#986893 installation-reports: 'grub-install --force "dummy"' failed - volume group "nvme0n1" not found

#986893#5
Date:
2021-04-13 15:35:40 UTC
From:
To:
Boot method: USB
Image version:
https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unofficial/non-free/images-including-firmware/weekly-live-builds/amd64/iso-hybrid/debian-live-testing-amd64--standard+nonfree.iso
2021-04-10 11:56:54
Date: 2021-04-10

Machine: HP ENVY 17-cg1702nz
Partitions:

     # LC_ALL=C fdisk -l
     Disk /dev/nvme0n1: 953.87 GiB, 1024209543168 bytes, 2000409264 sectors
     Disk model: KBG40ZNV1T02 KIOXIA
     Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
     Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
     I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
     Disklabel type: gpt
     Disk identifier: 141859CE-E2A0-43C6-8BB9-0F4C5C698C49

     Device              Start        End    Sectors  Size Type
     /dev/nvme0n1p1       2048     534527     532480  260M EFI System
     /dev/nvme0n1p2     534528     567295      32768   16M Microsoft reserved
     /dev/nvme0n1p3     567296  201983999  201416704   96G Microsoft basic data
     /dev/nvme0n1p4 1999251456 2000396287    1144832  559M Windows recovery environment
     /dev/nvme0n1p5  201984000 1999251455 1797267456  857G Linux filesystem

     Partition table entries are not in disk order.


Base System Installation Checklist:
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it

Initial boot:           [ O ]
Detect network card:    [ O ]
Configure network:      [ O ]
Detect media:           [ O ]
Load installer modules: [ O ]
Clock/timezone setup:   [ O ]
User/password setup:    [ O ]
Detect hard drives:     [ O ]
Partition hard drives:  [ O ]
Install base system:    [ O ]
Install tasks:          [ O ]
Install boot loader:    [ E ]
Overall install:        [ O ]

Comments/Problems:

This problem looks very similar to #933523 but is probably not the same
problem. In /var/log/installer/syslog I can see:

     Apr 10 10:40:16 grub-installer: info: Installing grub on 'dummy'
     Apr 10 10:40:16 grub-installer: info: grub-install does not support --no-floppy
     Apr 10 10:40:16 grub-installer: info: Running chroot /target grub-install  --force "dummy"
     Apr 10 10:40:16 grub-installer: Installing for x86_64-efi platform.
     Apr 10 10:40:16 grub-installer: grub-install: error: cannot find EFI directory
     Apr 10 10:40:16 grub-installer: .
     Apr 10 10:40:16 grub-installer: error: Running 'grub-install  --force "dummy"' failed.
     Apr 10 10:44:47 main-menu[305]: (process:22331): dpkg-divert: warning: diverting file '/sbin/start-stop-daemon' from an Essential package with rename is dangerous, use --no-rename
     Apr 10 10:44:47 main-menu[305]: (process:22331): dpkg-divert: warning: diverting file '/sbin/start-stop-daemon' from an Essential package with rename is dangerous, use --no-rename
     Apr 10 10:44:47 main-menu[305]: (process:22331): File descriptor 3 (pipe:[13673]) leaked on lvdisplay invocation. Parent PID 29476: /bin/sh
     Apr 10 10:44:47 main-menu[305]: (process:22331): File descriptor 4 (/dev/pts/0) leaked on lvdisplay invocation. Parent PID 29476: /bin/sh
     Apr 10 10:44:47 main-menu[305]: (process:22331): File descriptor 5 (/dev/pts/0) leaked on lvdisplay invocation. Parent PID 29476: /bin/sh
     Apr 10 10:44:47 main-menu[305]: (process:22331): File descriptor 6 (/dev/pts/0) leaked on lvdisplay invocation. Parent PID 29476: /bin/sh
     Apr 10 10:44:47 main-menu[305]: (process:22331):   Volume group "nvme0n1" not found
     Apr 10 10:44:47 main-menu[305]: (process:22331):   Cannot process volume group nvme0n1

So I am assuming the problem is the installer "not finding" the "nvme0n1"
volume group?

After hitting that problem I followed this stackoverflow suggestion:

* https://askubuntu.com/questions/853497/grub-install-error-cannot-find-efi-directory

I made sure everything was mounted into /target (as I remember everything
*was* correctly mounted there), then:

     chroot /target
     mkdir /boot/efi
     mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /boot/efi/ # the EFI partition was *not* mounted
     grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi

and that was it, grub installed successfully and after rebooting I was
able to boot into my installation.

You'll find a tarball of /var/log/installer attached.

That said: awesome work! I was excited all that new HW was recognized and
- appart from the grub glitch above - everything worked without problems.
Thanks to you d-i team!!! <3 !
*t