bug#40386: F2FS support Was: bug#40386: guix system init can't find file system by UUID, workaround results in broken boot

[raingloom]

On Thu, 02 Apr 2020 13:00:39 +0200
Ludovic Courtès <address@hidden> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> raingloom <address@hidden> skribis:
> 
> > Trying to install Guix System onto an SSD using an UltraBay dock.
> > Config is the attached file (with slight variations in the obvious
> > places)
> >
> > `readlink /dev/disk/by-uuid/643a215d-a30e-473b-826e-5c35de29e38f`
> > gives me /dev/sdb1
> >
> > Yet using (uuid "643a215d-a30e-473b-826e-5c35de29e38f") results in:
> >
> > ```
> > sudo -E guix system init --no-bootloader
> > Configs/Guix/desktop-parametric.scm /mnt
> >  :( /home/raingloom/Configs/Guix/desktop-parametric.scm:50:26:
> > error: file system with UUID '643a215d-a30e-473b-826e-5c35de29e38f'
> > not found ```
> >
> > Switching the UUID to uppercase as in the example (thankfully)
> > doesn't change anything, not even the error message.
> >
> > I tried using a label, same result.  
> 
> What file system is on /dev/sdb1?
> 
> The code responsible for that is in (gnu build file-systems).  It
> currently recognizes only some file system types: ISO9660, ext2/3/4,
> Btrfs, FAT32, FAT16, and JFS.
> 
> Can you try:
> 
>   sudo guix repl
>   ,use(gnu build file-systems)
>   (find-partition-by-uuid (uuid
> "643a215d-a30e-473b-826e-5c35de29e38f"))
> 
> ?
> 
> > I ended up using the /dev/disk/by-uuid and /dev/disk/by-id paths for
> > the root file system and the bootloader respectively, and that
> > resulted in a succesful system init, but upon trying to boot the
> > SSD with the other machine, I got thrown into a rescue shell,
> > because it couldn't find the root using that path.  
> 
> Yes, because /dev/disk is not accessible early on.  That’s why the
> manual recommends using ‘uuid’ or ‘file-system-label’.
> 
> > **(Quick aside: there really should be a guide for using that rescue
> > shell. I can get around in a /bin/sh one, but this is nearly
> > unusable. At least autocompletion should be supported.)**  
> 
> Yes, that reminds me someone reported a serious Bournish bug on IRC.
> 
> Thanks,
> Ludo’.

It looks like the issue is that F2FS isn't supported, but I'm working
on adding support. UUID reading works, but labels still seem to be
buggy, and I'm still debugging some initrd issues, but I think I'm
close.