Arch Linux

startover

Member

Registered: 2011-01-24

Posts: 34

mkfs.ext4 crashes when doing LVM on LUKS on NVMe SSD

I am trying to install arch on an NVMe SSD with LVM on LUKS encryption. From the live usb, something like:

# /dev/nvme0n1p3 is ~ 370G
cryptsetup --cipher [...] luksFormat /dev/nvme0n1p3
cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/nvme0n1p3 lvm

pvcreate /dev/mapper/lvm
vgcreate vgroup /dev/mapper/lvm

# 70G for root, 300G for home
lvcreate --size 70G --name root vgroup
lvcreate --extents +100%FREE --name home vgroup

mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/vgroup-root
mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/vgroup-home  # << causes crash, half way in, after few seconds

The very last line takes a few seconds and half way in crashes the entire system (kernel panic?). The laptop turns off.

This might have something to do with the size of partition. /dev/nvme0n1p3 is ~370G; and the first mkfs.ext4 line on the smaller 70G vgroup-root works fine. However the 2nd line on ~300G vgroup-home crashes. Also previously when /dev/nvme0n1p3 was smaller I did not have this issue.

• Does mkfs.ext4 have any known issues with large partitions on NVMe drives? (or in combination with LVM on LUKS)

• Any way I can get more info of what is going on? and any possible workarounds?

Last edited by startover (2020-11-09 15:29:11)

stfischr

Member

Registered: 2020-04-29

Posts: 6

Re: mkfs.ext4 crashes when doing LVM on LUKS on NVMe SSD

Does mkfs.ext4 have any known issues with large partitions on NVMe drives? (or in combination with LVM on LUKS)

Unlikely, it has no problems with much bigger partitions (4TB).

Any way I can get more info of what is going on? and any possible workarounds?

run mkfs.ext4 with -v to get more info

Since your laptop shuts down completely i suspect something different, it might overheat. Download prime95 for linux and run a stress test, if heat is your problem it should turn off pretty quick.