usr/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/vmlinuz
Could not determine the kernel command line parameters.
Please specify the kernel command line in /etc/kernel/cmdline!
/usr/lib/dracut/modules.d/95qeth_rules/module-setup.sh: line 13: /sys/devices/qeth/*/online: No such file or directory
/usr/lib/dracut/modules.d/95qeth_rules/module-setup.sh: line 13: /sys/devices/qeth/*/online: No such file or directory
dracut-install: ERROR: installing '/etc/dasd.conf'
Could not determine the kernel command line parameters.
Please specify the kernel command line in /etc/kernel/cmdline!
[anaconda root@localhost /]# echo $?
2
[anaconda root@localhost /]#

The errors (Could not determine the kernel command line parameters.) come from /usr/lib/kernel/install.d/91-zipl.install and /usr/lib/kernel/install.d/52-zipl-rescue.install

The installation was executed using virt-install:
virt-install --virt-type kvm --name graphical --ram 2048 --disk /var/lib/libvirt/images/graphical.qcow2,format=qcow2,size=20 --graphics vnc,listen=0.0.0.0 --noautoconsole --os-type=linux --os-variant=rhel8.3 --location=/var/lib/libvirt/images/dvd.iso


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
dracut-049-95.git20200804.el8.s390x
s390utils-core-2.15.1-2.el8.s390x

How reproducible:
always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. virt-install --virt-type kvm --name graphical --ram 2048 --disk /var/lib/libvirt/images/graphical.qcow2,format=qcow2,size=20 --graphics vnc,listen=0.0.0.0 --noautoconsole --os-type=linux --os-variant=rhel8.3 --location=/var/lib/libvirt/images/dvd.iso
2. Proceed through the installation (I selected the minimal package set)

Actual results:
Anaconda error at the end of the installation.

Expected results:
Successful installation
Comment 2 Dan Horák 2020-11-20 08:25:06 UTC 
The missing dasd.conf error is tracked in bug 1815043.
Comment 3 Dan Horák 2020-11-20 10:21:15 UTC 
I can't reproduce the problem when using RHEL-8.4.0-20201118.d.3 compose and using URL as the installation source (no ISO), tested in graphical and text+kickstart installations.
Comment 4 Jan Stodola 2020-11-23 10:24:21 UTC 
I think you need to use ISO mounted in a virtual drive, which will be auto-detected and used as the installation source. The problem is probably caused by the kernel command line, which is empty when using virt-install, see kernel messages in syslog:

16:50:56,642 INFO kernel:Policy zone: DMA
16:50:56,642 NOTICE kernel:Kernel command line: 
16:50:56,642 NOTICE kernel:Specific versions of hardware .....
Comment 5 Dan Horák 2020-11-24 13:08:39 UTC 
You are right, the prerequisite is using the direct boot from ISO. Which makes me wonder if there is something wrong with the boot image, because it should pass some options to the kernel ...
Comment 6 Dan Horák 2020-11-24 15:15:38 UTC 
After many tests and discussion with Jan, I think we know what is the actual problem. The code in the kernel installation scripts expects /proc/cmdline to be non-empty (or /etc/kernel/cmdline) which unfortunately happens when virt-install is called with --location <path_to_iso_file>. It extracts kernel and initrd and doesn't set any other kernel option so as a result /proc/cmdline is empty and the kernel installation scriptlet then fails during the actual instalation. I believe this behaviour could be reproduced with a pure qemu command too.

Javier, is there really a strict requirement for /proc/cmdline to contain some data in the kernel installation scripts?
Comment 7 Dan Horák 2020-11-24 15:21:51 UTC 
workarounds for virt-install - use --cdrom instead of --location, or add --extra-args=foo
Comment 9 Hanns-Joachim Uhl 2021-03-25 09:34:14 UTC 
Hello Red Hat / Dan,
a quick question ...
... is this Red Hat bugzilla still correctly assigned against 's390utils' ...?
Please advise ...
Thanks for your support.
Comment 10 Dan Horák 2021-03-25 09:44:56 UTC 
I think it is correct, because the kernel install scripts causing the issue are part of the s390utils package.
Comment 11 IBM Bug Proxy 2021-11-24 14:10:29 UTC 
------- Comment From tstaudt.com 2021-11-24 09:03 EDT-------
Hello Dan,

what do you think should be the next steps here?
Thanks.
Comment 12 IBM Bug Proxy 2021-11-25 08:30:23 UTC 
------- Comment From tstaudt.com 2021-11-25 03:26 EDT-------
(In reply to comment #15)
> Hello Dan,
>
> what do you think should be the next steps here?
> Thanks.

We talked yesterday and Dan agreed that we could lower the severity for this, but leave it open.
Doing so.
Comment 13 Jan Stancek 2022-03-14 11:07:28 UTC 
*** Bug 2052695 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 15 RHEL Program Management 2022-05-19 07:27:25 UTC 
After evaluating this issue, there are no plans to address it further or fix it in an upcoming release.  Therefore, it is being closed.  If plans change such that this issue will be fixed in an upcoming release, then the bug can be reopened.
Comment 16 IBM Bug Proxy 2022-05-19 07:51:18 UTC 
------- Comment From tstaudt.com 2022-05-19 03:40 EDT-------
Hi Dan,

this was automatically closed - if you still plan to look at this, please reopen it yourself - I'm fine either way.
Comment 17 Dan Horák 2022-05-31 11:52:21 UTC 
I am taking a look and based on my analysis so far I think the check for the empty cmdline is superfluous. Also it doesn't exist on non-s390x platforms, if I understand it right.
Comment 19 Dan Horák 2022-05-31 12:01:06 UTC 
fix implemented in rawhide with https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/s390utils/c/cc536faf67c5c1a363a5eb9ceda6161e0e6cc6e1?branch=rawhide, let's give it some time for testing
Comment 21 RHEL Program Management 2022-12-01 07:27:48 UTC 
After evaluating this issue, there are no plans to address it further or fix it in an upcoming release.  Therefore, it is being closed.  If plans change such that this issue will be fixed in an upcoming release, then the bug can be reopened.
Comment 22 smitterl 2022-12-19 09:06:08 UTC 
(In reply to Dan Horák from comment #19)
> fix implemented in rawhide with
> https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/s390utils/c/
> cc536faf67c5c1a363a5eb9ceda6161e0e6cc6e1?branch=rawhide, let's give it some
> time for testing

Seems there's a fix, so I'm reopening this.
Comment 25 smitterl 2022-12-19 09:31:08 UTC 
I can still reproduce this with a recent RHEL 8.8 compose.

The text installation ends with

Error

   The following error occurred while installing.  This is a fatal error and   
   installation will be aborted.

   DNF error: Error in POSTTRANS scriptlet in rpm package kernel-core 

On shell
...
[anaconda root@localhost /]# kernel-install add $(uname -r) /usr/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/vmlinuz
Could not determine the kernel command line parameters.                        
Please specify the kernel command line in /etc/kernel/cmdline!

# virt-install --virt-type kvm --name vm --ram 2048 --disk /var/lib/libvirt/images/graphical.qcow2,format=qcow2,size=20  --noautoconsole --os-type=linux --os-variant=rhel8-unknown --location /var/lib/libvirt/images/RHEL-8.8.0-20221216.0-s390x-dvd1.iso
Comment 26 Dan Horák 2022-12-19 10:04:47 UTC 
That's expected, the fix went only into Fedora (and ELN), thus is will be in RHEL 10. I haven't received much feedback, so I don't feel comfortable to introduce the change in RHEL 9 or even 8.
Comment 27 smitterl 2022-12-19 13:34:40 UTC 
Thanks for clarifying Dan. Setting CLOSED/DEFERRED.
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