Error Restoring GPT Partition Tables
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@tlehrian Ok here is what we are seeing. When FOS Linux boots, the nvme drives initialize (become ready to the os) at different times. Sometimes drive A is ready first and other times drive B is ready first. Well when linux boots what ever drive inits first becomes /dev/nvme01 and the second one becomes /dev/nvme02. This is not an issue with FOG or linux, its an issue between the linux OS and the hardware.
So what we need is to run a utility with a few commands to help us detect which drive is which in each state. The switch is totally at random so we can’t predict the order using linux. So what I need you (as a tester) to do is to pxe boot the target computer multiple times to record the settings when the drives are in a normal and then reversed order. If we are lucky you will see this swap within 10 pxe boots.
Here is what I want you to do:
- Download this updated init from here: https://fogproject.org/inits/init_nvme-cli.xz
- Rename the original inits in `/var/www/html/fog/service/ipxe init.xz to init.xz.sav
- Move the downloaded file to that directory and save as init.xz
- Pick one of these dual drive nvme computers and schedule a deploy task to it. But before you hit the schedule task button tick the debug checkbox then schedule the task.
- PXE boot the target computer. After a few screens of text where you need to press enter to clear you will be dropped to the FOS Linux command prompt.
- At the FOS Linux command prompt run this command
lsblkto note the size and order of the nvme disk. Use disk size to be your guide in determining the order. So this is state 1.
6.1 You can use these steps if you want to setup remote debugging. Its easier to do the copy and paste of commands from putty. You don’t need to, its just one option.
6.2 At the FOS Linux command prompt key inip addr showand collect the IP address of the FOS Linux computer.
6.3 Give root a password withpasswd. Just give it a simple password like hello. The password will be reset on the next reboot. So don’t worry.
6.4 From a windows computer use putty to ssh into the FOS Linux computer. Login as root and the password you created in step 6.3 - At the FOS Linux command prompt key in the following and post the results here
nvme list. If the nvme command isn’t known then the downloaded inits are not in the right spot. - Key in the following command and post the result(s) here
nvme id-ctrl /dev/nvme0n1 -Hand (I’m guessing at the name since I don’t have a dual nvme system, use the name from thelsblkcommand above)nvme id-ctrl /dev/nvme0n2 -H - Now reboot the FOS Linux computer with ctrl-alt-del or key in
rebootat the FOS Linux command prompt. The system should PXE boot right back into FOS Linux in debug mode. - Use the
lsblkcommand to determine the disk order. We are looks for the order of the drives when they switch places. If you can’t get them to switch then power off the system instead of rebooting to see if we can get them to switch. The key is to capture the output of thenvmecommand in both states.
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@george1421 Ok. I should have a chance to do this later today. I’m hopeful this leads to a fix for the issue.
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@george1421 Here is the information from State 1:
State 1: > nvme list Node SN Model Namespace Usage Format FW Rev ---------------- -------------------- ---------------------------------------- --------- -------------------------- ---------------- -------- /dev/nvme0n1 S499NX0M113634 SAMSUNG MZVLB256HAHQ-000H2 1 2.95 GB / 256.06 GB 512 B + 0 B EXD71HAQ /dev/nvme1n1 S498NA0M403426 SAMSUNG MZVLB512HAJQ-000H2 1 149.49 GB / 512.11 GB 512 B + 0 B EXA71HAQ > nvme id-ctrl /dev/nvme0n1 -H NVME Identify Controller: vid : 0x144d ssvid : 0x144d sn : S499NX0M113634 mn : SAMSUNG MZVLB256HAHQ-000H2 fr : EXD71HAQ rab : 2 ieee : 002538 cmic : 0 [2:2] : 0 PCI [1:1] : 0 Single Controller [0:0] : 0 Single Port mdts : 9 cntlid : 4 ver : 10200 rtd3r : 186a0 rtd3e : 7a1200 oaes : 0 [8:8] : 0 Namespace Attribute Changed Event Not Supported oacs : 0x17 [15:4] : 0x1 Reserved [3:3] : 0 NS Management and Attachment Not Supported [2:2] : 0x1 FW Commit and Download Supported [1:1] : 0x1 Format NVM Supported [0:0] : 0x1 Sec. Send and Receive Supported acl : 7 aerl : 7 frmw : 0x16 [4:4] : 0x1 Firmware Activate Without Reset Supported [3:1] : 0x3 Number of Firmware Slots [0:0] : 0 Firmware Slot 1 Read/Write lpa : 0x3 [1:1] : 0x1 Command Effects Log Page Supported [0:0] : 0x1 SMART/Health Log Page per NS Supported elpe : 255 npss : 4 avscc : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Admin Vendor Specific Commands uses NVMe Format apsta : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Autonomous Power State Transitions Supported wctemp : 354 cctemp : 355 mtfa : 50 hmpre : 0 hmmin : 0 tnvmcap : 256060514304 unvmcap : 0 rpmbs : 0 [31:24]: 0 Access Size [23:16]: 0 Total Size [5:3] : 0 Authentication Method [2:0] : 0 Number of RPMB Units sqes : 0x66 [7:4] : 0x6 Max SQ Entry Size (64) [3:0] : 0x6 Min SQ Entry Size (64) cqes : 0x44 [7:4] : 0x4 Max CQ Entry Size (16) [3:0] : 0x4 Min CQ Entry Size (16) nn : 1 oncs : 0x1f [5:5] : 0 Reservations Not Supported [4:4] : 0x1 Save and Select Supported [3:3] : 0x1 Write Zeroes Supported [2:2] : 0x1 Data Set Management Supported [1:1] : 0x1 Write Uncorrectable Supported [0:0] : 0x1 Compare Supported fuses : 0 [0:0] : 0 Fused Compare and Write Not Supported fna : 0 [2:2] : 0 Crypto Erase Not Supported as part of Secure Erase [1:1] : 0 Crypto Erase Applies to Single Namespace(s) [0:0] : 0 Format Applies to Single Namespace(s) vwc : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Volatile Write Cache Present awun : 1023 awupf : 0 nvscc : 1 [0:0] : 0x1 NVM Vendor Specific Commands uses NVMe Format acwu : 0 sgls : 0 [0:0] : 0 Scatter-Gather Lists Not Supported subnqn : ps 0 : mp:7.02W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:0 rrl:0 rwt:0 rwl:0 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 1 : mp:6.30W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:1 rrl:1 rwt:1 rwl:1 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 2 : mp:3.50W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:2 rrl:2 rwt:2 rwl:2 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 3 : mp:0.0760W non-operational enlat:210 exlat:1200 rrt:3 rrl:3 rwt:3 rwl:3 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 4 : mp:0.0050W non-operational enlat:2000 exlat:8000 rrt:4 rrl:4 rwt:4 rwl:4 idle_power:- active_power:- > nvme id-ctrl /dev/nvme1n1 -H NVME Identify Controller: vid : 0x144d ssvid : 0x144d sn : S498NA0M403426 mn : SAMSUNG MZVLB512HAJQ-000H2 fr : EXA71HAQ rab : 2 ieee : 002538 cmic : 0 [2:2] : 0 PCI [1:1] : 0 Single Controller [0:0] : 0 Single Port mdts : 9 cntlid : 4 ver : 10200 rtd3r : 186a0 rtd3e : 7a1200 oaes : 0 [8:8] : 0 Namespace Attribute Changed Event Not Supported oacs : 0x17 [15:4] : 0x1 Reserved [3:3] : 0 NS Management and Attachment Not Supported [2:2] : 0x1 FW Commit and Download Supported [1:1] : 0x1 Format NVM Supported [0:0] : 0x1 Sec. Send and Receive Supported acl : 7 aerl : 7 frmw : 0x16 [4:4] : 0x1 Firmware Activate Without Reset Supported [3:1] : 0x3 Number of Firmware Slots [0:0] : 0 Firmware Slot 1 Read/Write lpa : 0x3 [1:1] : 0x1 Command Effects Log Page Supported [0:0] : 0x1 SMART/Health Log Page per NS Supported elpe : 255 npss : 4 avscc : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Admin Vendor Specific Commands uses NVMe Format apsta : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Autonomous Power State Transitions Supported wctemp : 354 cctemp : 355 mtfa : 50 hmpre : 0 hmmin : 0 tnvmcap : 512110190592 unvmcap : 0 rpmbs : 0 [31:24]: 0 Access Size [23:16]: 0 Total Size [5:3] : 0 Authentication Method [2:0] : 0 Number of RPMB Units sqes : 0x66 [7:4] : 0x6 Max SQ Entry Size (64) [3:0] : 0x6 Min SQ Entry Size (64) cqes : 0x44 [7:4] : 0x4 Max CQ Entry Size (16) [3:0] : 0x4 Min CQ Entry Size (16) nn : 1 oncs : 0x1f [5:5] : 0 Reservations Not Supported [4:4] : 0x1 Save and Select Supported [3:3] : 0x1 Write Zeroes Supported [2:2] : 0x1 Data Set Management Supported [1:1] : 0x1 Write Uncorrectable Supported [0:0] : 0x1 Compare Supported fuses : 0 [0:0] : 0 Fused Compare and Write Not Supported fna : 0 [2:2] : 0 Crypto Erase Not Supported as part of Secure Erase [1:1] : 0 Crypto Erase Applies to Single Namespace(s) [0:0] : 0 Format Applies to Single Namespace(s) vwc : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Volatile Write Cache Present awun : 1023 awupf : 0 nvscc : 1 [0:0] : 0x1 NVM Vendor Specific Commands uses NVMe Format acwu : 0 sgls : 0 [0:0] : 0 Scatter-Gather Lists Not Supported subnqn : ps 0 : mp:7.02W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:0 rrl:0 rwt:0 rwl:0 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 1 : mp:6.30W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:1 rrl:1 rwt:1 rwl:1 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 2 : mp:3.50W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:2 rrl:2 rwt:2 rwl:2 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 3 : mp:0.0760W non-operational enlat:210 exlat:1200 rrt:3 rrl:3 rwt:3 rwl:3 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 4 : mp:0.0050W non-operational enlat:2000 exlat:8000 rrt:4 rrl:4 rwt:4 rwl:4 idle_power:- active_power:- -
@george1421 And from State 2 (reversed):
> nvme list Node SN Model Namespace Usage Format FW Rev ---------------- -------------------- ---------------------------------------- --------- -------------------------- ---------------- -------- /dev/nvme0n1 S498NA0M403426 SAMSUNG MZVLB512HAJQ-000H2 1 149.49 GB / 512.11 GB 512 B + 0 B EXA71HAQ /dev/nvme1n1 S499NX0M113634 SAMSUNG MZVLB256HAHQ-000H2 1 2.95 GB / 256.06 GB 512 B + 0 B EXD71HAQ > nvme id-ctrl /dev/nvme0n1 -H NVME Identify Controller: vid : 0x144d ssvid : 0x144d sn : S498NA0M403426 mn : SAMSUNG MZVLB512HAJQ-000H2 fr : EXA71HAQ rab : 2 ieee : 002538 cmic : 0 [2:2] : 0 PCI [1:1] : 0 Single Controller [0:0] : 0 Single Port mdts : 9 cntlid : 4 ver : 10200 rtd3r : 186a0 rtd3e : 7a1200 oaes : 0 [8:8] : 0 Namespace Attribute Changed Event Not Supported oacs : 0x17 [15:4] : 0x1 Reserved [3:3] : 0 NS Management and Attachment Not Supported [2:2] : 0x1 FW Commit and Download Supported [1:1] : 0x1 Format NVM Supported [0:0] : 0x1 Sec. Send and Receive Supported acl : 7 aerl : 7 frmw : 0x16 [4:4] : 0x1 Firmware Activate Without Reset Supported [3:1] : 0x3 Number of Firmware Slots [0:0] : 0 Firmware Slot 1 Read/Write lpa : 0x3 [1:1] : 0x1 Command Effects Log Page Supported [0:0] : 0x1 SMART/Health Log Page per NS Supported elpe : 255 npss : 4 avscc : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Admin Vendor Specific Commands uses NVMe Format apsta : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Autonomous Power State Transitions Supported wctemp : 354 cctemp : 355 mtfa : 50 hmpre : 0 hmmin : 0 tnvmcap : 512110190592 unvmcap : 0 rpmbs : 0 [31:24]: 0 Access Size [23:16]: 0 Total Size [5:3] : 0 Authentication Method [2:0] : 0 Number of RPMB Units sqes : 0x66 [7:4] : 0x6 Max SQ Entry Size (64) [3:0] : 0x6 Min SQ Entry Size (64) cqes : 0x44 [7:4] : 0x4 Max CQ Entry Size (16) [3:0] : 0x4 Min CQ Entry Size (16) nn : 1 oncs : 0x1f [5:5] : 0 Reservations Not Supported [4:4] : 0x1 Save and Select Supported [3:3] : 0x1 Write Zeroes Supported [2:2] : 0x1 Data Set Management Supported [1:1] : 0x1 Write Uncorrectable Supported [0:0] : 0x1 Compare Supported fuses : 0 [0:0] : 0 Fused Compare and Write Not Supported fna : 0 [2:2] : 0 Crypto Erase Not Supported as part of Secure Erase [1:1] : 0 Crypto Erase Applies to Single Namespace(s) [0:0] : 0 Format Applies to Single Namespace(s) vwc : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Volatile Write Cache Present awun : 1023 awupf : 0 nvscc : 1 [0:0] : 0x1 NVM Vendor Specific Commands uses NVMe Format acwu : 0 sgls : 0 [0:0] : 0 Scatter-Gather Lists Not Supported subnqn : ps 0 : mp:7.02W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:0 rrl:0 rwt:0 rwl:0 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 1 : mp:6.30W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:1 rrl:1 rwt:1 rwl:1 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 2 : mp:3.50W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:2 rrl:2 rwt:2 rwl:2 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 3 : mp:0.0760W non-operational enlat:210 exlat:1200 rrt:3 rrl:3 rwt:3 rwl:3 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 4 : mp:0.0050W non-operational enlat:2000 exlat:8000 rrt:4 rrl:4 rwt:4 rwl:4 idle_power:- active_power:- > nvme id-ctrl /dev/nvme1n1 -H NVME Identify Controller: vid : 0x144d ssvid : 0x144d sn : S499NX0M113634 mn : SAMSUNG MZVLB256HAHQ-000H2 fr : EXD71HAQ rab : 2 ieee : 002538 cmic : 0 [2:2] : 0 PCI [1:1] : 0 Single Controller [0:0] : 0 Single Port mdts : 9 cntlid : 4 ver : 10200 rtd3r : 186a0 rtd3e : 7a1200 oaes : 0 [8:8] : 0 Namespace Attribute Changed Event Not Supported oacs : 0x17 [15:4] : 0x1 Reserved [3:3] : 0 NS Management and Attachment Not Supported [2:2] : 0x1 FW Commit and Download Supported [1:1] : 0x1 Format NVM Supported [0:0] : 0x1 Sec. Send and Receive Supported acl : 7 aerl : 7 frmw : 0x16 [4:4] : 0x1 Firmware Activate Without Reset Supported [3:1] : 0x3 Number of Firmware Slots [0:0] : 0 Firmware Slot 1 Read/Write lpa : 0x3 [1:1] : 0x1 Command Effects Log Page Supported [0:0] : 0x1 SMART/Health Log Page per NS Supported elpe : 255 npss : 4 avscc : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Admin Vendor Specific Commands uses NVMe Format apsta : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Autonomous Power State Transitions Supported wctemp : 354 cctemp : 355 mtfa : 50 hmpre : 0 hmmin : 0 tnvmcap : 256060514304 unvmcap : 0 rpmbs : 0 [31:24]: 0 Access Size [23:16]: 0 Total Size [5:3] : 0 Authentication Method [2:0] : 0 Number of RPMB Units sqes : 0x66 [7:4] : 0x6 Max SQ Entry Size (64) [3:0] : 0x6 Min SQ Entry Size (64) cqes : 0x44 [7:4] : 0x4 Max CQ Entry Size (16) [3:0] : 0x4 Min CQ Entry Size (16) nn : 1 oncs : 0x1f [5:5] : 0 Reservations Not Supported [4:4] : 0x1 Save and Select Supported [3:3] : 0x1 Write Zeroes Supported [2:2] : 0x1 Data Set Management Supported [1:1] : 0x1 Write Uncorrectable Supported [0:0] : 0x1 Compare Supported fuses : 0 [0:0] : 0 Fused Compare and Write Not Supported fna : 0 [2:2] : 0 Crypto Erase Not Supported as part of Secure Erase [1:1] : 0 Crypto Erase Applies to Single Namespace(s) [0:0] : 0 Format Applies to Single Namespace(s) vwc : 0x1 [0:0] : 0x1 Volatile Write Cache Present awun : 1023 awupf : 0 nvscc : 1 [0:0] : 0x1 NVM Vendor Specific Commands uses NVMe Format acwu : 0 sgls : 0 [0:0] : 0 Scatter-Gather Lists Not Supported subnqn : ps 0 : mp:7.02W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:0 rrl:0 rwt:0 rwl:0 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 1 : mp:6.30W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:1 rrl:1 rwt:1 rwl:1 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 2 : mp:3.50W operational enlat:0 exlat:0 rrt:2 rrl:2 rwt:2 rwl:2 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 3 : mp:0.0760W non-operational enlat:210 exlat:1200 rrt:3 rrl:3 rwt:3 rwl:3 idle_power:- active_power:- ps 4 : mp:0.0050W non-operational enlat:2000 exlat:8000 rrt:4 rrl:4 rwt:4 rwl:4 idle_power:- active_power:- -
@tlehrian Excellent you have been able to prove the case. Now we just need to paw through the data and see if we can find a unique key to identify the drives. We are done with the testing for now. We may need you to check a few more commands later if these two don’t give us a workable solution, but for now this is great!!.
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@george1421 Cool. Glad I could help. Let me know if/when you need any other testing done.
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Interesting.
Reading up more on this subject, I suspect this issue isn’t actually specific to NVME drives, but rather to any multi drive system where one drive is larger than the other since they can initialize in ‘random’ order.
Of course, with traditional drives they tend to be slow enough that they initialize in a more predictable pattern I guess.
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@Quazz Right since this know proven to happen on more than one hardware type, this is something the linux kernel developers should be working on. From the nvme printout we can surely see the drives changing location. The linux kernel developers may get around this by scanning the nvme drives and looking for a disk that has the boot blocks on it and picking that one for disk 0. In FOS’ case we aren’t trying to boot from the media. But I’m only guessing here. We surely need to do a bunch more research now that we have detailed info.
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@george1421 As far as I understand, in a normal Linux install they simply use UUID of the disk to determine the order (though predictability is still low since if any device isn’t working properly, any following devices will take up preceding values)
eg
3 disks /dev/sda /dev/sdb /dev/sdc disk /dev/sdb fails to load properly. /dev/sda /dev/sdb (was /dev/sdc previously!)Since no such data is ever stored on FOS, it’s basically a race between the devices and whoever wins is the one on top.
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@george1421 Created an issue over at github
https://github.com/FOGProject/fos/issues/27
This one will need some consideration I think, not really straightforward
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@tlehrian Ok I have a few more tasks for you, well kind of.
- Does this lenovo computer have the latest firmware updates installed
- Does this lenovo computer’s nvme drives have the latest firmware installed? (you should be able to get disk firmware for this model of computer from the lenovo site)
- How many times of rebooting did it take to get the drive order to flip? Did you have to do a hard boot to get them to flip or was just a reboot enough?
- Does this laptop have legacy (bios) mode? If it does, do these drives change order in bios mode?
So right now its not clear in my head if its a hardware, firmware (bios), or linux kernel error.
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@george1421 After reading up a bit more, it seems the conclusion is that it’s not so much about the disks themselves, but rather that the assignment is arbitrary if they’re connected to different controllers, which in the case of NVME will always be the case and in the case of SATA (on most modern consumer grade hardware at least) will not be the case.
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@george1421 Ok. This is on an HP Z2 G4 workstation.
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and
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I’m not sure about the firmware, but will check and let you know which firmware was installed. This will probably be tomorrow as there is a scheduled power outage for our campus tomorrow morning and we’ve shut these machines down for the day in preparation.
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it took 2 reboots to switch, and did not require a hard reboot.
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The BIOS does have legacy mode…I have not tried this in legacy mode, mainly as we are moving our dual-boot setup using GRUB2 to EFI on boot. I’ve never booted this machine in legacy mode. Secure boot is disabled.
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@george1421 I forgot I still had one of these up and running. It looks like the firmware for the MOBO is not at latest version, and the BIOS is also not at latest version. Not sure about NVME firmware. I think this is the 981 which is an OEM version of the Samsung 970, but not sure if the same firmware applies.
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@tlehrian What I’m trying to rule out is if its a Lenovo thing that is causing the drives to switch, I don’t think it is, but I wanted to rule out hardware (or stale firmware) as the culprit.
As for the question about bios (legacy) mode. I wanted to see with the same physical hardware, is the device swapping location related to the uefi firmware to see if it does the same thing in bios mode.
Right now I’m looking at this as I don’t know where the issue is. So I’m trying to rule out where the problem isn’t first to get the number of possibilities down.
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@tlehrian Is the inital issue solved at all? I seem to have lost track of that part of the discussion.
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@Sebastian-Roth Thanks for asking!
The initial issue was that we were receiving the error restoring GPT partition tables sometimes on these particular machines. We have two NVME M.2 drives on these machines, that we now know are becoming available seemingly randomly based upon a race condition as to which one becomes available to the OS first. Our drives happen to be different sizes (256GB/512GB), and we want the larger drive to be the primary drive with the OS installed, and the smaller drive to be an extra storage drive. I have set up an image as Multiple Partition - All Disks (not resizeable) to deploy to these machines. Also, these machines are booting UEFI, without secure boot.
If the correct drive wins the race, the image goes through swimmingly. If it doesn’t, I get the error that started this thread as the drive it’s trying to restore the partition tables to is not large enough to hold the image.
So, long story short, no. But that’s OK because now I know what’s causing the issue, and although it’s a bit annoying, I can work around it knowing that it’s not a larger hardware issue. And I’m happy to help troubleshoot to try to get to a resolution for it, as it would benefit me greatly as this setup composes about 25% of my lab deployments at present.
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@george1421 Sure. I understand about narrowing down the possibilities. I can switch one of these to legacy and see what happens with the drives. To be clear, these are HP workstations with Samsung NVME M.2 drives. Are either of those companies related to Lenovo in some way?
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@tlehrian said in Error Restoring GPT Partition Tables:
Are either of those companies related to Lenovo in some way?
Sorry I’m working on too many threads at the moment. I got the threads mixed up with similar issues.
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@george1421 No worries. Just making sure there wasn’t something you knew that I didn’t
