[bug #28142] grub2 fails to embed core.img in bios-boot partition on GPT-labeled disk

[Carsten Dumke]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?28142>

                 Summary: grub2 fails to embed core.img in bios-boot
partition on GPT-labeled disk
                 Project: GNU GRUB
            Submitted by: cdumke
            Submitted on: Di 01 Dez 2009 10:51:15 CET
                Category: Disk &amp; Partition
                Severity: Major
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Software Error
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: Carsten Dumke
        Originator Email: address@hidden
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: 
                 Release: 1.97
         Reproducibility: Every Time
         Planned Release: None

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Details:

I want to use grub2 (1.97.1) to boot OpenSuSE-ia32 (10.3) from a GPT-labeled
disk. The disk was prepared using parted2 (GIT-20091124):

# parted2 /dev/sda print
Model: VMware, VMware Virtual S (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 42,9GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt

Number  Start   End     Size    File system  Name     Flags
 1      17,4kB  214MB   214MB   ext3         primary  boot
 2      214MB   222MB   8225kB               primary  bios_grub
 3      222MB   42,9GB  42,7GB               primary  lvm
-------- end of output -----------

Parted2 writes a protected MBR to the disk which shows up in fdisk:
# LANG=C fdisk -l /dev/sda

WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sda'! The util fdisk
doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.


Disk /dev/sda: 42.9 GB, 42949672960 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 5221 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1          26      208828   83  Linux
/dev/sda2              27          27        8032   83  Linux
/dev/sda3              28        5222    41726145   83  Linux
/dev/sda4               1           1           0+  ee  EFI GPT

Partition table entries are not in disk order
-------- end of output -----------

grub2-install produces the following error:

/usr/sbin/grub2-install --recheck --no-floppy /dev/sda --force
grub-setup: warn: This GPT partition label has no BIOS Boot Partition;
embedding won't be possible!
grub-setup: warn: Embedding is not possible.  GRUB can only be installed in
this setup by using blocklists.  However, blocklists are UNRELIABLE and its
use is discouraged.
Installation finished. No error reported.
This is the contents of the device map /boot/grub2/device.map.
Check if this is correct or not. If any of the lines is incorrect,
fix it and re-run the script `grub-install'.

(hd0)   /dev/sda
-------- end of output -----------

As shown in the parted2-output there is a BIOS Boot Partition on the disk
(flag bios_grug), but grub2-install fails to detect it, because it only checks
the first partition for the "EFI GPT" label.

I've attached a patch to fix this.





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File Attachments:


-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Di 01 Dez 2009 10:51:16 CET  Name: grub2-fix-gpt-detect.patch  Size:
803B   By: cdumke
patch fixes GPT-disk detection
<http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/download.php?file_id=19170>

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