[Bug 334940] Re: grub install fails if more than 7 drives exist

[dino99]

outdated report & no more maintained distro; please send a new one if
that issue still exist (using ubuntu-bug)

** Changed in: grub (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Invalid

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to grub in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/334940

Title:
  grub install fails if more than 7 drives exist

Status in grub package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: grub

  clean install of ubuntu 8.10 on i386 machine with 4 disk controllers
  and 9 drives.

  machine has

  - motherboard ide - one PATA + one cdrom
  - PCI PATA controller - two ports, one drive on each
  - PCI SATA controller - two ports, one drive on each
  - PCI SCSI controller - 4 drives 

  So, the machine has 9 drives.  They all show up in the kernel under
  the scsi driver, sd{a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i}

  Naturally the motherboard ide drive is last, /dev/sdi

  The install went fine, until the last step, where the grub install failed.  No indication why.
  Rebooting leaves me in the grub prompt (this drive had RH 7.3 on it before, which was LILO
  based I think, but it may have had grub, not sure.)   Either way when I installed I told
  it to use the whole disk and autopartition.

  Grub, when queried could only see 7 drives.  (i.e. type "root (hd" and
  then hit tab)

  I believe this is a sort-of known problem with grub.  I found a reference to a patch on the
  web which  increases the max to 16.  I think there is a bug filed in the gnu grub data
  base, with some sort of cryptic reference to "grub2"

  To fix this I had to:

  1. remove all the extra controllers
  2. boot off the rescue; remove grub, resinstall grub
  3. recreate the menu.lst with proper UUID
  4. add the controllers back in

  Once grub was installed it seemed ok with the other controllers, which is somewhat
  odd (but would probably make sense if I bothered to read the grub code)

  I suspect the next grub or kernel upgrade will fail again, however.  But no matter,
  I think I can fix it now.

  I'd recommend applying the 16 drive patch; it appeared to be small and
  clean.

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/grub/+bug/334940/+subscriptions