Bug 458505 - Rescue Mode errs "Duplicate Labels" with multiple GPT(EFI) drives
Summary: Rescue Mode errs "Duplicate Labels" with multiple GPT(EFI) drives
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED RAWHIDE
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: anaconda
Version: 10
Hardware: All
OS: Linux
medium
medium
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Anaconda Maintenance Team
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2008-08-08 23:40 UTC by John Reiser
Modified: 2009-04-06 15:32 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

Fixed In Version:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2009-04-06 15:32:51 UTC
Type: ---
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)
parted output on system with two such drives (1.40 KB, text/plain)
2008-08-08 23:42 UTC, John Reiser
no flags Details

Description John Reiser 2008-08-08 23:40:20 UTC
Description of problem: Rescue Mode cannot deal with a system that has multiple harddrives with GUID Partition Table (GPT) and Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) boot partitions.  The symptom is a nasty message "Duplicate Labels: Multiple devices on your system are labelled EFI.  Labels across devices must be unique for your system to function properly.  Please fix the problem and restart the installation process.  [Exit Installer]"

There are FOUR errors here:
1.  Duplicate labels work just fine.  Each of /dev/disk/{by-id,by-path,by-uuid} is an alternative to by-label.
2.  The actual duplicated label is "EFI System Partition" so some code thinks that a space character terminates a label.
3.  This is Rescue Mode, not the Installer.
4.  Activating the only choice [Exit Installer] does not exit, but instead gives you a shell with the system in a semi-crippled state (mounts are only partially correct.)


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
anaconda-11.4.1.24

How reproducible: always


Steps to Reproduce:
1. boot Rescue Mode from the netinst.iso CD-ROM on a system with multiple harddrives having GUID Partition Table and EFI boot partition.
2.
3.
  
Actual results:  As in Description above, "Duplicate Labels ... [Exit Installer]"


Expected results: at most a Warning, not an Error; then continue successfully into the rest of Rescue Mode.


Additional info: This is a likely case on an Apple Macintosh with Intel CPU and external harddrives connected via IEEE1394 (firewire) interface.

Comment 1 John Reiser 2008-08-08 23:42:45 UTC
Created attachment 313855 [details]
parted output on system with two such drives

Here's what the GNU partition management utility 'parted' shows for one system with two drives, each with GPT and EFI.

Comment 2 Chris Lumens 2008-08-11 15:20:05 UTC
(1) The only reason we're checking for duplicate labels anymore is in case you have LABEL= in your /etc/fstab.  So we can at least delay displaying that error message until you actually try to use the label.  If you never use LABEL=, then there's no need to display any error.  Pushed.

(2) Hm, strange.  I don't see anything that is obviously causing this.

(3) The installer IS rescue mode, though.

(4) Can you reproduce this with any other dialog boxes where the option is to exit the installer?

Comment 3 John Reiser 2008-08-11 20:57:25 UTC
(In reply to comment #2)
> (1) ... So we can at least delay displaying that error
> message until you actually try to use the label.  ...  Pushed.

Does "pushed" mean it's being worked on for Fedora 10, or what?

> (4) Can you reproduce this with any other dialog boxes where the option is to
> exit the installer?

The complaint about Duplicate Labels is the first dialog box in Rescue Mode that has an option to Exit Installer.  I have not seen any other chances to Exit Installer.

Comment 4 Chris Lumens 2008-08-11 21:04:25 UTC
That means I pushed a fix to the git repo for anaconda, and in fact we have already rebuilt with it.

Comment 5 Bug Zapper 2008-11-26 02:42:47 UTC
This bug appears to have been reported against 'rawhide' during the Fedora 10 development cycle.
Changing version to '10'.

More information and reason for this action is here:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/BugZappers/HouseKeeping

Comment 6 Chris Ward 2009-04-06 09:07:52 UTC
Is this still an issue in F11 Beta?

Comment 7 Chris Ward 2009-04-06 09:30:21 UTC
~Attention~

This bug appears to pertain to an important F11 feature, EFI, which the Fedora Community will be testing in an upcoming Fedora Test Day. Your participation in the action would be greatly appreciated!

More information:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA/Test_Days/2009-04-09
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/EFI

Comment 8 John Reiser 2009-04-06 15:32:51 UTC
Fixed as of Rescue mode on Fedora 11 Beta i386 DVD.


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