freebsd stable - Dec 2020 - Consistency of pkg db on UFS

Hello,

I've came across the following issues on a freshly installed system with
a UFS SU+j root partition.

# pkg install -y some_package
The package management tool is not yet installed on your system.
Do you want to fetch and install it now? [y/N]: y
# kldload SOME_MODULE
-> crash happens here (due to drm for example)

On next boot any attempt to use pkg results in the following message:

# pkg install nano
The package management tool is not yet installed on your system.
Do you want to fetch and install it now? [y/N]: y
Bootstrapping pkg from
pkg+http://pkg.FreeBSD.org/FreeBSD:12:amd64/quarterly, please wait...
Verifying signature with trusted certificate
pkg.freebsd.org.2013102301... done
Installing pkg-1.15.10...
the most recent version of pkg-1.15.10 is already installed

It seems that /var/db/pkg/local.sqlite contains entry for the installed
packages, but those packages didn't make it to the filesystem.

Is this because the db is fsynced while the actual package data is not?

The issue is very easy to reproduce (on a VM for instance).
(I was not able to reproduce on a ZFS root filesystem).

Regards,
Ali

Hi Ali

I had a similar problem with my HP Elitebook couple of days ago with UFS option.
I had been experimenting with various modes and setup options including the file
system ZFS and UFS. I would have installed and reinstalled Freebsd 12.2 more
than 20 times!

I guess the issue lies in the Installation process. Just before the final step
of rebooting it takes sometime (more than when installing with ZFS option) to
complete the installation closure tasks. This was not completed or you did not
wait until the point the message popped up to reboot the system!

To verify if this is the case, check your loader.conf and/or rc.conf it would be
empty. The options you selected during the install process would not be recorded
in these files.

SOLUTION: I just reinstalled again with the option of UFS and waited on the last
before step patiently and then finally rebooted upon the alter message of REBOOT
option from the installer.

BTW, I have noticed, if you go back on installer steps on any options already
selected and try to reconfigure or change, then something goes upside down in my
experience so far:-
1.You can check - try changing more than 2 times on the wireless Region Code
->Result: after the reboot, wpa_supplicant.conf may be messed up.
2.You can check - try changing the Boot parameters / System Hardening in the
last before step of the installer, the options you had already selected during
the install process may not be shown and would show unselected for all available
options. Something, maybe messed up post install.

The above-mentioned is only my experience so far. However, the installer is very
stable if you have a straight through selection in one go and wait until you get
the REBOOT Alert.

Best regards,
Sny
> On 11 Dec 2020, at 17:57, Ali Abdallah via freebsd-stable
<freebsd-stable at freebsd.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I've came across the following issues on a freshly installed system
with
> a UFS SU+j root partition.
> 
> # pkg install -y some_package
> The package management tool is not yet installed on your system.
> Do you want to fetch and install it now? [y/N]: y
> # kldload SOME_MODULE
> -> crash happens here (due to drm for example)
> 
> On next boot any attempt to use pkg results in the following message:
> 
> # pkg install nano
> The package management tool is not yet installed on your system.
> Do you want to fetch and install it now? [y/N]: y
> Bootstrapping pkg from
> pkg+http://pkg.FreeBSD.org/FreeBSD:12:amd64/quarterly, please wait...
> Verifying signature with trusted certificate
> pkg.freebsd.org.2013102301... done
> Installing pkg-1.15.10...
> the most recent version of pkg-1.15.10 is already installed
> 
> It seems that /var/db/pkg/local.sqlite contains entry for the installed
> packages, but those packages didn't make it to the filesystem.
> 
> Is this because the db is fsynced while the actual package data is not?
> 
> The issue is very easy to reproduce (on a VM for instance).
> (I was not able to reproduce on a ZFS root filesystem).
> 
> Regards,
> Ali
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-stable
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freebsd.org"

On 12.12.2020 09:44, techyNotes wrote:
> Hi Ali
Hi
> 
> I had a similar problem with my HP Elitebook couple of days ago with UFS
option. I had been experimenting with various modes and setup options including
the file system ZFS and UFS. I would have installed and reinstalled Freebsd 12.2
more than 20 times!
> 
> I guess the issue lies in the Installation process. Just before the final
step of rebooting it takes sometime (more than when installing with ZFS option)
to complete the installation closure tasks. This was not completed or you did
not wait until the point the message popped up to reboot the system!
> 
> To verify if this is the case, check your loader.conf and/or rc.conf it
would be empty. The options you selected during the install process would not be
recorded in these files.
> 
> SOLUTION: I just reinstalled again with the option of UFS and waited on the
last before step patiently and then finally rebooted upon the alter message of
REBOOT option from the installer.
I'm no speaking about the installer, but an already installed system.

I don't believe there is a solution to the described issue, the blocks
of a newly installed package can make it to the disk and to the fs
metadata, but the information about it written by the package manager to
its database/plain file might not make it to the disk in case of power
failure/panic, so you would end up with an installed package that the
package manager itself doesn't know about! The issue can happen on any
filesystem, not only on UFS.

Regards,
Ali