URL: <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?37454>
Summary: grub2 will not install to an ext2 ext3 ext4 partition Project: GNU GRUB Submitted by: chrismurphy Submitted on: Thu 27 Sep 2012 09:35:14 PM GMT Category: Installation Severity: Major Priority: 5 - Normal Item Group: Software Error Status: None Privacy: Public Assigned to: None Originator Name: Originator Email: Open/Closed: Open Discussion Lock: Any Release: Release: other Reproducibility: Every Time Planned Release: None _______________________________________________________ Details: Description of problem: grub2-install /dev/sdb1, with or without --force, fails to install to ext[234] formatted partitions. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): grub2-2.00-5.fc18.x86_64 How reproducible: 100% for ext4, i.e. /boot on its own partition formatted as ext4 Steps to Reproduce: 1. new blank disk 2. gpt or mbr partitioned, 1GB 3. mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1 4. Either grub2-install /dev/sdb1 grub2-install --force /dev/sdb1 Actual results: /usr/sbin/grub2-bios-setup: warning: File system `ext2' doesn't support embedding. /usr/sbin/grub2-bios-setup: error: filesystem `btrfs' doesn't support blocklists. To test if there were file system changes, before grub2-install: hexdump -C /dev/sdb1 > beforegrubinstall.bin After grub2-install: hexdump -C /dev/sdb1 > aftergrubinstall.bin After grub2-install --force: hexdump -C /dev/sdb1 > aftergrubforceinstall.bin diff says these files are identical. Expected results: Unsure. History says it's possible to install grub this way but perhaps we're supposed to place core.img on /dev/sdb1 and then chainload or multiboot it? Documentation could be more clear on alternatives if installing to a partition is not recommended; the idea is how to avoid stepping on a legacy bootloader the user may want to retain, in multi-boot scenarios. Additional info: Attaching --debug file from grub2-install failure. On irc.freenode.net #grub Jordan_U suggested: "grub-install shouldn't fail just because we don't have an embedding area (even if we think users should, and can, avoid this)." Original bug filed against Fedora 18: https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=861192 _______________________________________________________ File Attachments: ------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu 27 Sep 2012 09:35:14 PM GMT Name: grubinstall_debugoutput.txt Size: 222kB By: chrismurphy <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/download.php?file_id=26663> _______________________________________________________ Reply to this item at: <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?37454> _______________________________________________ Message sent via/by Savannah http://savannah.gnu.org/ _______________________________________________ Bug-grub mailing list Bug-grub@gnu.org https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-grub