Bug 748274 - The UEFI installation: the default size of EFI System partition is huge
Summary: The UEFI installation: the default size of EFI System partition is huge
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED CURRENTRELEASE
Alias: None
Product: Fedora
Classification: Fedora
Component: anaconda
Version: 16
Hardware: Unspecified
OS: Unspecified
unspecified
unspecified
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: David Lehman
QA Contact: Fedora Extras Quality Assurance
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2011-10-23 20:32 UTC by Václav Mocek
Modified: 2012-10-04 23:07 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2012-10-04 23:07:49 UTC
Type: ---
Embargoed:


Attachments (Terms of Use)
Proposed size of EFI System partition (884.32 KB, image/jpeg)
2011-10-23 20:33 UTC, Václav Mocek
no flags Details
Installation logs. (107.54 KB, application/x-gzip)
2011-10-28 23:48 UTC, Václav Mocek
no flags Details

Description Václav Mocek 2011-10-23 20:32:30 UTC
Description of problem:
The default size of EFI System partition created by anaconda is huge, approximately 9GB (screenshot_1.jpg)

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


How reproducible:
Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Copy efidisk.img on a USB stick
2. Try to install Fedora 16 in standard way on a hardisk with GPT and without any partition.
3.
  
Actual results:
Anaconda proposes a huge size of EFI System partition.

Expected results:
A sensible size of EFI System partition (200-500MB).

Additional info:

Comment 1 Václav Mocek 2011-10-23 20:33:40 UTC
Created attachment 529706 [details]
Proposed size of EFI System partition

Comment 2 Chris Lumens 2011-10-27 02:17:45 UTC
I've not seen this anywhere else.  Can you please attach /tmp/anaconda.log and /tmp/storage.log to this bug report?  Thanks.

Comment 3 Václav Mocek 2011-10-28 00:33:55 UTC
I will make a fresh install today using the latest TC version. It was quite easy to reproduce it, every time. The size of EFI System partition depended on whether LVM was chosen - if it wasn't, the proposed size was a bit smaller - 8GB instead 9GB.

Comment 4 David Lehman 2011-10-28 02:05:30 UTC
storage.formats.fs.EFI used to have a max size of 500M which made no sense and prevented existing larger dos filesystems from being used as EFI system partitions. What's needed is a max size on the autopart request for /boot/efi. I have a patch around here somewhere -- I just need to find it and send it off for review.

Comment 5 Václav Mocek 2011-10-28 23:44:25 UTC
I reinstalled F16 TC and the problem remained, see the attachment. 

Regarding the default size of EFI System partition, it should be taken into account Microsoft's recommendations here:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744301%28WS.10%29.aspx
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd799232%28WS.10%29.aspx

Microsoft suggests 100-260MB and it must be the first partition.

Keep in mind, we are still talking about the *default* size; at the end user should be able to modify it.

David Lehman: 
"... prevented existing larger dos filesystems from being used as EFI system
partitions ..."

Better not use it in this way. My [so far tragic] experience with UEFI implementation is that it could fail, if the partition is too big (MSDOS partition table, with label EFI, FAT32).

Comment 6 Václav Mocek 2011-10-28 23:48:24 UTC
Created attachment 530755 [details]
Installation logs.

Installation logs from:

/var/log/anaconda
/root

and the GPT layout ("$gdisk -l /dev/sda").

Comment 7 Jens Petersen 2011-11-04 07:27:11 UTC
FWIW worth mine is 11GB...

Comment 8 Keshav Amburay 2011-11-05 11:33:50 UTC
No need for ESP to be first partition. That requirement is only for dynamic disks (windows equivalent of lvm). I suggest >=200 MiB FAT32. The UEFI Spec, in some places mentions any fat fs and in some places only fat32 for ESP. Better use fat32 alone.

Comment 9 Václav Mocek 2011-11-05 13:03:11 UTC
(In reply to comment #8)
> No need for ESP to be first partition. That requirement is only for dynamic
> disks (windows equivalent of lvm). I suggest >=200 MiB FAT32. The UEFI Spec, in
> some places mentions any fat fs and in some places only fat32 for ESP. Better
> use fat32 alone.

What I have found out so far, the UEFI spec and the real implementation are different worlds.

EFI System Partition should use EFI File System, which is technically FAT[32] (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463080).

In case of my laptop (Lenovo S205), if I use FAT16, the system doesn't boot.

Comment 10 David Lehman 2012-10-04 23:07:49 UTC
This was fixed for Fedora 17.


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