[Bug 1922342] Re: HIrsute live session takes ages to boot on BIOS systems

[Thomas Schmitt]

Hi,

José Marinho wrote:
> Marking the first partition as bootable legacy BIOS:
> - Plymouth --> 54 seconds.
> - Desktop environment --> 1 minute 45 seconds

Without converting to GPT ?
That would be really strange and surely no solution for the gerneral public.

(It is not allowed by GPT specs to set the "bootable" flag on the
"protective MBR partition" of type 0xEE, which serves as indication that
GPT is valid and also shall protect the data range of the GPT partitions.
Tests with grub-mkrescue ISOs on EFI systems failed. This led to the
introduction of the second partition of type 0x00 with boot flag.)

> Without marking any partition as bootable but changing the partition table
> from GPT to MBR:
> - Plymouth --> 25 seconds.
> - Desktop environment --> 1 minute 20 seconds.

So the BIOS or GRUB on that BIOS get deceived by a boot flag at the second
(dummy) partition, but the BIOS does not demand the boot flag on MBR
partition table.

> would it be too inconvenient to release 2 isos: a main iso
> for most computers and a legacy iso with an MBR partition table for use if
> somebody has problems with the main iso?

Debian does something similar for its "netinst" ISOs.
The BIOS-only ISO with no GPT and no EFI partition is deceivingly named
"mac", because the machines which need it are old x86 Apple machines.
Those machines are said to take offense from the presence of the EFI
partition or of the invald GPT in mjg's partition layout.

Normal BIOS+EFI ISO:
  https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/debian-10.9.0-amd64-netinst.iso
The BIOS-only "mac" ISO is at:
  https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/debian-mac-10.9.0-amd64-netinst.iso
Each has about 330 MB.
The version number may change in a few weeks or days. Look by a web browser at
  https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/amd64/iso-cd/
for
  debian-*.*.*-amd64-netinst.iso
  debian-mac-*.*.*-amd64-netinst.iso

Have a nice day :)

Thomas

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1922342

Title:
  HIrsute live session takes ages to boot on BIOS systems

Status in casper package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  First of all, I change the description of this bug because, thanks to
  Chris Guiver comments, I could check that the live session effectively
  works but it takes too long to complete. That's why I change the
  description of the bug from live session does not boot to live session
  takes ages to boot. I hope this is the best approach to this.

  I think the problem is the same as described here:
  https://discourse.ubuntubudgie.org/t/20-10-grub-error-can-t-find-
  command-grub-platform/4292. I can see prior to grub menu, briefly, the
  same error: Error can't find grub_platform. After the solution
  described below, this error is not showed and the system is able to
  boot.

  I try making the live usb using startup disk creator and with gnome-
  disks --> Restore disk image and get the same results.

  The live-usb has a gpt partition table instead of mbr like 20.04 live-
  usb has. That implies, I think, that the first one does not boot on
  BIOS systems and the second does.

  I try the same live-usb on an EFI laptop and it boots perfectly
  (perhaps it takes long time, but more less than in this case.

  If I try the solution described here:
  https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/casper/+bug/1905491/comments/8
  then it works.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 21.04
  Package: casper 1.461
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.11.0-13.14-generic 5.11.7
  Uname: Linux 5.11.0-13-generic x86_64
  NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair
  ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu61
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
  CasperVersion: 1.461
  CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
  Date: Fri Apr  2 09:55:24 2021
  LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 21.04 "Hirsute Hippo" - Beta amd64 (20210331.1)
  ProcEnviron:
   TERM=xterm-256color
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=gl_ES.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: casper
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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