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SLES12 exits to emergency shell with active LVM snapshots during reboot

This document (7016197) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12

Situation

The system exits into emergency shell after rebooting not being able to access LVM snapshot(s):

[...]
[  OK  ] Found device /dev/mapper/system-swap.
[  OK  ] Started Show Plymouth Boot Screen.
[  OK  ] Reached target Paths.
[  OK  ] Reached target Basic System.
[  OK  ] Found device /dev/mapper/system-swap.
         Starting Dracut Emergency Shell...
Warning: /dev/disk/by-uuid/6cbf0ef6-8120-4bca-9bba-bd6ed383728b does not exist
Warning: /dev/system/root does not exist


Running rdsosreport shows the dm_snapshot module is not available in the initrd.

Resolution

Before issuing the reboot command make sure dm_snapshot is listed in lsmod output and run
dracut -f
to rebuild the initrd and include the missing dm_snapshot module. The required fix is already contained in dracut-037-34.4 which is shipped with SLES12.

Cause

The initrd built during installation is missing the dm_snapshot module.

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.

  • Document ID:7016197
  • Creation Date: 17-Feb-2015
  • Modified Date:03-Mar-2020
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

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