Automatic formatting always fails the first time

[Freston]

Aw, I really can't figure this one out.

I have a machine (let's call it server) that is partitioning, formatting and installing images on clients.

The clients disks are all zeroed, is that how you call it? dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda options blablabla


Anyway, the procedure is as follows. The clients are hooked up to the server through a switch. The clients are powered on, and are ordered to 'netboot'. Now in short, they request DHCP, find a PXE config, load a kernel, load a ramdisk, and in the ramdisk there is the painful payload that causes my question:

In the script:
I use sfdisk to partition the disk
I then use mkreiserfs /dev/hda1
I use mkswapfs /dev/hda2
then mkreiserfs /dev/hda3 <= here it errors


It always errors on that point. I tried to change the order of things around without effect. It always errors on `mkreiserfs /dev/hda3` on, and this is what's weird, on the first time. When I reboot and run the same procedure again, it doesn't error and it does exactly what I want.
Also, when I do the same with a machine that isn't zeroed, it also doesn't error and it also does what I want. I can take any machine I want and do this procedure on, and it always works. But as soon as I take one with a zeroed disk, it errors but only on the first run and not on the second run. And always on /dev/hda3 and never on anything else.



So far I've tried to change the order of the mk*fs commands. I've set it up so that if the first run of `mkreiserfs /dev/hda3` fails, that it tries again. To no avail. Right now the whole script reruns when `mkreiserfs /dev/hda3` errors, also to no avail. It always errors. And a reboot later it's working perfectly.

That is also a bit of the problem. To replicate the behavior, or to try to solve it, I need to zero the disk of the test machine again, which takes almost an hour.

Any and all thoughts on this are highly appreciated, as I have no idea what is going on.

Below is the entire script, as is:
(It's a bit dirty, but 100&#37; functional)

#!/bin/bash
#
#
#
#    WARNING
#    Highly HAZARDOUS code
#    Do NOT run unless you know you want to
#    And ask you parents for permission, just to be on the safe side :-p
#
#
#
exit     # Safety mesure, not acttually part of the script.


# Netwerk
rpc.portmap
mount -t nfs 192.168.0.1:/nfsroot /mnt

# Definities
IPADRES=`ifconfig|grep 192|awk '{print $2}'`
MACHINE="${IPADRES##*.}"
LOGFILE='/mnt/clientlog'
PARTFAIL="0"
FORMFAIL="0"
MBRFAIL="0"
IMGFAIL="0"

Startlog () {
echo "$MACHINE checks in" >> $LOGFILE
}

Write2Log () {
echo "$MACHINE $MESSAGE $VAR" >> $LOGFILE
}


Partitioneren () {
MESSAGE="sfdisk"
sfdisk /dev/hda << EOF
,1100,L,*
,80,S
,,L
;
EOF


if [ "$?" -eq "0" ] ; then
    VAR="succes"
else
    VAR="FAAL"
    PARTFAIL=`expr $PARTFAIL + 1`
fi

Write2Log
}

Formatteren () {
MESSAGE="mkreiserfs1"
mkreiserfs -q /dev/hda1 
if [ "$?" -eq "0" ] ; then
    VAR="succes"
else
    VAR="FAAL"
    FORMFAIL=`expr $FORMFAIL + 1`
fi
Write2Log

MESSAGE="mkreiserfs3"
mkreiserfs -q /dev/hda3 
if [ "$?" -eq "0" ] ; then
    VAR="succes"
else
    VAR="FAAL"
    FORMFAIL=`expr $FORMFAIL + 1`
fi
Write2Log


MESSAGE="swapfs"
mkswap -f /dev/hda2 
if [ "$?" -eq "0" ] ; then
    VAR="succes"

else
    VAR="FAAL"
    FORMFAIL=`expr $FORMFAIL + 1`
fi
Write2Log
}


mbrTransfer () {
MESSAGE="MBR"
dd if=/mnt/mbr.img of=/dev/hda bs=446 count=1 
if [ "$?" -eq "0" ] ; then
    VAR="succes"
else
    VAR="FAAL"
    MBRFAIL=`expr $MBRFAIL + 1`
fi
Write2Log
}


ImageTransfer () {
MESSAGE="image"
VAR="patience"
Write2Log
gzip -dc /mnt/final.img.gz|dd of=/dev/hda1 
if [ "$?" -eq "0" ] ; then
    VAR="voltooid"
else
    VAR="FAAL"
    IMGFAIL=`expr $IMGFAIL + 1`
fi
Write2Log
}


RoundUp () {
MESSAGE=" "
VAR="klaar"
Write2Log
poweroff
}


#
#    Work
#    WORK
#    WORK
#

Startlog
Partitioneren        # sfdisk! Go go go
if [ "$PARTFAIL" -gt "0" ] ; then
    PARTFAIL="0"
    Partitioneren    # A second chance to do right
    if [ "$PARTFAIL" -gt "0" ] ; then
        VAR="AFBREKEN"
        Write2Log
        poweroff
    fi
fi

Formatteren        # mkreiserfs
if [ "$FORMFAIL" -gt "0" ] ; then
    FORMFAIL="0"
    Partitioneren                              # Weird bug to get around
    Formatteren                              # alas this hack doesn't work either
    if [ "$FORMFAIL" -gt "0" ] ; then
        VAR="RAARRRRRRR"                  # This is where we don't want to be -
        Write2Log                             # but always end up when the disk -
        echo 'Again its wrong!'                    # is zeroed
        #poweroff 
    fi
fi

mbrTransfer        # Master Boot Record
if [ "$MBRFAIL" -gt "0" ] ; then
    MBRFAIL="0"
    mbroverdracht
    if [ "$MBRFAIL" -gt "0" ] ; then
        VAR="AFBREKEN"
        Write2Log
        poweroff
    fi
fi

ImageTransfer        # Now everything went ok, get to work you!
RoundUp

[Freston]

Oops!

I forgot to mention the most important part, and the reason why I put it in this section

When I enter all the steps on a zeroed machine manually it does not error. I just tried that again.


It is really beyond me why this piece of code always works:

mkreiserfs -q /dev/hda1 
if [ "$?" -eq "0" ] ; then
    VAR="succes"
else
    VAR="FAAL"
    FORMFAIL=`expr $FORMFAIL + 1`
fi

And this piece only works after the second boot, if the disk is zeroed:

mkreiserfs -q /dev/hda3 
if [ "$?" -eq "0" ] ; then
    VAR="succes"
else
    VAR="FAAL"
    FORMFAIL=`expr $FORMFAIL + 1`
fi

But it works flawlessly if the disk isn't zeroed or when I enter it manually, regardless of anything else




I'm zeroing the disk again right now. See if I can get it to give me some error message. Any thoughts on how and what kind of action I should take to get a useful error message? The debugging flag on mkreiserfs comes to mind. Any other thoughts are appreciated.



EDIT: Solved
It turned out that some minor tests I had been running while doing all this manually had greater and more beneficial effect than I had anticipated. Special thanks goes out to `fdisk -l`, which seems to have to be run after sfdisk probably to reread the partition table.