[Bug 1650300] Re: ubuntu-installer/partman does not properly detect partitions on FBA device

[Dimitri John Ledkov]

Please excuse my ignorance, but I am working under the assumption that
FBA devices should be partitioned using DASD partitioning table just
like the ECKD drives (using fdasd tool). If this is wrong, and e.g. ms-
dos partition table should be used for FBA devices, we need to change
the logic that decides which partitioning tables to use in the
installer.

I can reproduce this bug, in a sense that kernel manages to read DASD
partitioning table, and partitions, off FBA device including volume
label, yet userspace tools parted and fdasd cannot.

syslog:
Jan 11 07:07:27 kernel: [  156.679393] dasd-fba 0.0.0104: New FBA DASD 9336/10 (CU 6310/80) with 59025 MB and 512 B/blk
Jan 11 07:07:27 kernel: [  156.682792]  dasdb:VOL1/  0X0104: dasdb1 dasdb2

# cat /proc/dasd/devices 
0.0.0104(FBA ) at ( 94:     4) is dasdb       : active at blocksize: 512, 120884827 blocks, 59025 MB

# cat /proc/partitions | grep dasdb
  94        4   60442413 dasdb
  94        5     585920 dasdb1
  94        6   59856256 dasdb2

# fdasd -p /dev/dasdb

fdasd error:  Unsupported disk type
/dev/dasdb is not an ECKD disk! This disk type is not supported!

# fdasd -f -p /dev/dasdb
reading volume label ..:
Cannot show requested information because the disk label block is invalid
exiting...

# parted /dev/dasdb print
Model: IBM S390 DASD drive (dasd)
Disk /dev/dasdb: 61.9GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: dasd
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start  End     Size    File system  Flags
 1      1024B  61.9GB  61.9GB

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Title:
  ubuntu-installer/partman does not properly detect partitions on FBA
  device

Status in Ubuntu on IBM z Systems:
  New
Status in parted package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  I installed Ubuntu 16.04.1 on an FBA device. When the partman menu appeared, I created a new partition table on DASD 0.0.ede0 (FBA), and then I created two partitions: 0.7G ext4 for /boot and 10G ext4 for /.
  Installation proceeded ok, and the system ipled from EDEV EDE0.  All fine.

  During a 2nd installation on the same device the following problem occured:
  After activation of the previously installed EDEV disk, partman shows one single full size partition, which is not correct:
  DASD 0.0.ede0 (FBA ) - 10.7 GB IBM S390 DASD drive
  >     #1    10.7 GB

  while kernel has the correct info:
  ~ # cat /proc/partitions |grep dasd
    94        0   10485760 dasda
    94        1     683584 dasda1
    94        2    9801984 dasda2
  Continuing with the installation from here results in a system IPL that ends up in an initramfs, since the rootfs could not be mounted due to an incorrect partition table.

  Attaching syslog.

  Until this bug is fixed, I recommend to describe the workaround (when
  installing on EDEV DASD it is highly recommended to create an empty
  partition table on the entire device before partitioning) in the
  release notes.

  Maybe you can have a look info LTC bug 137464 / LP1548411 which
  described a similar problem with vdisks under KVM.

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