Ubuntu
initramfs-tools package

network booting fails for iscsi root if no ip is set

Bug #1628306 reported by Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre
8
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
initramfs-tools (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Critical
Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre
Xenial
Fix Released
Critical
Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre
Yakkety
Fix Released
Critical
Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre

Bug Description

[Impact]
Remote-root installs (eg. / over iscsi and similar) where the configuration is simple, and no extra parameters are included on the kernel command-line (as opposed to MaaS specifying everything).

[Test case]
1) do an installation with /boot on a local disk and / and swap over a remote LUN (iSCSI is simple to do).
2) Update to initramfs-tools with isc-dhcp support.

[Regression potential]
This is in itself a fix for a regression found in initramfs-tools (0.125ubuntu4 on yakkety, or 0.122ubuntu8.2 on xenial). Failure to boot on a remote root filesystem would constitue a regression.

[Regressions]
 bug 1631474: No networking with initramfs-tools 0.122ubuntu8.3 and ip=dhcp boot option

--

I did a new install with /boot on /dev/sda, and everything else (/ and swap) on an iSCSI LUN.

Booting this with initramfs-tools using ipconfig works without issues.

Booting this with initramfs-tools (0.125ubuntu4 on yakkety, or 0.122ubuntu8.2 on xenial) fails because no interface is specified.

This appears to be because ipconfig interprets "" as meaning to try every interface until one works (or all fail), whereas calling dhclient without an interface name simply returns a failure.

See original description
Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)
Changed in initramfs-tools (Ubuntu):
status: New → Triaged
importance: Undecided → Critical
assignee: nobody → Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)
Changed in initramfs-tools (Ubuntu Xenial):
status: New → Triaged
importance: Undecided → Critical
assignee: nobody → Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox)
status: Triaged → In Progress
Changed in initramfs-tools (Ubuntu Yakkety):
status: Triaged → In Progress
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote : Please test proposed package

Hello Mathieu, or anyone else affected,

Accepted initramfs-tools into xenial-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/initramfs-tools/0.122ubuntu8.3 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

Changed in initramfs-tools (Ubuntu Xenial):
status: In Progress → Fix Committed
tags: added: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package initramfs-tools - 0.125ubuntu5

---------------
initramfs-tools (0.125ubuntu5) yakkety; urgency=medium

  * scripts/functions: make sure we can try to start all available and suitable
    interfaces if ip= isn't set when setting up the network, and exit as soon
    as we get an IP address. This retains the old behavior from ipconfig when
    ip= is unset, for really simple remote-root scenarios. (LP: #1628306)

 -- Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre <email address hidden> Tue, 27 Sep 2016 18:25:50 -0400

Changed in initramfs-tools (Ubuntu Yakkety):
status: In Progress → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre (cyphermox) wrote :

System boots correctly with the new initramfs-tools. Verification-done.

tags: added: verification-done
removed: verification-needed
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

This bug was fixed in the package initramfs-tools - 0.122ubuntu8.3

---------------
initramfs-tools (0.122ubuntu8.3) xenial; urgency=medium

  * scripts/functions: make sure we can try to start all available and suitable
    interfaces if ip= isn't set when setting up the network, and exit as soon
    as we get an IP address. This retains the old behavior from ipconfig when
    ip= is unset, for really simple remote-root scenarios. (LP: #1628306)
  * scripts/functions: retain bootp/rarp behavior using ipconfig.

 -- Mathieu Trudel-Lapierre <email address hidden> Tue, 27 Sep 2016 16:27:38 -0400

Changed in initramfs-tools (Ubuntu Xenial):
status: Fix Committed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote : Update Released

The verification of the Stable Release Update for initramfs-tools has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.

Revision history for this message
Scott Emmons (lscotte) wrote :

initramfs-tools 0.122ubuntu8.3 has resulted in a serious regression for instances running in AWS when the ip=dhcp boot option set. 0.122ubuntu8.2 (and previous versions) do not exhibit the problem.

I'll create a new issue for tracking, but wanted to add a comment here.

Revision history for this message
Scott Moser (smoser) wrote :

lscotte, did you open a bug?

Revision history for this message
Scott Moser (smoser) wrote :

(found bug 1631474)

Revision history for this message
Dave Chiluk (chiluk) wrote :

Regression tracked via bug #1631474

Scott Moser (smoser)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Scott Emmons (lscotte) wrote :

Sorry for not linking the bug here initially, that's my fault and I apologize...

Robie Basak (racb)
tags: added: regression-update
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