[Bug 1833490] Re: lubuntu grub-install puts efi in the wrong directory - could create an unbootable state

[Walter Lapchynski]

This was fixed in:

=====

calamares-settings-ubuntu (1:19.10.4) eoan; urgency=medium

  [ Dan Simmons ]
  * Bump Standards-Version to 4.4.0, no changes needed.
  * Bump debhelper to 12, no changes needed.
  * Adjust automirror config to new style. Change automirror module
    to allow for new config style.
  * Add setting for donate button in welcome.
  * Add geoip for welcome.
  * Adjust locale.conf to new geoip style.
  * Set userSwapChoices to none in partition.conf.
  * Set defaultFileSystemType to "ext4" in partition.conf.
  * Set default dont-chroot, oem-setup, disable-cancel, to
    eliminate warnings from settings.conf.
  * Add efiMountOptions: umask=0077 to fstab.conf.
  * Set restart mode to new style in finished.conf.
  * Set bootloader entry name to Ubuntu.
  * Set slide show API to 1 to eliminate warnings.
  * Fix lintian errors and warnings.
    - Add depends for python3 in calamares-settings-ubuntu-common.
    - Adjust depends for calamares-settings-lubuntu.
    - Add further description to extended description for
      calamares-settings-lubuntu and calamares-settings-ubuntu.
    - Add lintian override for bash in .desktop file.
    - Remove unusual-interpreter in .desktop file.
    - Adjust Makefile so .desktop file so it is not executable.
    - Add keywords to .desktop file.
    - Remove executable flag from automirror.conf and module.desc.
    - Adjust debian/rules dpkg-architecture-variable.

  [ apt-ghetto ]
  * Fix small issues in automirror module
    - Remove whitespace before index bracket.
    - Remove undefined variable.
    - Fix over-indented block.

 -- Dan Simmons <kc2bez at lubuntu.me>  Tue, 20 Aug 2019 19:59:12 -0400

=====

The full diff is here:
https://phab.lubuntu.me/rCALASETTINGScd7fa92d15410c58e80490028a508114d5ca9aec

The crucial change being reverting the bootloaderEntryName in the
Calamares branding.desc to "Ubuntu." Though it would be nice to be
flavor specific, a lot in the Ubuntu system depends upon the value of
GRUB_DISTRIBUTOR being as such.

Beyond how Calamares affects GRUB settings, GRUB should otherwise be
uninvolved.

** Changed in: grub2 (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Invalid

** Changed in: calamares-settings-ubuntu (Ubuntu)
       Status: Confirmed => Fix Released

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1833490

Title:
  lubuntu grub-install puts efi in the wrong directory - could create an
  unbootable state

Status in calamares-settings-ubuntu package in Ubuntu:
  Fix Released
Status in grub2 package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid

Bug description:
  Lubuntu 19.04
  grub-install from grub2-common 2.02+dfsg1-12ubuntu2

  Summary:

  The lubuntu installer puts the EFI in EFI/ubuntu. The firmware appears
  to be hard coded to this path. Lubuntu grub-install puts the EFI in
  EFI/lubuntu only, and NOT in EFI/ubuntu, which can result in an
  unbootable state (grub prompt).

  Detail:

  Long time debian, new lubuntu user. After a fresh install of lubuntu
  from usb:

  $ efibootmgr 
  BootCurrent: 0003
  Timeout: 0 seconds
  BootOrder: 0003,0002,0000,0001,2001,2002,2003
  Boot0000* Windows Boot Manager
  Boot0001* Linpus lite
  Boot0002* debian
  Boot0003* ubuntu
  Boot2001* EFI USB Device
  Boot2002* EFI DVD/CDROM
  Boot2003* EFI Network

  $ sudo update-grub
  Sourcing file `/etc/default/grub'
  Sourcing file `/etc/default/grub.d/init-select.cfg'
  Generating grub configuration file ...
  Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-5.0.0-17-generic
  Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-5.0.0-17-generic
  Found linux image: /boot/vmlinuz-5.0.0-13-generic
  Found initrd image: /boot/initrd.img-5.0.0-13-generic
  Found Windows Boot Manager on /dev/nvme0n1p1@/EFI/Microsoft/Boot/bootmgfw.efi
  Found Debian GNU/Linux 9 (stretch) on /dev/nvme0n1p5
  Adding boot menu entry for EFI firmware configuration
  done

  $ ls /boot/efi/EFI/
  Boot  debian  Microsoft  ubuntu

  $ sudo grub-install
  Installing for x86_64-efi platform.
  Installation finished. No error reported.

  $ ls /boot/efi/EFI/
  Boot  debian  lubuntu  Microsoft  ubuntu

  #### It installs only to lubuntu and NOT also to ubuntu. See comments
  below.

  $ efibootmgr 
  BootCurrent: 0003
  Timeout: 0 seconds
  BootOrder: 0004,0003,0002,0000,0001,2001,2002,2003
  Boot0000* Windows Boot Manager
  Boot0001* Linpus lite
  Boot0002* debian
  Boot0003* ubuntu
  Boot0004* lubuntu
  Boot2001* EFI USB Device
  Boot2002* EFI DVD/CDROM
  Boot2003* EFI Network

  $ strings /boot/efi/EFI/ubuntu/* |egrep EFI/l?ubuntu
  /EFI/ubuntu

  $ strings /boot/efi/EFI/lubuntu/* |egrep EFI/l?ubuntu
  /EFI/ubuntu

  
  I discovered this when I moved my lubuntu partition to another drive and tried to get grub to reinstall. I also deleted unnecessary EFIs (ubuntu and later both). I only figured out the problem after reinstalling Lubuntu from scratch and observing the state of the EFI partition after install.

  If the ubuntu folder is removed (and possibly requiring a partion id
  change but not likely), attempting to boot lubuntu will go to a grub
  prompt.

  `set` revealed:
  `root=(hd1,gpt1)` (my EFI partition)
  `prefix=(hd1,gpt1)/EFI/ubuntu` (had been deleted, and grub-install did not put it back)

  Lubuntu could be booted with the following commands, where hd1,
  partition 7 is the new root:

  ```
  set root=(hd1,gpt7)
  set prefix=(hd1,gpt7)/boot/grub
  insmod normal
  normal
  ```

  No amount of running `update-grub`, and `grub-install`, creating
  custom grub entries, or running grub from debian or a rescue disk
  mattered. The only thing that fixed it was reinstalling as that's the
  only thing that put the EFI/ubuntu folder back. I probably could have
  just manually renamed the directory in EFI from lubuntu to ubuntu.

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