Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
The same issue occurred using a separate usb with a toshiba C55D and with a
cd on a home built tower. At this point I'm just so confused at why it's
fine installing to a usb but not a clean disk on not one but four different
disk/computer configurations with varying Openbsd versions and install
media. I installed 6.3 fine on my old efi xps but since the issue with the
Mac Mini everything I've tried has failed to install to the disk and the
old guides for making an efi partition fail in the same way, only coping
the efi partition from a usb with Openbsd installed works.
I thought I'd just quickly write a small guide on how I did it in case
anyone has the same issue:
1. Install OpenBSD to a separate USB stick
2. dd the usb onto the hard drive
3. As all my USB's were 8gb ones the auto partitions were smaller and
fewer, instead of mucking around expanding I found that I could now install
Openbsd to the internal hard drive in the Openbsd portion of the disk (ie
not choosing gpt as that would overwrite the whole disk) thus keeping the
functioning efi parition in place.
It's not the cleanest way to install but as I said, 4 failures in the same
way with different configs and different images and versions and it seems
that no one online has had the same issue ever before, or hasn't posted
about it, so I'm stumped but happy that I have a method that works.
On Sun, Nov 25, 2018 at 6:00 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
> In case anyone is still following or is interested: Installing to my HP
> stream 11 failed in the exact same way. Using the same workaround worked.
>
> On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 8:09 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
>
>> Thank you so much!
>>
>> So I dd'd using the raw devices for both the usb and the mac mini. It
>> worked which is sweet, unfortunately due to the usb being only 4gb it
>> didn't partition it in the normal Openbsd way, only / /home and /usr, but I
>> have a bigger usb which should be able to get the normal partition
>> treatment and copy that one across.
>>
>> At this point as annoying as it is that it won't just install normally,
>> it's working, but for the sake of others I'd like to eventually work out
>> how to fix the issue.
>>
>> I'm not sure where to look but I might have a bit of a look over how
>> mkdir is being called as to why the argument invalid error is happening.
>>
>> But one again thank's so much for you and Phillip taking time out of your
>> days to help.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 6:55 PM snikolov wrote:
>>
>>> Now can you try to dd your USB stick from a Linux Live CD onto your
>>> local drive and then try to boot. My guess is that there is some
>>> UEFI/openBSD incompatibility.
>>> In our case (U)EFI is representing the storage to the kernel and most
>>> probably that is not OK.
>>> Still, if you manage to boot from the drive (after a complete 'dd) ,
>>> then we should know that at least a workaround is possible.
>>>
>>> Strahil
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, 2018-10-27 at 18:42 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
>>> > Hey Strahil,
>>> >
>>> > Just tried to install to a usb and it installed fine, an efi install
>>> > at
>>> > that, and it runs fine when booting. So it's something to do with
>>> > installing onto the internal drive. But that makes little sense since
>>> > I
>>> > reformatted the internal hard drive to make sure it was like as new
>>> > so I
>>> > don't get why Openbsd is acting differently.
>>> >
>>> > On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 6:54 AM snikolov
>>> > wrote:
>>> >
>>> > > Hi,
>>> > >
>>> > > have you tried to install openBSD on a USB stick (installer run on
>>> > > another machine) and then boot from that USB stick ?
>>> > > It will be interesting to find out what happens then.
>>> > >
>>> > > Best Regards,
>>> > > Strahil
>>> > >
>>> > > On Fri, 2018-10-26 at 16:05 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
>>> > > > Summery + update:
>>> > > >
>>> > > > So I thought I'd post one final update for the time being, it's
>>> > > > been
>>> > > > a long
>>> > > > two day's reading man pages and looking though mailing
>>> > > > lists/forums/reddit
>>> > > > posts, and summary of where I'm at in case anyone in the future
>>> > > > wants
>>> > > > help.
>>> > > > I'll
>>> > > >
>>> > > > Firstly, no matter how I try to install I still get the "
>>> > > > installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed:
>>> > > > Invalid
>>> > > > argument" error but with different gibberish.
>>> > > >
>>> > > > Secondly there's a reddit thread with some info and discussion at
>>> > > > https://www.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/9qllyy/bootloader_faili
>>> > > > ng_t
>>> > > > o_install_on_2012_mac_mini/
>>> > > >
>>> > > > Finally here's where I'm at:
>>> > > >
>>> > > > Openbsd documentation for (u)efi is highly lacking however in
>>> > > > this
>>> > > > case
>>> > > > it's hard to say how helpful it would have been. I've only ever
>>> > > > used
>>> > > > openbsd with legacy boot on however mac's don't have the option
>>> > > > to do
>>> > > > so.
>>> > > > When pressing the key combo for the
Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
In case anyone is still following or is interested: Installing to my HP
stream 11 failed in the exact same way. Using the same workaround worked.
On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 8:09 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
> Thank you so much!
>
> So I dd'd using the raw devices for both the usb and the mac mini. It
> worked which is sweet, unfortunately due to the usb being only 4gb it
> didn't partition it in the normal Openbsd way, only / /home and /usr, but I
> have a bigger usb which should be able to get the normal partition
> treatment and copy that one across.
>
> At this point as annoying as it is that it won't just install normally,
> it's working, but for the sake of others I'd like to eventually work out
> how to fix the issue.
>
> I'm not sure where to look but I might have a bit of a look over how mkdir
> is being called as to why the argument invalid error is happening.
>
> But one again thank's so much for you and Phillip taking time out of your
> days to help.
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 6:55 PM snikolov wrote:
>
>> Now can you try to dd your USB stick from a Linux Live CD onto your
>> local drive and then try to boot. My guess is that there is some
>> UEFI/openBSD incompatibility.
>> In our case (U)EFI is representing the storage to the kernel and most
>> probably that is not OK.
>> Still, if you manage to boot from the drive (after a complete 'dd) ,
>> then we should know that at least a workaround is possible.
>>
>> Strahil
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, 2018-10-27 at 18:42 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
>> > Hey Strahil,
>> >
>> > Just tried to install to a usb and it installed fine, an efi install
>> > at
>> > that, and it runs fine when booting. So it's something to do with
>> > installing onto the internal drive. But that makes little sense since
>> > I
>> > reformatted the internal hard drive to make sure it was like as new
>> > so I
>> > don't get why Openbsd is acting differently.
>> >
>> > On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 6:54 AM snikolov
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> > > Hi,
>> > >
>> > > have you tried to install openBSD on a USB stick (installer run on
>> > > another machine) and then boot from that USB stick ?
>> > > It will be interesting to find out what happens then.
>> > >
>> > > Best Regards,
>> > > Strahil
>> > >
>> > > On Fri, 2018-10-26 at 16:05 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
>> > > > Summery + update:
>> > > >
>> > > > So I thought I'd post one final update for the time being, it's
>> > > > been
>> > > > a long
>> > > > two day's reading man pages and looking though mailing
>> > > > lists/forums/reddit
>> > > > posts, and summary of where I'm at in case anyone in the future
>> > > > wants
>> > > > help.
>> > > > I'll
>> > > >
>> > > > Firstly, no matter how I try to install I still get the "
>> > > > installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed:
>> > > > Invalid
>> > > > argument" error but with different gibberish.
>> > > >
>> > > > Secondly there's a reddit thread with some info and discussion at
>> > > > https://www.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/9qllyy/bootloader_faili
>> > > > ng_t
>> > > > o_install_on_2012_mac_mini/
>> > > >
>> > > > Finally here's where I'm at:
>> > > >
>> > > > Openbsd documentation for (u)efi is highly lacking however in
>> > > > this
>> > > > case
>> > > > it's hard to say how helpful it would have been. I've only ever
>> > > > used
>> > > > openbsd with legacy boot on however mac's don't have the option
>> > > > to do
>> > > > so.
>> > > > When pressing the key combo for the boot menu of the mac I see
>> > > > two
>> > > > options.
>> > > > One named "windows" and one named "efi boot".
>> > > > They both boot into the openbsd installer but with several
>> > > > differences.
>> > > >
>> > > > The "windows" option boots into a full screen installer. With
>> > > > this
>> > > > boot
>> > > > option wd0 is the root disk and sd0 is the usb. Upon running
>> > > > dmesg |
>> > > > grep
>> > > > efi to confirm that efi is noticed shows that's it's not. An
>> > > > attempt
>> > > > to
>> > > > install with either gpt or mbr fails with the invalid argument
>> > > > error.
>> > > > The
>> > > > "efi" boot option boots with the installer taking up the center
>> > > > of
>> > > > the
>> > > > screen, in this boot option sd0 is root and sd1 is the usb, it
>> > > > does
>> > > > however
>> > > > notice that the mac mini is an efi system. It "usually" (Because
>> > > > I've
>> > > > tried
>> > > > a few times and noticed that sometimes it doesn't) creates the
>> > > > efi
>> > > > partition and then the regular openbsd partition. However
>> > > > regardless
>> > > > of
>> > > > which option is chosen the error still occurs.
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > I've tested openbsd 6.3 and a snapshot and it fails in the exact
>> > > > same
>> > > > way.
>> > > > Sorry again if I've left anything out or missed anything.
>> > > >
>> > > > On Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 4:43 PM Liam Wigney
>> > > > wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > > Update:
>> > > > >
>> > > > > I noticed upon selecting the boot menu there were two
Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
Thank you so much!
So I dd'd using the raw devices for both the usb and the mac mini. It
worked which is sweet, unfortunately due to the usb being only 4gb it
didn't partition it in the normal Openbsd way, only / /home and /usr, but I
have a bigger usb which should be able to get the normal partition
treatment and copy that one across.
At this point as annoying as it is that it won't just install normally,
it's working, but for the sake of others I'd like to eventually work out
how to fix the issue.
I'm not sure where to look but I might have a bit of a look over how mkdir
is being called as to why the argument invalid error is happening.
But one again thank's so much for you and Phillip taking time out of your
days to help.
On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 6:55 PM snikolov wrote:
> Now can you try to dd your USB stick from a Linux Live CD onto your
> local drive and then try to boot. My guess is that there is some
> UEFI/openBSD incompatibility.
> In our case (U)EFI is representing the storage to the kernel and most
> probably that is not OK.
> Still, if you manage to boot from the drive (after a complete 'dd) ,
> then we should know that at least a workaround is possible.
>
> Strahil
>
>
>
> On Sat, 2018-10-27 at 18:42 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
> > Hey Strahil,
> >
> > Just tried to install to a usb and it installed fine, an efi install
> > at
> > that, and it runs fine when booting. So it's something to do with
> > installing onto the internal drive. But that makes little sense since
> > I
> > reformatted the internal hard drive to make sure it was like as new
> > so I
> > don't get why Openbsd is acting differently.
> >
> > On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 6:54 AM snikolov
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > have you tried to install openBSD on a USB stick (installer run on
> > > another machine) and then boot from that USB stick ?
> > > It will be interesting to find out what happens then.
> > >
> > > Best Regards,
> > > Strahil
> > >
> > > On Fri, 2018-10-26 at 16:05 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
> > > > Summery + update:
> > > >
> > > > So I thought I'd post one final update for the time being, it's
> > > > been
> > > > a long
> > > > two day's reading man pages and looking though mailing
> > > > lists/forums/reddit
> > > > posts, and summary of where I'm at in case anyone in the future
> > > > wants
> > > > help.
> > > > I'll
> > > >
> > > > Firstly, no matter how I try to install I still get the "
> > > > installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed:
> > > > Invalid
> > > > argument" error but with different gibberish.
> > > >
> > > > Secondly there's a reddit thread with some info and discussion at
> > > > https://www.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/9qllyy/bootloader_faili
> > > > ng_t
> > > > o_install_on_2012_mac_mini/
> > > >
> > > > Finally here's where I'm at:
> > > >
> > > > Openbsd documentation for (u)efi is highly lacking however in
> > > > this
> > > > case
> > > > it's hard to say how helpful it would have been. I've only ever
> > > > used
> > > > openbsd with legacy boot on however mac's don't have the option
> > > > to do
> > > > so.
> > > > When pressing the key combo for the boot menu of the mac I see
> > > > two
> > > > options.
> > > > One named "windows" and one named "efi boot".
> > > > They both boot into the openbsd installer but with several
> > > > differences.
> > > >
> > > > The "windows" option boots into a full screen installer. With
> > > > this
> > > > boot
> > > > option wd0 is the root disk and sd0 is the usb. Upon running
> > > > dmesg |
> > > > grep
> > > > efi to confirm that efi is noticed shows that's it's not. An
> > > > attempt
> > > > to
> > > > install with either gpt or mbr fails with the invalid argument
> > > > error.
> > > > The
> > > > "efi" boot option boots with the installer taking up the center
> > > > of
> > > > the
> > > > screen, in this boot option sd0 is root and sd1 is the usb, it
> > > > does
> > > > however
> > > > notice that the mac mini is an efi system. It "usually" (Because
> > > > I've
> > > > tried
> > > > a few times and noticed that sometimes it doesn't) creates the
> > > > efi
> > > > partition and then the regular openbsd partition. However
> > > > regardless
> > > > of
> > > > which option is chosen the error still occurs.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > I've tested openbsd 6.3 and a snapshot and it fails in the exact
> > > > same
> > > > way.
> > > > Sorry again if I've left anything out or missed anything.
> > > >
> > > > On Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 4:43 PM Liam Wigney
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Update:
> > > > >
> > > > > I noticed upon selecting the boot menu there were two ways to
> > > > > boot
> > > > > the usb
> > > > > in the Mac's efi, I selected the one labled "windows". The
> > > > > computer
> > > > > has
> > > > > never had windows installed and it's for booting the usb but I
> > > > > never saw
> > > > > anything noting that this would happen. I selected it and
> > > > > instantly
> > > > > the
> > > > >
Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
Now can you try to dd your USB stick from a Linux Live CD onto your
local drive and then try to boot. My guess is that there is some
UEFI/openBSD incompatibility.
In our case (U)EFI is representing the storage to the kernel and most
probably that is not OK.
Still, if you manage to boot from the drive (after a complete 'dd) ,
then we should know that at least a workaround is possible.
Strahil
On Sat, 2018-10-27 at 18:42 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
> Hey Strahil,
>
> Just tried to install to a usb and it installed fine, an efi install
> at
> that, and it runs fine when booting. So it's something to do with
> installing onto the internal drive. But that makes little sense since
> I
> reformatted the internal hard drive to make sure it was like as new
> so I
> don't get why Openbsd is acting differently.
>
> On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 6:54 AM snikolov
> wrote:
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > have you tried to install openBSD on a USB stick (installer run on
> > another machine) and then boot from that USB stick ?
> > It will be interesting to find out what happens then.
> >
> > Best Regards,
> > Strahil
> >
> > On Fri, 2018-10-26 at 16:05 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
> > > Summery + update:
> > >
> > > So I thought I'd post one final update for the time being, it's
> > > been
> > > a long
> > > two day's reading man pages and looking though mailing
> > > lists/forums/reddit
> > > posts, and summary of where I'm at in case anyone in the future
> > > wants
> > > help.
> > > I'll
> > >
> > > Firstly, no matter how I try to install I still get the "
> > > installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed:
> > > Invalid
> > > argument" error but with different gibberish.
> > >
> > > Secondly there's a reddit thread with some info and discussion at
> > > https://www.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/9qllyy/bootloader_faili
> > > ng_t
> > > o_install_on_2012_mac_mini/
> > >
> > > Finally here's where I'm at:
> > >
> > > Openbsd documentation for (u)efi is highly lacking however in
> > > this
> > > case
> > > it's hard to say how helpful it would have been. I've only ever
> > > used
> > > openbsd with legacy boot on however mac's don't have the option
> > > to do
> > > so.
> > > When pressing the key combo for the boot menu of the mac I see
> > > two
> > > options.
> > > One named "windows" and one named "efi boot".
> > > They both boot into the openbsd installer but with several
> > > differences.
> > >
> > > The "windows" option boots into a full screen installer. With
> > > this
> > > boot
> > > option wd0 is the root disk and sd0 is the usb. Upon running
> > > dmesg |
> > > grep
> > > efi to confirm that efi is noticed shows that's it's not. An
> > > attempt
> > > to
> > > install with either gpt or mbr fails with the invalid argument
> > > error.
> > > The
> > > "efi" boot option boots with the installer taking up the center
> > > of
> > > the
> > > screen, in this boot option sd0 is root and sd1 is the usb, it
> > > does
> > > however
> > > notice that the mac mini is an efi system. It "usually" (Because
> > > I've
> > > tried
> > > a few times and noticed that sometimes it doesn't) creates the
> > > efi
> > > partition and then the regular openbsd partition. However
> > > regardless
> > > of
> > > which option is chosen the error still occurs.
> > >
> > >
> > > I've tested openbsd 6.3 and a snapshot and it fails in the exact
> > > same
> > > way.
> > > Sorry again if I've left anything out or missed anything.
> > >
> > > On Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 4:43 PM Liam Wigney
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Update:
> > > >
> > > > I noticed upon selecting the boot menu there were two ways to
> > > > boot
> > > > the usb
> > > > in the Mac's efi, I selected the one labled "windows". The
> > > > computer
> > > > has
> > > > never had windows installed and it's for booting the usb but I
> > > > never saw
> > > > anything noting that this would happen. I selected it and
> > > > instantly
> > > > the
> > > > installer takes up the whole monitor as opposed to just being
> > > > small
> > > > and
> > > > centred. It also, when selecting the default gpt full disk
> > > > configuration,
> > > > auto-made a EFI partition. However the install failed with the
> > > > exact same
> > > > error but with new numbers and letters after "installboot.".
> > > >
> > > > Maybe this is booting the usb with efi and previously it
> > > > wasn't?
> > > > Regardless, it's still not working. I might try 6.3 and a
> > > > snapshot
> > > > to see
> > > > if it's just an issue with 6.4.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 2:18 PM Liam Wigney > > > m>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Thanks for the reply, I actually tried the install again
> > > > > after
> > > > > wiping the
> > > > > disk and noticed that it seems like and efi partition wasn't
> > > > > auto-created
> > > > > as part of the partitioning which seems odd since I swear it
> > > > > usually is for
> > > > > efi systems but then again maybe I just don't remember.
> > >
Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
Hey Strahil,
Just tried to install to a usb and it installed fine, an efi install at
that, and it runs fine when booting. So it's something to do with
installing onto the internal drive. But that makes little sense since I
reformatted the internal hard drive to make sure it was like as new so I
don't get why Openbsd is acting differently.
On Sat, Oct 27, 2018 at 6:54 AM snikolov wrote:
> Hi,
>
> have you tried to install openBSD on a USB stick (installer run on
> another machine) and then boot from that USB stick ?
> It will be interesting to find out what happens then.
>
> Best Regards,
> Strahil
>
> On Fri, 2018-10-26 at 16:05 +1030, Liam Wigney wrote:
> > Summery + update:
> >
> > So I thought I'd post one final update for the time being, it's been
> > a long
> > two day's reading man pages and looking though mailing
> > lists/forums/reddit
> > posts, and summary of where I'm at in case anyone in the future wants
> > help.
> > I'll
> >
> > Firstly, no matter how I try to install I still get the "
> > installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed: Invalid
> > argument" error but with different gibberish.
> >
> > Secondly there's a reddit thread with some info and discussion at
> > https://www.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/9qllyy/bootloader_failing_t
> > o_install_on_2012_mac_mini/
> >
> > Finally here's where I'm at:
> >
> > Openbsd documentation for (u)efi is highly lacking however in this
> > case
> > it's hard to say how helpful it would have been. I've only ever used
> > openbsd with legacy boot on however mac's don't have the option to do
> > so.
> > When pressing the key combo for the boot menu of the mac I see two
> > options.
> > One named "windows" and one named "efi boot".
> > They both boot into the openbsd installer but with several
> > differences.
> >
> > The "windows" option boots into a full screen installer. With this
> > boot
> > option wd0 is the root disk and sd0 is the usb. Upon running dmesg |
> > grep
> > efi to confirm that efi is noticed shows that's it's not. An attempt
> > to
> > install with either gpt or mbr fails with the invalid argument error.
> > The
> > "efi" boot option boots with the installer taking up the center of
> > the
> > screen, in this boot option sd0 is root and sd1 is the usb, it does
> > however
> > notice that the mac mini is an efi system. It "usually" (Because I've
> > tried
> > a few times and noticed that sometimes it doesn't) creates the efi
> > partition and then the regular openbsd partition. However regardless
> > of
> > which option is chosen the error still occurs.
> >
> >
> > I've tested openbsd 6.3 and a snapshot and it fails in the exact same
> > way.
> > Sorry again if I've left anything out or missed anything.
> >
> > On Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 4:43 PM Liam Wigney
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Update:
> > >
> > > I noticed upon selecting the boot menu there were two ways to boot
> > > the usb
> > > in the Mac's efi, I selected the one labled "windows". The computer
> > > has
> > > never had windows installed and it's for booting the usb but I
> > > never saw
> > > anything noting that this would happen. I selected it and instantly
> > > the
> > > installer takes up the whole monitor as opposed to just being small
> > > and
> > > centred. It also, when selecting the default gpt full disk
> > > configuration,
> > > auto-made a EFI partition. However the install failed with the
> > > exact same
> > > error but with new numbers and letters after "installboot.".
> > >
> > > Maybe this is booting the usb with efi and previously it wasn't?
> > > Regardless, it's still not working. I might try 6.3 and a snapshot
> > > to see
> > > if it's just an issue with 6.4.
> > >
> > >
> > > On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 2:18 PM Liam Wigney
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Thanks for the reply, I actually tried the install again after
> > > > wiping the
> > > > disk and noticed that it seems like and efi partition wasn't
> > > > auto-created
> > > > as part of the partitioning which seems odd since I swear it
> > > > usually is for
> > > > efi systems but then again maybe I just don't remember.
> > > > Install.txt doesn't
> > > > mention needing to create one even though one old guide I saw did
> > > > as part
> > > > of the procedure. The previous efi partition I noticed when
> > > > playing around
> > > > before wiping the disk must have been from the old Linux install.
> > > > Regardless the error is identical almost to the previous one but
> > > > with new
> > > > numbers and letters after the ".".
> > > >
> > > > The exact and full error message is as follows:
> > > >
> > > > installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed:
> > > > Invalid
> > > > argument
> > > >
> > > > Failed to install bootlocks.
> > > > You will not be able to book OpenBSD from sd0.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > The output of df -k (Sorry about the formatting, I tried to
> > > > replicate it
> > > > as best I could):
> > > >
> > > > Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Avail
Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
Summery + update:
So I thought I'd post one final update for the time being, it's been a long
two day's reading man pages and looking though mailing lists/forums/reddit
posts, and summary of where I'm at in case anyone in the future wants help.
I'll
Firstly, no matter how I try to install I still get the "
installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed: Invalid
argument" error but with different gibberish.
Secondly there's a reddit thread with some info and discussion at
https://www.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/9qllyy/bootloader_failing_to_install_on_2012_mac_mini/
Finally here's where I'm at:
Openbsd documentation for (u)efi is highly lacking however in this case
it's hard to say how helpful it would have been. I've only ever used
openbsd with legacy boot on however mac's don't have the option to do so.
When pressing the key combo for the boot menu of the mac I see two options.
One named "windows" and one named "efi boot".
They both boot into the openbsd installer but with several differences.
The "windows" option boots into a full screen installer. With this boot
option wd0 is the root disk and sd0 is the usb. Upon running dmesg | grep
efi to confirm that efi is noticed shows that's it's not. An attempt to
install with either gpt or mbr fails with the invalid argument error. The
"efi" boot option boots with the installer taking up the center of the
screen, in this boot option sd0 is root and sd1 is the usb, it does however
notice that the mac mini is an efi system. It "usually" (Because I've tried
a few times and noticed that sometimes it doesn't) creates the efi
partition and then the regular openbsd partition. However regardless of
which option is chosen the error still occurs.
I've tested openbsd 6.3 and a snapshot and it fails in the exact same way.
Sorry again if I've left anything out or missed anything.
On Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 4:43 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
> Update:
>
> I noticed upon selecting the boot menu there were two ways to boot the usb
> in the Mac's efi, I selected the one labled "windows". The computer has
> never had windows installed and it's for booting the usb but I never saw
> anything noting that this would happen. I selected it and instantly the
> installer takes up the whole monitor as opposed to just being small and
> centred. It also, when selecting the default gpt full disk configuration,
> auto-made a EFI partition. However the install failed with the exact same
> error but with new numbers and letters after "installboot.".
>
> Maybe this is booting the usb with efi and previously it wasn't?
> Regardless, it's still not working. I might try 6.3 and a snapshot to see
> if it's just an issue with 6.4.
>
>
> On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 2:18 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the reply, I actually tried the install again after wiping the
>> disk and noticed that it seems like and efi partition wasn't auto-created
>> as part of the partitioning which seems odd since I swear it usually is for
>> efi systems but then again maybe I just don't remember. Install.txt doesn't
>> mention needing to create one even though one old guide I saw did as part
>> of the procedure. The previous efi partition I noticed when playing around
>> before wiping the disk must have been from the old Linux install.
>> Regardless the error is identical almost to the previous one but with new
>> numbers and letters after the ".".
>>
>> The exact and full error message is as follows:
>>
>> installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed: Invalid
>> argument
>>
>> Failed to install bootlocks.
>> You will not be able to book OpenBSD from sd0.
>>
>>
>> The output of df -k (Sorry about the formatting, I tried to replicate it
>> as best I could):
>>
>> Filesystem 1K-blocks Used AvailCapacity Mounted on
>> /dev/rd0a3535 5256279 92%/
>> /dev/sd0a 102887869194 908242 7% /mnt
>> /dev/sd0l 312080952 36 296476872 0%/mnt/home
>> /dev/sd0d 4125406 2 3919134 0% /mnt/tmp
>> /dev/sd0f2061054 577930 1380072 30% /mnt/usr
>> /dev/sd0g 1028878190628 786808 20% /mnt/usr/X11R6
>> /dev/sd0h 20636942 218 19604878 0% /mnt/usr/local
>> /dev/sd0k 6189758 2 58802700% /mnt/usr/obj
>> /dev/sd0j2061054 2 19580000% /mnt/usr/src
>> /dev/sd0e 20425598 3394 19400926 0% /mnt/var
>>
>> On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 1:51 PM Philip Guenther
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 4:38 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
>>>
I've used Openbsd before but my installs have gone smoothly with no
issues
and this is really the first time it's been a problem. The install is a
super boring one, it's whole disk Openbsd with the default gpt partition
layout and nothing else special.
During the install after the sets are successfully installed there's a
notification that the
Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
Update:
I noticed upon selecting the boot menu there were two ways to boot the usb
in the Mac's efi, I selected the one labled "windows". The computer has
never had windows installed and it's for booting the usb but I never saw
anything noting that this would happen. I selected it and instantly the
installer takes up the whole monitor as opposed to just being small and
centred. It also, when selecting the default gpt full disk configuration,
auto-made a EFI partition. However the install failed with the exact same
error but with new numbers and letters after "installboot.".
Maybe this is booting the usb with efi and previously it wasn't?
Regardless, it's still not working. I might try 6.3 and a snapshot to see
if it's just an issue with 6.4.
On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 2:18 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
> Thanks for the reply, I actually tried the install again after wiping the
> disk and noticed that it seems like and efi partition wasn't auto-created
> as part of the partitioning which seems odd since I swear it usually is for
> efi systems but then again maybe I just don't remember. Install.txt doesn't
> mention needing to create one even though one old guide I saw did as part
> of the procedure. The previous efi partition I noticed when playing around
> before wiping the disk must have been from the old Linux install.
> Regardless the error is identical almost to the previous one but with new
> numbers and letters after the ".".
>
> The exact and full error message is as follows:
>
> installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed: Invalid
> argument
>
> Failed to install bootlocks.
> You will not be able to book OpenBSD from sd0.
>
>
> The output of df -k (Sorry about the formatting, I tried to replicate it
> as best I could):
>
> Filesystem 1K-blocks Used AvailCapacity Mounted on
> /dev/rd0a3535 5256279 92%/
> /dev/sd0a 102887869194 908242 7% /mnt
> /dev/sd0l 312080952 36 296476872 0%/mnt/home
> /dev/sd0d 4125406 2 3919134 0% /mnt/tmp
> /dev/sd0f2061054 577930 1380072 30% /mnt/usr
> /dev/sd0g 1028878190628 786808 20% /mnt/usr/X11R6
> /dev/sd0h 20636942 218 19604878 0% /mnt/usr/local
> /dev/sd0k 6189758 2 58802700% /mnt/usr/obj
> /dev/sd0j2061054 2 19580000% /mnt/usr/src
> /dev/sd0e 20425598 3394 19400926 0% /mnt/var
>
> On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 1:51 PM Philip Guenther
> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 4:38 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
>>
>>> I've used Openbsd before but my installs have gone smoothly with no
>>> issues
>>> and this is really the first time it's been a problem. The install is a
>>> super boring one, it's whole disk Openbsd with the default gpt partition
>>> layout and nothing else special.
>>>
>>> During the install after the sets are successfully installed there's a
>>> notification that the bootloader has failed to install due to mkdir being
>>> called with an invalid argument.
>>
>>
>> All the error messages from installboot from mkdir failing include both
>> the path and the specific error message. Those are included because
>> they're helpful in understanding exactly what failed (and thus what could
>> be wrong). Including the _exact_ and _full_ error message would make it
>> easier to assist.
>>
>> (Ruling out stuff that _didn't_ fail is key to figuring out root causes.)
>>
>>
>>
>>> Some research online said that I should
>>> try to do installboot manually in the subsequent prrompt, so I called
>>> installboot sd0 and got the following error
>>>
>>> installboot: /usr/mdec/biosboot: No such file or directory
>>>
>>
>> Yes, when running from the bsd.rd ramdisk additional argument are
>> necessary so that installboot can find the files it needs and disk on which
>> to install them. ...but doing that will just replicate what the upgrade
>> script already did and the error it gave you...
>>
>> At this point, the two pieces of information that would help the most are:
>> 1) the *EXACT AND FULL* error message that the upgrader reported from
>> installboot
>> 2) what your disklabel and partition layout looks like. The output of
>> "df -k" from the ramdisk shell prompt after the upgrade fails would be
>> good, for example, as it has everything mounted under /mnt.
>>
>>
>> Philip Guenther
>>
>>
Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
Thanks for the reply, I actually tried the install again after wiping the
disk and noticed that it seems like and efi partition wasn't auto-created
as part of the partitioning which seems odd since I swear it usually is for
efi systems but then again maybe I just don't remember. Install.txt doesn't
mention needing to create one even though one old guide I saw did as part
of the procedure. The previous efi partition I noticed when playing around
before wiping the disk must have been from the old Linux install.
Regardless the error is identical almost to the previous one but with new
numbers and letters after the ".".
The exact and full error message is as follows:
installboot: mkdir('/tmp/installboot.hP11Q78IbS/efi') failed: Invalid
argument
Failed to install bootlocks.
You will not be able to book OpenBSD from sd0.
The output of df -k (Sorry about the formatting, I tried to replicate it as
best I could):
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used AvailCapacity Mounted on
/dev/rd0a3535 5256279 92%/
/dev/sd0a 102887869194 908242 7% /mnt
/dev/sd0l 312080952 36 296476872 0%/mnt/home
/dev/sd0d 4125406 2 3919134 0% /mnt/tmp
/dev/sd0f2061054 577930 1380072 30% /mnt/usr
/dev/sd0g 1028878190628 786808 20% /mnt/usr/X11R6
/dev/sd0h 20636942 218 19604878 0% /mnt/usr/local
/dev/sd0k 6189758 2 58802700% /mnt/usr/obj
/dev/sd0j2061054 2 19580000% /mnt/usr/src
/dev/sd0e 20425598 3394 19400926 0% /mnt/var
On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 1:51 PM Philip Guenther wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 4:38 PM Liam Wigney wrote:
>
>> I've used Openbsd before but my installs have gone smoothly with no issues
>> and this is really the first time it's been a problem. The install is a
>> super boring one, it's whole disk Openbsd with the default gpt partition
>> layout and nothing else special.
>>
>> During the install after the sets are successfully installed there's a
>> notification that the bootloader has failed to install due to mkdir being
>> called with an invalid argument.
>
>
> All the error messages from installboot from mkdir failing include both
> the path and the specific error message. Those are included because
> they're helpful in understanding exactly what failed (and thus what could
> be wrong). Including the _exact_ and _full_ error message would make it
> easier to assist.
>
> (Ruling out stuff that _didn't_ fail is key to figuring out root causes.)
>
>
>
>> Some research online said that I should
>> try to do installboot manually in the subsequent prrompt, so I called
>> installboot sd0 and got the following error
>>
>> installboot: /usr/mdec/biosboot: No such file or directory
>>
>
> Yes, when running from the bsd.rd ramdisk additional argument are
> necessary so that installboot can find the files it needs and disk on which
> to install them. ...but doing that will just replicate what the upgrade
> script already did and the error it gave you...
>
> At this point, the two pieces of information that would help the most are:
> 1) the *EXACT AND FULL* error message that the upgrader reported from
> installboot
> 2) what your disklabel and partition layout looks like. The output of "df
> -k" from the ramdisk shell prompt after the upgrade fails would be good,
> for example, as it has everything mounted under /mnt.
>
>
> Philip Guenther
>
>
Re: Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
On Tue, Oct 23, 2018 at 4:38 PM Liam Wigney wrote: > I've used Openbsd before but my installs have gone smoothly with no issues > and this is really the first time it's been a problem. The install is a > super boring one, it's whole disk Openbsd with the default gpt partition > layout and nothing else special. > > During the install after the sets are successfully installed there's a > notification that the bootloader has failed to install due to mkdir being > called with an invalid argument. All the error messages from installboot from mkdir failing include both the path and the specific error message. Those are included because they're helpful in understanding exactly what failed (and thus what could be wrong). Including the _exact_ and _full_ error message would make it easier to assist. (Ruling out stuff that _didn't_ fail is key to figuring out root causes.) > Some research online said that I should > try to do installboot manually in the subsequent prrompt, so I called > installboot sd0 and got the following error > > installboot: /usr/mdec/biosboot: No such file or directory > Yes, when running from the bsd.rd ramdisk additional argument are necessary so that installboot can find the files it needs and disk on which to install them. ...but doing that will just replicate what the upgrade script already did and the error it gave you... At this point, the two pieces of information that would help the most are: 1) the *EXACT AND FULL* error message that the upgrader reported from installboot 2) what your disklabel and partition layout looks like. The output of "df -k" from the ramdisk shell prompt after the upgrade fails would be good, for example, as it has everything mounted under /mnt. Philip Guenther
Bootloader failing to install on 2012 Mac Mini (Openbsd 6.4)
I've used Openbsd before but my installs have gone smoothly with no issues and this is really the first time it's been a problem. The install is a super boring one, it's whole disk Openbsd with the default gpt partition layout and nothing else special. During the install after the sets are successfully installed there's a notification that the bootloader has failed to install due to mkdir being called with an invalid argument. Some research online said that I should try to do installboot manually in the subsequent prrompt, so I called installboot sd0 and got the following error installboot: /usr/mdec/biosboot: No such file or directory Looking in /usr/medc/ the only program is mbr. Using installboot -v I saw that the second stage is supposed to be /usr/medc/boot which is also missing. It's my understanding anyway that these are for mbr legacy boot situations not gtp efi ones and Mac's use efi so I don't know if this is the issue. So I really don't know where to go from here. I saw a few other references in the mailing list to missing biosboot but they don't seem relevant to this case as it seems like they had other issues as well. I don't know if it's an Mac efi problem or not but I've noticed that lots of the community use(d) Macbooks including airs but I didn't notice any specific things to do when installing. Sorry if I've missed something obvious, I've actually never had any trouble with the install before so it's my first time actually trying to work out what's up. I just have no clue how to debug this issue so any pointers would be much appreciated.
