[Bug 1609715] [NEW] When installing in UEFI mode, should warn if ESP is missing

Thu Aug 4 09:47:23 UTC 2016

Public bug reported:

When partitioning, it is not immediately obvious whether your system is
going to be installed in UEFI/GPT or Legacy mode.

If you are doing manual partitioning, and the installation is in UEFI
mode, you may forget to create an EFI System Partition (ESP); but the
installer lets you continue regardless. It looks like the system
installed just fine, but you end up with a very broken system at boot
time (e.g. #1609475)

Suggestions for possible improvements:

1. If the system is installing in UEFI mode but the partitioning scheme
you've created does not include an ESP partition, give a warning and the
option to return to the partitioner.

2. Make it clearer up-front whether the installer has chosen to install
your system in UEFI or Legacy mode [^1]. For example, this could be in
the screen where it asks you to choose guided or manual partitioning.

3. Personally I'd like to see an extra dialog box indicating which mode
it has chosen to install with and giving the option to change that mode
- however, I can sympathise that regular users want to install with
fewer steps, not more.

[^1]: As far as I can tell from experimentation with ubuntu server 16.04.1, the mode to use for the target system is chosen based on whether the system booted from USB in UEFI or Legacy mode.

For some BIOSes you can choose which mode to use when booting from USB.
I observe that the initial user interface displays differently. In the
Legacy case you get a colourful text screen to select the language and
keymap (F3/F4 etc); in the UEFI case you just get a plain white-on-black
menu in a white rectangle, grub-style, with a few options including
"Install Ubuntu Server"

However, unless I have missed something, in neither case does it
explicitly say "this system is booting in Legacy / UEFI mode". Neither
does it tell you that having booted in Legacy / UEFI mode, that the
system installer will build the target system using Legacy / UEFI mode.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: debian-installer (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-31.50-generic 4.4.13
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-31-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Aug  4 10:26:00 2016
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-08-04 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 16.04.1 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160719)
Lsusb:
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 004: ID 8087:0a2a Intel Corp. 
 Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05e3:0610 Genesys Logic, Inc. 4-port hub
 Bus 001 Device 002: ID 1c4f:0002 SiGma Micro Keyboard TRACER Gamma Ivory
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
MemoryUsage:
 total        used        free      shared  buff/cache   available
 Mem:        8094084      114592     7769628        9336      209864     7718736
 Swap:       8318972           0     8318972
ProcEnviron:
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-31-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=a91f753b-69af-4125-a03d-0dcb63d55d38 ro
SourcePackage: debian-installer
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 05/03/2016
dmi.bios.vendor: Intel Corp.
dmi.bios.version: PYBSWCEL.86A.0054.2016.0503.1546
dmi.board.name: NUC5CPYB
dmi.board.vendor: Intel Corporation
dmi.board.version: H61145-407
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnIntelCorp.:bvrPYBSWCEL.86A.0054.2016.0503.1546:bd05/03/2016:svn:pn:pvr:rvnIntelCorporation:rnNUC5CPYB:rvrH61145-407:cvn:ct3:cvr:

** Affects: debian-installer (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Tags: amd64 apport-bug xenial

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1609715

Title:
  When installing in UEFI mode, should warn if ESP is missing

Status in debian-installer package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  When partitioning, it is not immediately obvious whether your system
  is going to be installed in UEFI/GPT or Legacy mode.

  If you are doing manual partitioning, and the installation is in UEFI
  mode, you may forget to create an EFI System Partition (ESP); but the
  installer lets you continue regardless. It looks like the system
  installed just fine, but you end up with a very broken system at boot
  time (e.g. #1609475)

  Suggestions for possible improvements:

  1. If the system is installing in UEFI mode but the partitioning
  scheme you've created does not include an ESP partition, give a
  warning and the option to return to the partitioner.

  2. Make it clearer up-front whether the installer has chosen to
  install your system in UEFI or Legacy mode [^1]. For example, this
  could be in the screen where it asks you to choose guided or manual
  partitioning.

  3. Personally I'd like to see an extra dialog box indicating which
  mode it has chosen to install with and giving the option to change
  that mode - however, I can sympathise that regular users want to
  install with fewer steps, not more.

  [^1]: As far as I can tell from experimentation with ubuntu server 16.04.1, the mode to use for the target system is chosen based on whether the system booted from USB in UEFI or Legacy mode.

  For some BIOSes you can choose which mode to use when booting from
  USB. I observe that the initial user interface displays differently.
  In the Legacy case you get a colourful text screen to select the
  language and keymap (F3/F4 etc); in the UEFI case you just get a plain
  white-on-black menu in a white rectangle, grub-style, with a few
  options including "Install Ubuntu Server"

  However, unless I have missed something, in neither case does it
  explicitly say "this system is booting in Legacy / UEFI mode". Neither
  does it tell you that having booted in Legacy / UEFI mode, that the
  system installer will build the target system using Legacy / UEFI
  mode.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
  Package: debian-installer (not installed)
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-31.50-generic 4.4.13
  Uname: Linux 4.4.0-31-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
  Architecture: amd64
  Date: Thu Aug  4 10:26:00 2016
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-08-04 (0 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 16.04.1 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160719)
  Lsusb:
   Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
   Bus 001 Device 004: ID 8087:0a2a Intel Corp. 
   Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05e3:0610 Genesys Logic, Inc. 4-port hub
   Bus 001 Device 002: ID 1c4f:0002 SiGma Micro Keyboard TRACER Gamma Ivory
   Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
  MemoryUsage:
   total        used        free      shared  buff/cache   available
   Mem:        8094084      114592     7769628        9336      209864     7718736
   Swap:       8318972           0     8318972
  ProcEnviron:
   SHELL=/bin/bash
   TERM=xterm-256color
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
   LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
  ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-4.4.0-31-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=a91f753b-69af-4125-a03d-0dcb63d55d38 ro
  SourcePackage: debian-installer
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
  dmi.bios.date: 05/03/2016
  dmi.bios.vendor: Intel Corp.
  dmi.bios.version: PYBSWCEL.86A.0054.2016.0503.1546
  dmi.board.name: NUC5CPYB
  dmi.board.vendor: Intel Corporation
  dmi.board.version: H61145-407
  dmi.chassis.type: 3
  dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnIntelCorp.:bvrPYBSWCEL.86A.0054.2016.0503.1546:bd05/03/2016:svn:pn:pvr:rvnIntelCorporation:rnNUC5CPYB:rvrH61145-407:cvn:ct3:cvr:

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