Bug#462691: debian-installer: fails to partition hard drives on powermac g5

Package: installation-reports

Boot method: CD
Image version: http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/4.0_r2/powerpc/iso-cd/debian-40r2-powerpc-netinst.iso Date: 2008-01-26 15:00 UTC+1100

Machine: Apple Powermac G5
Processor: 2×PowerPC
Memory: 2 GiB
Partitions: n/a, 2×500GB SATA HDDs

Output of lspci -nn and lspci -vnn: n/a

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

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

Comments/Problems:

• At yaboot prompt, selected 'install64'
• Not currently connected to network, so DHCP network config failed (expected)
• partman correctly detects existing partitions
  • On re-installing after a failed attempt, partman continues to detect partition changes from the previous installation attempt
• Tried multiple partitioning systems (rebooting after each one fails): guided on one disk, guided on a RAID device, guided with LVM on one disk, guided with LVM on a RAID device.
  • partman shows generated partition scheme on /dev/foo (where /dev/foo is the corresponding disk device being attempted)
• On selecting "Finish partitioning and write changes to disk", partman shows (where /dev/foo_p1 is the first partition device on the corresponding disk device):

      Error informing the kernel about modifications to partition 
      /dev/foo_p1 -- Invalid argument.  This means Linux won't know 
      about any changes you made to /dev/foo_p1 until you reboot -- so 
      you shouldn't mount it or use it in any way before rebooting.

      ERROR!!!

• Selecting "Ignore" shows the same dialogue message for all other partitions that were generated by partman
• virtual console 4 shows:

      kernel: ioctl32(parted_server:23148): Unknown cmd fd(9) cmd(41a04403){01} arg(ffa30938) on /dev/foo

• The partitioning then fails because the filesystems cannot be created.

-- 
 \            "Beware of and eschew pompous prolixity."  -- Charles A. |
  `\                                                         Beardsley |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney 

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