** Description changed: Original Report (also confirmed with 9.10 and 10.04 beta1): On a freshly installed ubuntu-7.10-alternate, with latest apt-get update. When the 'mdadm' package is installed, the system fails to boot successfully, and ends up at the initrd '(busybox)' prompt. Hardware: DELL 1950 - 1RU Server HDD: SAS To get the server booting again you need to revert to the old initramfs: - Boot with ubuntu-7.10-alternate, and go through install steps up to 'partitioning'. - ALT-F2 to start other shell - 'fdisk -l' to see details of available drives. - mkdir /mnt/disk - mount -t ext3 /dev/sdb1 /mnt/disk - cd /mnt/disk/boot - mv initrd-<version>.img initrd-<version>.img-new - cp initrd-<version>.img.bak initrd-<version>.img - sync - reboot --- Diagnose: -> This is mdadm setting up arrays according to unreliable superblock information (device "minor" numbers, labels, hostnames) combined with the idea of fixing the unreliability by limiting array assembly with information from mdadm.conf (PARTITIONS, ARRAY, HOMEHOST lines) which just reassigns the unsolvable conflict handling problem to setup tools, admins and installers. It forces them to create mdadm.conf files. And of course they fail. - In these cases the initramfs ends up with an ARRAY definition (that - really shouldn't need to be there) the system can not assemble at all or - in that state of booting. + In cases where old superblocks are found on the disks during mdadm + install, they are added to ARRAY definitions (that really shouldn't + need to be there at all) in mdadm.conf, and copied over into the + initramfs. During next boot the system can not assemble these + (incomplete) arrays. Cure: Systematically prevent conflicts from arising instead of relying on - mdadm.conf maintanance. -> UUID-based array assembly as described in - comment #33 + mdadm.conf maintanance. -> Do not depend on mdadm.conf definitions but + use UUID-based array assembly as described in comment #33
-- [->UUIDudev] installing mdadm (or outdated mdadm.conf) breaks bootup https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/158918 You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
