Installation with grub2 not grub2 EFI

[panorain]

Hi, I am installing openSUSE Tumbleweed on a Gateway DX4850 i5 machine. When I am configuring the installer there are options for bootloader. I wish to use grub2 not grub2 EFI bootloader because suspend fails to work on the machine then. I have used dd to zero the drive.

I do have a spare drive here with Tumbleweed configured with grub2, and have verified suspend does work on the machine when the grub2 bootloader is used.

At the Installation Settings > Booting and grub2 selected there is a notification in red.
Boot from MBR does not work together with BTRFS filesystem and GPT disk label without bios_grub partition. To fix the issue, create a bios_grub partition, or -use any Ext filesystem for boot partition, or -do not install stage 1 to MBR.

So do I need to back the installer and create this partition?

If the grub2 EFI bootloader is selected and installation completes, booting the machine gives a warning of /EFI related something or other partition not found before the LUKS prompt. Entering passpharse and booting into the OS, then suspending simply blanks the screen and machine is left running in an inoperable state. It must be then shut down with power button.

How can I correct this problem?

[malcolmlewis]

@panorain create a partition on your gpt device eg /dev/sda1 type ef02 and 2MB is size.

[panorain]

@malcolmlewis I used openSUSE Rescue CD to # wipefs -a /dev/sda then fired up gdisk /dev/sda and created the partition.

Please see /dev/sda information in the attached image.

What is the next step?

I have fired up the installer again. I ask for help with the partitioning.

The Harddisk is 500 GiB approximately…
I would like to use Logical Volume Management (LVM).
Operating System on BTRFS 57.0 GiB
400.0 GiB home on separate partition.
8.0 GiB swap

I am not sure how to continue approaching this right now so am looking for advice.

[panorain]

There is an error here,

Error:
The system cannot be initialized because the following errors were found.
The device mounted at /boot does not have enough space to contain a kernel.

I do not know why /boot requests space to hold a kernel.

Should the BIOS Boot Partition be mounted or not? I changed it’s size to 94.00 MiB and the message persists.

[arvidjaar]

@panorain

looking for advice

Boot in legacy BIOS (CSM) mode, not in EFI mode.

[panorain]

@arvidjaar

Boot in legacy BIOS (CSM) mode, not in EFI mode.

This BIOS does not appear to have the legacy BIOS (CSM) mode option.

[arvidjaar]

@panorain

This BIOS does not appear to have the legacy BIOS (CSM) mode option.

Then you cannot use grub2 at all. It is for legacy BIOS only.

[panorain]

I have a different harddrive with Tumbleweed installed, It was setup with Grub2. It boots the machine and machine suspends fine. I do not recall but I believe it was installed while in this machine with an older version of the installer this past winter. Is this possible the installer is now changed?

[arvidjaar]

@panorain

It was setup with Grub2. It boots the machine and machine suspends fine.

Well, then I repeat - boot installer in legacy BIOS mode. I have no idea how it is done on your hardware.

[panorain]

Oh I think you mean when I press f12 during boot, to select the PMAP entry that does not have EFI prefixing it?

Very interesting indeed.

[panorain]

@arvidjaar

Well, then I repeat - boot installer in legacy BIOS mode.

As simple as this step of pressing f12 and selecting the PMAP entry that was not preceeded by EFI. I simply did not recognize this issue and have now learned. I had been/was looking around inside BIOS at various options, CSM and so on.

I am now installing.

I have chosen this partitioning scheme:

Can you share anything more about why this machine claims to have EFI firmware capability but when OS is installed using grub2 EFI suspend and hibernate problems exist?

@malcolmlewis @arvidjaar This is a tremendous help.