FOG won't deploy properly.

[VlanFlex]

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[VlanFlex]

@george1421 Hi George,

Thank you for replying.

The target computer is a Dell OptiPlex 5060.
CPU: I5 8500 3GHz
RAM: 8x2 2666 MHz DDR4
Storage: 1x M.2 256GB module and 1x 256GB Samsung Sata SSD
Motherboard: Custom Dell motherboard with 1G ethernet port

I have ran the hardware compatibility checker again just to be sure. It passed.

I am using FOG version 1.5.9
Kernal version 4.19.143 TomElliott 64

[george1421]

@VlanFlex OK lets first start by updating the FOS Linux kernel to 5.6.18. You may not need it for this hardware, but you will.

Its interesting that its not throwing an error during the install.

Once you update the kernel then schedule a new deployment but tick the debug checkbox before scheduling the task. Then pxe boot the target computer. After a few screens of text that you need to clear with the enter key, you will be dropped to a linux command prompt. At the linux command prompt key in lsblk this will show us the disk structure. It sounds from your instructions there are 2 drives in the system. If you want to put the image on the nvme drive you will need to add that value to the host configuration.

[VlanFlex]

@Sebastian-Roth Hi Sebastian,

Thank you for replying.

The blue partclone screen indeed shows up untill the red progressbar is full and the deployment proces is complete. There is one M.2 module and one Sata SSD present. I have tried deploying with only the M.2 connected with the same result.

To verify what I said about no data being written, I have just tried it again. This time I only get the reFIND screen. It looks like what I said about data not being written was indeed false.

The only thing that I changed between making this post and now is changing the Primary host disk to /dev/sdb

[george1421]

@VlanFlex said in FOG won't deploy properly.:

/dev/sdb

Just be aware that nvme disks are labeled differently. /dev/sdX is for sata disks.

[VlanFlex]

@george1421 I have updated to kernel version 5.16.18 and ran the command that you asked

I keep getting an error when I try to upload an picture here, so here is a link.
Apologies for it being sideways

https://ibb.co/55xt6zH

Also turns out that the Samsung SSD is actually a KINGSTON 480GB SSD.

[george1421]

@VlanFlex So it looks like you have 2 sata disks installed. Do you know based on the size which one you want to deploy to?

[VlanFlex]

@george1421 @Sebastian-Roth Also pointed out that /dev/sdb is SATA annotation. This is quite confusing to me since I can physically see the SATA SSD and M.2 here.

https://ibb.co/D1wd4cs

Any idea why it would show up as an SATA device?

As to awnser your question, I would like the operating system to be installed on the ‘‘m.2’’, which is 256 GB.

[george1421]

@VlanFlex Ok you are currently sitting (at the target computer) at the FOS Linux command prompt? If so lets go ahead and try to image this computer. Have a mobile phone handy to see if we can catch the actual error. I might expect something to be displayed on the blue partclone screen. So to start imaging in debug mode key in fog and press enter. You will need to press enter at each breakpoint to continue on to the next step. These breakpoints hopefully will give you a chance to catch any errors.

I can see (in my mind) that FOG is working as intended, but the system will not boot because you are deploying to the second drive, and your windows 8 image is actually on your 450GB drive. That 480 GB drive is listed as /dev/sda (first disk found) and then the disk you are deploying to is /deb/sdb (second disk found). The problem may be the uefi boot manager is still pointing to the 450GB drive.

[VlanFlex]

@george1421 I have started a deployment proces in debug mode. Here are the photo’s.

1 - https://ibb.co/pRTFXct
2 - https://ibb.co/f4K593S
3 - https://ibb.co/z7qgBVd
4 - https://ibb.co/sqJBzzB

After this proces I booted from harddisk via the FOG menu and get booted straight into reFIND. There are still two Windows boot loader options in the boot menu, but none work.

If I try to add a UEFI boot option I get file system not found.

EDIT: if necessary I can also make a video of the whole imaging process, but thats gonna take me some time.

[george1421]

@VlanFlex Ok so if you go through the windows boot manager can you still boot into the windows 8? If so lets check the content of that 250GB drive. Does it appear to be a windows 10 disk?

[VlanFlex]

@george1421 I cannot boot into Windows 8 anymore. All I get is the reFIND screen.

To verify the contents of the two drives I’ve launched live ubuntu via USB on the target PC.

There are two drives present, both called D with the same contents.

https://ibb.co/ZXSHwP3
https://ibb.co/rpHmgfv

[george1421]

@VlanFlex Ok what I’m speculating is that FOG IS working as its being instructed. It is deploying the image to what it sees as /dev/sdb. Ubuntu also see the 250GB as /dev/sdb. I think what is missing is the uefi firmware doesn’t either see the disk as bootable or the legacy windows 8 menu entry points to a location that doesn’t exist any more. I’m trying to isolate is it fog doing something wrong, or what you are asking FOG to do is causing it to fail.

If you look at that /dev/sdb with a utility like gparted does it appear to be an intact uefi disk? If your disk structure is MBR that brings in a new issue since the 250 GB disk is being reported as the second hard drive.

[Sebastian Roth]

@VlanFlex said in FOG won't deploy properly.:

https://ibb.co/D1wd4cs
Any idea why it would show up as an SATA device?

Can’t see enough information on the picture as it’s not clear enough. M.2 does not mean the disk is NVMe in general! So I can imagine this to be a M.2 SSD drive showing up as sdX in Linux. You can run hdparm -i /dev/sdX (put in a and b instead of the X) to get some more information about the disk drives.