[ISSUE] zfs 0.8.3_2, linux5.5 may fail to boot with encryption (tracking issue)

[ISSUE] zfs 0.8.3_2, linux5.5 may fail to boot with encryption (tracking issue)

[ahesford]

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New issue by ahesford on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/20711

Description:
I'm creating this issue to document and track a potential incompatibility between `zfs-0.8.3_2`, `linux5.5` and encryption. On the `#voidlinux` IRC channel, user `w1kl4s` reported that a system with an unencrypted boot partition and an encrypted root fails to boot `linux5.5` with `zfs-0.8.3_2` and `zfsbootmenu`, although the same problem reportedly affects a system using `rEFInd` without `zfsbootmenu`.

@zdykstra may be able to reproduce this issue and provide more insight. I do not use encyrption with ZFS but have no issues booting current `linux5.4`, `linux5.5` or `linux5.6` kernels using `zfs-0.8.3_2`.

Note that ZFS 0.8.3 does not officially support any kernel above Linux 5.4. The patch applied in Void package `zfs-0.8.3_2` to support `linux5.6` is a backport of patches accepted upstream to support Linux 5.6 (the patch file in the tree references the upstream issue) while we wait for a new ZFS point release or OpenZFS 2.0.

Hopefully, we can reproduce the issue and determine whether this problem appears upstream or only in the backported patch.

Re: zfs 0.8.3_2, linux5.5 may fail to boot with encryption (tracking issue)

[ahesford]

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New comment by ahesford on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/20711#issuecomment-610146442

Comment:
Looks like this may have been a fluke... some testing shows that removing and reinstalling `zfs` (after trying a few modified versions of the package) eliminated the problem on a system known to demonstrate the problem earlier. I suspect `dracut` was not pulling the ZFS kernel modules into the initramfs during `xbps-reconfigure` but have no proof yet.

I'll try to get a little more information from the original reporter before closing this issue.

Re: zfs 0.8.3_2, linux5.5 may fail to boot with encryption (tracking issue)

[ahesford]

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New comment by ahesford on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/20711#issuecomment-610454832

Comment:
Confirmed with the original reporter that `dracut` did not pulling in the ZFS modules on the affected system. This does not seem to be a problem caused by the `zfs` package.

Re: [ISSUE] [CLOSED] zfs 0.8.3_2, linux5.5 may fail to boot with encryption (tracking issue)

[ahesford]

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Closed issue by ahesford on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/20711

Description:
I'm creating this issue to document and track a potential incompatibility between `zfs-0.8.3_2`, `linux5.5` and encryption. On the `#voidlinux` IRC channel, user `w1kl4s` reported that a system with an unencrypted boot partition and an encrypted root fails to boot `linux5.5` with `zfs-0.8.3_2` and `zfsbootmenu`, although the same problem reportedly affects a system using `rEFInd` without `zfsbootmenu`.

@zdykstra may be able to reproduce this issue and provide more insight. I do not use encyrption with ZFS but have no issues booting current `linux5.4`, `linux5.5` or `linux5.6` kernels using `zfs-0.8.3_2`.

Note that ZFS 0.8.3 does not officially support any kernel above Linux 5.4. The patch applied in Void package `zfs-0.8.3_2` to support `linux5.6` is a backport of patches accepted upstream to support Linux 5.6 (the patch file in the tree references the upstream issue) while we wait for a new ZFS point release or OpenZFS 2.0.

Hopefully, we can reproduce the issue and determine whether this problem appears upstream or only in the backported patch.

Re: zfs 0.8.3_2, linux5.5 may fail to boot with encryption (tracking issue)

[ahesford]

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New comment by ahesford on void-packages repository

https://github.com/void-linux/void-packages/issues/20711#issuecomment-610454832

Comment:
Confirmed with the original reporter that `dracut` did not pull in the ZFS modules on the affected system. This does not seem to be a problem caused by the `zfs` package.