Linux – Grub install failing on Hardware RAID with LVM

grubhardware-raidlinuxlvmubuntu-12.04

I have a SuperMicro box with an Areca RAID controller installed. The RAID controller is configured for RAID 6 + Hot Spare. I am attempting to install Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. I set up LVM with separate partitions for /, /var, swap, and /data. While progressing through the installer, I get repeated failures at the Grub install step: "Unable to install grub /dev/sda" — attempting to manually specify the location where Grub should be installed (presumably /dev/mapper/vg0-root) yields a similar result.

LVM Configuration:
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The installation step that triggers the failure:
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Error:
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Best Answer

I resolved this issue by destroying the LVM and placing a small 2MB grub-bios partition at the beginning of /dev/sda. I presume, but cannot confirm, that that wasn't ample space for grub to install. From what I have read, GRUB has become so bloated it now extends beyond the bounds of sector 0. I am not sure if anyone might be able to confirm my theory.

Related Solutions

Lvm – Linux Software RAID1: How to boot after (physically) removing /dev/sda? (LVM, mdadm, Grub2)

You need to install GRUB to the MBR of both drives, and you need to do it in a way that GRUB considers each disk to be the first disk in the system.

GRUB uses its own enumeration for disks, which is abstracted from what the Linux kernel presents. You can change which device it thinks is the first disk (hd0), by using a "device" line in the grub shell, like so:

device (hd0) /dev/sdb

This tells grub that, for all subsequent commands, treat /dev/sdb as the disk hd0. From here you can complete the installation manually:

device (hd0) /dev/sdb
root (hd0,0)
setup (hd0)

This sets up GRUB on the first partition of the disk it considers to be hd0, which you've just set as /dev/sdb.

I do the same for both /dev/sda and /dev/sdb, just to be sure.

Edited to add: I always found the Gentoo Wiki handy, until I did this often enough to commit it to memory.

Linux – How to install grub on multiple disks

I think you can just do

grub-install /dev/sda
grub-install /dev/sdb
grub-install /dev/sdc
grub-install /dev/sdd
grub-install /dev/sde
grub-install /dev/sdf
grub-install /dev/sdg

I can't really foresee what kind of problems you'll be having with grub's HD addressing, though, if your disks are mixed up.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Lvm – Linux Software RAID1: How to boot after (physically) removing /dev/sda? (LVM, mdadm, Grub2)

Linux – How to install grub on multiple disks

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