Installer cannot create a partition

Support
, ,
1

I’ve checked other similar topics but none of proposed solution worked, so I’m opening new topic.
I’m unable to install Manajro on my new setup. I have 2 nvme disk in raid 0. When I try to do the default install using installer it always ends up with error:

2023-10-20 - 09:31:03 [6]:     .. - message: "The installer failed to create partition on disk 'md0'." 
2023-10-20 - 09:31:03 [6]:     .. - details: 
Create a new partition (8.80 GiB, luks) on ‘/dev/md0’


Job: Create new partition on device ‘/dev/md0’


Command: sfdisk --force --append /dev/md0

Failed to add partition ‘New Partition’ to device ‘/dev/md0’.

Failed to add partition ‘New Partition’ to device ‘/dev/md0’.

I tried with or without disk encryption, secure boot is off.

inxi -Fza

RAID:
  Supported mdraid levels: raid0
  Device-1: md0 maj-min: 9:0 type: mdraid level: raid-0 status: active
    size: 1.86 TiB
  Info: report: N/A blocks: 2000144384 chunk-size: 512k super-blocks: 1.2
  Components: Online:
  0: nvme2n1 maj-min: 259:2 size: 953.87 GiB
  1: nvme1n1 maj-min: 259:0 size: 953.87 GiB
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: raw: 3.75 TiB usable: 3.75 TiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%)
  SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
  ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 maj-min: 259:4 vendor: Kingston model: SKC3000D2048G
    size: 1.86 TiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 63.2 Gb/s
    lanes: 4 tech: SSD serial: <filter> fw-rev: EIFK31.6 temp: 25.9 C
    scheme: MBR
  ID-2: /dev/nvme1n1 maj-min: 259:0 vendor: Kingston model: SKC3000S1024G
    size: 953.87 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 63.2 Gb/s
    lanes: 4 tech: SSD serial: <filter> fw-rev: EIFK31.6 temp: 31.9 C
  ID-3: /dev/nvme2n1 maj-min: 259:2 vendor: Kingston model: SKC3000S1024G
    size: 953.87 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 63.2 Gb/s
    lanes: 4 tech: SSD serial: <filter> fw-rev: EIFK31.6 temp: 31.9 C
  ID-4: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: SMI (STMicroelectronics)
    model: USB DISK size: 29.3 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B
    type: USB rev: 3.1 spd: 5 Gb/s lanes: 1 mode: 3.2 gen-1x1 tech: N/A
    serial: <filter> fw-rev: 1100 scheme: MBR
  SMART Message: Unknown USB bridge. Flash drive/Unsupported enclosure?
Partition:
  Message: No partition data found.
Swap:
  Alert: No swap data was found.
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 40.5 C mobo: 30.0 C gpu: amdgpu temp: 37.0 C
  Fan Speeds (rpm): N/A

sudo parted -l

Model: SMI USB DISK (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 31.5GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    Type     File system  Flags
 2      3893MB  3897MB  4194kB  primary               esp


Model: KINGSTON SKC3000D2048G (nvme)
Disk /dev/nvme0n1: 2048GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    Type     File system  Flags
 1      32.3kB  2048GB  2048GB  primary               swap


Model: Linux Software RAID Array (md)
Disk /dev/md0: 2048GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    File system  Name  Flags
 1      2097kB  317MB   315MB   fat32              boot, esp
 2      317MB   2039GB  2038GB  ext4         root


Model: KINGSTON SKC3000S1024G (nvme)
Disk /dev/nvme2n1: 1024GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    Type     File system  Flags
 1      32.3kB  1024GB  1024GB  primary               swap


Model: KINGSTON SKC3000S1024G (nvme)
Disk /dev/nvme1n1: 1024GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags: 

Number  Start   End     Size    Type     File system  Flags
 1      32.3kB  1024GB  1024GB  primary               swap

Any ideas ?

2

Shouldn’t it be /dev/nvme2n1 that you should be installing to?

3

Welcome to the forum! :vulcan_salute:

You cannot mix GPT and MS-DOS/MBR partition tables, and you should especially not use the MS-DOS/MBR partition table format if the machine boots in native UEFI mode.

You must create GPT partition tables on both drives, and make sure that legacy BIOS emulation (CSM) is disabled in the UEFI firmware. Also, make sure that Secure Boot is disabled, and if you dual-boot with Windows, that Windows Fast Boot is disabled, because it does not properly shut down the filesystems.

Also, make sure that your drives are set to AHCI, not to RAID. The Linux kernel can handle the RAID functionality all by itself if you use software RAID (as you appear to be trying).

2 Likes
4

You cannot create a partition on a raid partition. /dev/md0 is the same as /dev/sda1 for example which is the block device for a partition and md0 just represents a pair of partitions.

So you need to create the exact same partition table on each drive and create a raid0 with each partition pair.

3 Likes
5

I’m not sure if i got you correctly. From my perspective /dev/md0 is exactly the place I should use in order to install system. I have created raid 0 from /dev/nvme2n1 and /dev/nvme1n1. Why are mentioning particular disk while place I’m aiming is raid array. Maybe I don’t understand it right. Am I missing something here ?

6

Sure… /dev/md0 would be then /, so the root partition. But it needs also a boot partition which is not raid0, since your BIOS don’t understand what a md0 device is. And my guess is that it tries to do that here, but can’t. So create a 1G boot partition on each drive and use it for boot (no raid) and install the bootloader on the first one and manually on the second one as a backup.

1 Like
7

Hello Aragorn,

Thank you for your reply and welcome. I got your point, so I follow your instructions and:

I checked BIOS and - Fast Boot, Secure Boot And CSM is already disabled. AHCI mode on.

I removed all contents from disks and changed partition table to GPT. Before was ms-dos like you mentioned. I believe it is because I initialized disks in BIOS Raid Expert Utility and I didn’t noticed that it was set to MS-DOS (Of course it is not like this now. Before I removed raid from BIOS and disabled all this options). So before it was GPT on /dev/md0 while 2 disks were on ms-dos.

Now: I had both disks (well even third which will be used for windows) with GPT partition table. I created again raid 0 after it but the end result is the same.

8

Installer fails at the beginning while partitioning entire disk (i use Erase Entire Disk option). I’ve tried it many times and I remember that boot partition was created successfully couple of times and the problem was with luks partition. Once it failed on opening luks partition. Anyway

Going back to your solution:

  1. Start with no raid at all
  2. Create /boot partition on both disks 1GB, probably swap as well ?
  3. Create Raid 0 array (it is not that this process will destroy all this data?)
  4. Install System again using custom setup (Manual partitioning) - select /dev/md0 as target but specify /boot /swap/ and / as rest of disk ?
9

There is another option:

  • Install without raid, but use btrfs as filesystem for /
  • Some time later activate RAID in btrfs by adding the additional Partitions to /
2 Likes
11

Yes… should work that way if it is a BIOS. UEFI needs GPT and EFI partition.

12

To help avoid possible confusion; Microsoft usually refers to it as fast startup;
… even though, fastboot is probably a better fit for a cowboy outfit.

1 Like