[Bug 1253443] Re: "failure writing to sector" error at boot with Advanced Format Disks

[Stéphane Graber]

Hello Kent, or anyone else affected,

Accepted grub2 into precise-proposed. The package will build now and be
available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub2/1.99-21ubuntu3.15
in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package.  See
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to
enable and use -proposed.  Your feedback will aid us getting this update
out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug,
mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag
from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the
bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to
verification-failed.  In either case, details of your testing will help
us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification .  Thank you in
advance!

** Changed in: grub2 (Ubuntu Precise)
       Status: In Progress => Fix Committed

** Tags added: verification-needed

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1253443

Title:
  "failure writing to sector" error at boot with Advanced Format Disks

Status in The Dell PowerEdge project:
  Fix Committed
Status in “grub2” package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in “grub2” source package in Precise:
  Fix Committed

Bug description:
  SRU justification:

  [Impact] Unable to save GRUB environment on 4K-sector disks, which means the "recordfail" feature won't work there (i.e. the boot menu won't be forcibly displayed if the previous boot failed).  In the case at hand, this resulted in the boot being interrupted with an error message without much harm being done; however, it just occurred to me that this could result in data corruption if /boot/grub/grubenv is situated in the first 1/8th of the disk, so we definitely need to fix this.
  [Test Case] Install on an Advanced Format disk and make sure it boots without any error messages from GRUB.
  [Regression Potential] Confined to the disk writing code, which is rarely used in GRUB; in 12.04, it's only used by the gptsync, parttool, and save_env commands, only save_env of which is widely used.

  Original report follows:

  Testing the 14.04 daily server images, I noticed a minor error popping
  up at boot time.  See attached photo.

  I call this 'minor' because the system will still  boot by itself
  within 10 seconds or so of the error popping up.

  This only seems to happen so far with Advanced Format disks when
  installed in EFI mode.  I tried two different hard drives and got the
  same result.

  Systems that are not equipped with Advanced Format disks but installed
  in EFI mode do not show this error.

  Steps to reproduce:

  1) Install 14.04 amd64 daily server build.  Select the 'use entire disk' option to auto-partition the drive.
  2) System needs to have an  Advanced Format disk installed in it and needs to be booted in EFI mode.

  Actual Results:
  Installation finshes fine but upon reboot the "failure writing to sector" error pops up after the grub menu.  System will boot on its own after about 10 seconds.

  Expected Results:
  Boot without the error message.

  The disk layout on this drive according to Parted:

  Model: SEAGATE ST91000640SS (scsi)
  Disk /dev/sda:  1000GB
  Partition Table: gpt

  Number   Start        End         Size         File system      Name   Flags
   1              1049kb    512MB   511MB                                           boot
   2              512MB     983GB   983GB
   3              983GB     1000GB  17.2GB

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