Ubuntu
subiquity package

ubuntu-desktop-installer: Where can partition sizes be reset on the fly during the install?

Asked by Mike Ferreira

RE:
Ubuntu 23.10 Desktop Edition Flutter installer-- https://github.com/canonical/ubuntu-desktop-installer/issues/2361
Ubuntu Forums thread: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2491291

<<This is a technical question>>

Background:
Previous to the new Flutter Installer for 23.04, Desktop Installers up through Ubuntu 22.10 used 'partman' as the partitioner. There is a point in the installation, when you have selected the type of default/canned install, where you select Erase All and Install Ubuntu to select an installation script: Nothing (ext4); Advanced option: whole disk LVM, LVM with Encryption, Experimental ZFS...

 At that point, if you pressed <Alt><F2> and opened gnome-terminal, you could ope and edit the files kept for the partitioner in folder /usr/lib/partman, such as changing the sizes, mount options, etc.

I already am part of a bug on the new installer, in that the new partitioner is not file manager / filesystem aware for LVM, LUKS, BTRFS, ZFS, etc. But that is another story...

What is the new partitioner used in the new Flutter installer?

Where does it store it's options from Installation panel #7, "Ready To Install", for the partitioning information, so that it can be modified during the install, to alter that part of the script?

I see that in /var/lib/installer/telemetry, it says: "PartitionMethod":"use_zfs"... But unsure where to go from there to track this down.

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Mike Ferreira
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Tao Hansen (thearde) said : 		#1

I'd also appreciate a more flexible installer. Currently, the automated options are to install alongside an existing OS (without any encryption), blow away the disk and get access to ZFS and TPM root, or advanced which offers a cut down version of filesystems, with BTRFS as the only COW filesystem option. All three of these make major trade-offs without any sort of customization presented to the user.

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Launchpad Janitor (janitor) said : 		#2

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

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Mike Ferreira (mafoelffen) said : 		#3

Bump. I still need an answer.

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Launchpad Janitor (janitor) said : 		#4

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

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Mike Ferreira (mafoelffen) said : 		#5

Bump. Still unanswered.

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adrya (adrya-stembridge) said : 		#6

Would also like to see this addressed.

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Launchpad Janitor (janitor) said : 		#7

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

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Mike Ferreira (mafoelffen) said (last edit ): 		#8

I found my own answer....

RE: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2492697&p=14166522#post14166522

Summarized-- In the Snap 'ubuntu-desktop-installer, directory tree of /snap/ubuntu-desktop-installer/<NNNN>/bin/subiquity/examples/, where "NNNN" is the version number... Under that tree is the yaml files that the installer uses to create the autoinstall.yaml file that it uses to install, which will be created as /var/log/installer/autoinstall-user-data during the installation...

This is my answer on how to toggle to a terminal or console session during an installation to tweak the sizes of the pre-scripted installs.

Using those, I can also tweak other parts of the installation...

That does not answer what it is using as the new partitioner, which I am still searching for answers on.

Revision history for this message
Mike Ferreira (mafoelffen) said : 		#9

Answered my own answer in reply #8..

Comment:

I am disappointed that I had to answer my own question here, without help from anyone. I guess I expected more. I understand that the Snap 'ubuntu-desktop-installer' Team has recently had a staffing shift, but things, such as ISSUES at the GitHub, and are not getting addressed. It went so far as that I filed an Issue at the GitHub Repo, titled as Issues were not being addressed. It took almost 2 months for anyone to even notice it, before it was closed. My question there is still unanswered and unaddressed, except by others who were searching for the same answer.