[Bug 1882939] [NEW] efi_no_storage_paranoia

[Péter Prőhle]

Public bug reported:

Due to an EFI implementation error spreaded wide a half or full decade
ago, I need

        kernel parameter "efi_no_storage_paranoia" during the (grub efi)
installation

for my Lenovo Edge E125 (ThinkPad), --- and according to internet quite
a lot of bit older, first generation of EFI motherboards and laptops are
also effected in exactly the same way.

The usual symptom is that:

        warning: Cannot set EFI variable Boot000A.

        warning: vars_set_variable: write() failed: No space left on
device.

        error: failed to register the EFI boot entry: No such file or
directory.

Additional symptom is that after RE-FLUSHING the bios for the same
version,

        the first efi install is successful, free from this error

        but all the later efi installations have this error

The reason is that each of this early EFI bios impementations report a

        NV-storages usage over 50%, and

        kernel without "efi_no_storage_paranoia" does not want to
register the fresh install

Each of the ubuntu desktop, ubuntu server and debian install cd/usb
resource is affected with this error, and each of these

        works without error, if I add the kernel parameter
"efi_no_storage_paranoia"

at boot time, using the edit function of the grub.

Suggestion:

        there should be an additional grub menu item, offering this
small extra feature

Perhaps there could be an extra safety measure, that the installer
rejects to make use of this possibility, if there is no linux item among
the efi-variables what can be deleted.  I.e.: this extra possibility
should be allowed only if the registration of the new item can replace
one of the previous linux items of any distribution, or at least an
Ubuntu or Debian.

** Affects: ubiquity (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Attachment added: "the error show in an already installed debian, looks same in en already installed ubuntu"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1882939/+attachment/5382416/+files/lenovo_e125_grub.txt

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1882939

Title:
  efi_no_storage_paranoia

Status in ubiquity package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Due to an EFI implementation error spreaded wide a half or full decade
  ago, I need

          kernel parameter "efi_no_storage_paranoia" during the (grub
  efi) installation

  for my Lenovo Edge E125 (ThinkPad), --- and according to internet
  quite a lot of bit older, first generation of EFI motherboards and
  laptops are also effected in exactly the same way.

  The usual symptom is that:

          warning: Cannot set EFI variable Boot000A.

          warning: vars_set_variable: write() failed: No space left on
  device.

          error: failed to register the EFI boot entry: No such file or
  directory.

  Additional symptom is that after RE-FLUSHING the bios for the same
  version,

          the first efi install is successful, free from this error

          but all the later efi installations have this error

  The reason is that each of this early EFI bios impementations report a

          NV-storages usage over 50%, and

          kernel without "efi_no_storage_paranoia" does not want to
  register the fresh install

  Each of the ubuntu desktop, ubuntu server and debian install cd/usb
  resource is affected with this error, and each of these

          works without error, if I add the kernel parameter
  "efi_no_storage_paranoia"

  at boot time, using the edit function of the grub.

  Suggestion:

          there should be an additional grub menu item, offering this
  small extra feature

  Perhaps there could be an extra safety measure, that the installer
  rejects to make use of this possibility, if there is no linux item
  among the efi-variables what can be deleted.  I.e.: this extra
  possibility should be allowed only if the registration of the new item
  can replace one of the previous linux items of any distribution, or at
  least an Ubuntu or Debian.

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