Re: [PATCH v4] Mandatory install device check for PowerPC

[Avnish Chouhan <avnish@linux.ibm.com>]

On 2026-01-29 16:44, Michal Suchánek wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 29, 2026 at 12:52:30PM +0300, Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko 
> wrote:
>> How does it handle PPC macs? They don't use install device
> 
> As already commented on v3 this is in the else branch of the PPC Mac
> detection which is not clear from how the patch is written.
> 
> It could be better in that regard but that part of feedback was
> rejected.

Hi Michal,

Please don't get me wrong. I didn't reject your feedback. Just that I 
felt it will be better if we do this way. But after my reply, I haven't 
heard from you. You replied to it after I sent v4. I have shared the 
whole code block where I have added an else condition in my earlier 
reply.

If "if (macppcdir)" evaluates true (where I have added an else). this 
means it is indeed a Mac machine. And in this "if (macppcdir)" block, we 
set "is_prep = 0;". So adding an if condition based on "is_prep" after 
this "if (macppcdir)" rather than adding new else condition. I found the 
latter better, having an else rather than if with "is_prep = 0;".

But I really don't mind changing the way you like :) Please let me know, 
I'll change it v5.
Thank you!


Regards,
Avnish Chouhan


> 
> Thanks
> 
> Michal
> 
>> 
>> Regards
>> Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko
>> 
>> Le mar. 27 janv. 2026, 16:48, Avnish Chouhan <avnish@linux.ibm.com> a
>> écrit :
>> 
>> > This patch adds a check on install_device while installing grub for
>> > PowerPC.
>> > If install_device is not mentioned in grub2-install and machine is detected
>> > as PowerPC, the error will be thrown and it will terminates the
>> > grub2-install
>> > operation. Running grub2-install on PowerPC without the install_device may
>> > result in bootlist corruption. When no install device is specified, it
>> > attempts
>> > to load images from the filesystem, which leads to nvram bootlist
>> > corruption.
>> > The idea is to fail the operation and avoid creating the invalid boot
>> > entry.
>> >
>> > Signed-off-by: Avnish Chouhan <avnish@linux.ibm.com>
>> > ---
>> >  util/grub-install.c | 13 +++++++++++++
>> >  1 file changed, 13 insertions(+)
>> >
>> > diff --git a/util/grub-install.c b/util/grub-install.c
>> > index 0602465..f7389b3 100644
>> > --- a/util/grub-install.c
>> > +++ b/util/grub-install.c
>> > @@ -1289,6 +1289,19 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
>> >               is_prep = 0;
>> >             }
>> >         }
>> > +#if defined(__powerpc__)
>> > +     else
>> > +       {
>> > +         /*
>> > +          * As the machine has been detected as PowerPC and not a
>> > PowerMac. We need to check
>> > +          * whether the install_device has been mentioned while
>> > installing. If no device has been
>> > +          * mentioned, we need to exit and mark it as an error as the
>> > install_device is required for
>> > +          * PowerPC installation. An installation with no device
>> > mentioned may lead to corruptions.
>> > +          */
>> > +          if (!install_device)
>> > +            grub_util_error ("%s", _("install device isn't specified,
>> > required for PowerPC"));
>> > +       }
>> > +#endif /* __powerpc__ */
>> >      }
>> >
>> >    size_t ndev = 0;
>> > --
>> > 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)
>> >
>> >

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