[suggestion] About linux raid partitions

[rado84-github]

For a long time I've been using v3.0.3 and recently I downloaded 3.1.2-22. I gotta say I'm impressed and happy about some of the changes (like the fact that z9p is the choice by default), but there's one annoying thing about which I'd like to make a suggestion - the check for linux raid partitions:
either make it check for raid partitions at program startup and if no such partitions are found, don't bother the user with that check later (where it's identifying the not busy partitions),

OR (after the prefered resolution screens are passed)

add a screen with the question: "Do you use RAID partitions?". If the answer is "yes", check for them later. If the answer is "no", don't check for them later.
I don't use such patitions, never have and never will (I have my reasons). But that check hangs for too long in search for those partitions, thus making everything slower which can quickly get annoying.

[stevenshiau]

Thanks for your feedback.
Could you please tell us what is the message shown on the screen about the "check for linux raid partitions"?
Thanks.

Steven

[rado84-github]

Thanks for your feedback. Could you please tell us what is the message shown on the screen about the "check for linux raid partitions"? Thanks.

Steven

There are 3 screens where this check happens.

(screen1.png)

(screen2.png)

(screen3.png)

Most of the time these screens are like on the screenshots below. But sometimes, for unknown reasons, CZ decides to execute this check after every found partition. Meaning that on screen1.png and screen2.png, you see mostly "excluding raid partitions". When CZ decides to do that, on screen2 you see:

"Getting sda1 info
excluding raid partition
Getting sdb1 info
excluding raid partition
Getting sdc1 info
excluding raid partition
Getting sdd1 info
excluding raid partition
Getting sde1 info
excluding raid partition
Getting sdf1 info
excluding raid partition"

and so on. And that's just on screen2. When CZ decides to perform this check, this excessive raid check happens also on scree1 and screen3.
I've never used raid partition nor will I ever use, I don't see the point in slowing down the whole process with this annoying nonsense!

That's why I think it would be better for everyone if we could disable that check altogether at the beginning, right after the Ctr+C window. Once the user presses Ctrl+C, instead of "Mounting local dev as /home", insert a question in its place:

Then, after the user has answered the question, proceed as normal with "Mounting local dev as /home/partimg" and with the rest of the program.

[stevenshiau]

" excluding raid partition" -> If you meant it's "Excluding linux raid member partition", well, actually this action is only to find free (not busy) Linux RAID disk. Just exclude that from the list.
Of course we can try to skip that by asking user if there is a Linux RAID device.
However, in your case, you said "for unknown reasons, CZ decides to execute this check after every found partition.". This is actually the part I concern. We'd like to find why and fix this. Not just to ask user if he/she wants to skip Linux RAID excluding since sometimes people have no idea what it is.

Steven

[rado84-github]

" excluding raid partition" -> If you meant it's "Excluding linux raid member partition", well, actually this action is only to find free (not busy) Linux RAID disk. Just exclude that from the list. Of course we can try to skip that by asking user if there is a Linux RAID device. However, in your case, you said "for unknown reasons, CZ decides to execute this check after every found partition.". This is actually the part I concern. We'd like to find why and fix this. Not just to ask user if he/she wants to skip Linux RAID excluding since sometimes people have no idea what it is.

Steven

IDK why it happens or what conditions cause it. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

[stevenshiau]

I do not know, either. It never happens to me.
If you are able to reproduce this issue in a VM, please share the VM image so that we can debug.
Thanks.

[rado84-github]

Not just to ask user if he/she wants to skip Linux RAID excluding since sometimes people have no idea what it is.

Well, if people have no idea what it is, it's safe to assume they're not using RAID, so the default behavior should be as if they have answered "no".

As for VM, I've never been able to make any VM work with more than one disk, so reproducing it in a VM is impossible, at least for me. But if I detect any possible reason why this check happens, you can be sure I will report it.