Bugzilla Bug 214563

After updating e2fsprogs from 1.40.4 to 1.40.6 grub can no longer read files
that are on a partition created with e2fsprogs 1.40.6.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. emerge "=sys-fs/e2fsprogs-1.40.6"
2. mkfs.ext3 /dev/sda1
3. mount /dev/sda1 /foo
4. cp -r /boot /foo
5. open grub with "grub"
6. type "root (hd0,0)"
7. type "setup (hd0)"
Actual Results:  
grub> setup (hd0)
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... no
 Checking if "/grub/stage1" exists... no

Error 2: Bad file or directory type

Expected Results:  
grub> setup (hd0)  
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exists... yes
 Checking if "/boot/grub/stage2" exists... yes
 Checking if "/boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5" exists... yes
 Running "embed /boot/grub/e2fs_stage1_5 (hd0)"...  16 sectors are embedded.
succeeded
 Running "install /boot/grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+16 p (hd0,0)/boot/grub/stage2
/boot/grub/menu.lst"... succeeded
Done.

grub> 


The problem only exists with e2fsprogs 1.40.6. With 1.40.4 everything is
working as expected. The problem is related to changes in /etc/mke2fs.conf
shipped with 1.40.6. Running 1.40.6 with the default config from 1.40.4 does
work.

In mke2fs.conf for 1.40.6 the default inode size is 256. In 1.40.4 it was 128.

Running 1.40.6 with the default inode size of 128 does not produce any problem.

"Error 2: Bad file or directory type" means:
This error is returned if a file requested is not a regular file, but something
like a symbolic link, directory, or FIFO.

Created an attachment (id=147148) [edit]
Set default inode size to 128 instead of 256

This patches fixes mke2fs.conf shipped with e2fsprogs 1.40.6. It changes the
default inode size back to 128 as in 1.40.4.

that ignores the real problem ... grub cant handle diff inode sizes apparently

This was already going to be in the -r5 I was working on - hopefully out later
today.

in -r5, please test it from the package.mask.

Confirmed. -r5 fixes this problem. Thanks.

Thanks

*** Bug 217863 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Read the following article for explanation:

GRUB vs. the Inodes: Who Needs a Bootable System, Anyway?
http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/6480/1/

It should be pointed out that this bug hits everyone who installs from the
Gentoo 2008.0 LiveCD (i686) on an ext3 partition. :(