Fix sparse vmlinuz boot failure on XFS by changing cp --sparse to auto#706
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Fix boot failure caused by sparse vmlinuz kernel files on XFS partitions.
When Image Customizer repartitions an image (via
storage:config), it copiesall files from the old image to the new one using
cp --sparse always. Thisflag aggressively scans file content for zero-byte runs and converts them into
filesystem holes.
The AZL 3.0 vmlinuz kernel binary contains a legitimate run of zero bytes.
cp --sparse alwaysturns this into a sparse hole in the destination file.GRUB cannot read sparse files on XFS, causing a boot failure.
Verification
Reproduced and verified with Azure Linux 3.0 core-efi image
(core-3.0.20260401.vhdx) using the
partitions-xfs-boot.yamltest config.Before fix (
--sparse always):Logical block 3567 is a sparse hole.
After fix (
--sparse auto):Single contiguous extent, no holes.