# Error when generating artifact for system update

**URL:** <https://hub.mender.io/t/error-when-generating-artifact-for-system-update/7528>\
**Category:** General Discussions\
**Created:** [February 6, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/error-when-generating-artifact-for-system-update/7528 "2025-02-06T15:15:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adhn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@adhn](https://hub.mender.io/u/adhn)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/error-when-generating-artifact-for-system-update/7528/1 "2025-02-06T15:15:03Z")

</div>

Hi!

I was following the Tutorial to deploy a system update:

```auto
mender-artifact write rootfs-image \
    -f ssh://"${USER}@${IP_ADDRESS}" \
    -t "${DEVICE_TYPE}" \
    -n system-v1 \
    -o system-v1.mender \
    -S "${SSH_ARG}"

```

I get the following error:  
_time=“2025-02-06T16:01:31+01:00” level=error msg=“Device-local data is stored on the partition being snapshotted: /var/lib/mender. The recommended approach is to have a separate data-partition mounted on "/data" and add a symbolic link (/var/lib/mender → /data). Consult either [Overview | Mender documentation](https://docs.mender.io/system-updates-debian-family/overview#partition-layoutfor) Debian family or [Overview | Mender documentation](https://docs.mender.io/system-updates-yocto-project/overview#partition-layoutin) case you use Yocto”  
time=“2025-02-06T16:01:31+01:00” level=error msg=“data store (/var/lib/mender) is located on filesystem /”  
imgFilesystemType error: imgFilesystemType: blkid command failed: exit status 2_

How do I fix this?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheYoctoJester](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/theyoctojester/32/1444_2.png) [@TheYoctoJester](https://hub.mender.io/u/TheYoctoJester)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 7:37am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/error-when-generating-artifact-for-system-update/7528/2 "2025-02-07T07:37:19Z")

</div>

Hi @adhn,

Using `mender-artifact` to snapshot a live device will not automagically add a Mender integration. So in order for this to work, the image on the device has to be already Mender aware, in terms of a persistent `/data` partition, A/B root filesystem partitions and the bootloader integration.

You can create such an image in various ways, like using `mender-convert` or a Yocto build for example.

Greetz,  
Josef

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adhn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@adhn](https://hub.mender.io/u/adhn)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 2:05pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/error-when-generating-artifact-for-system-update/7528/3 "2025-02-25T14:05:26Z")

</div>

Hi @TheYoctoJester ,

ok, thank you.  
I have been following the tutorial for mender-convert.

Some info:

- I installed Ubuntu 22.04 as a dual boot option on my Windows machine to generate the “mender images”
- I have used the 4.3.x branch of mender-convert
- In mender\_grub\_config, I set MENDER\_GRUB\_KERNEL\_IMAGETYPE=bzImage
- In mender\_convert\_config, I set MENDER\_STORAGE\_TOTAL\_SIZE\_MB=40000
- The final command to create the mender-aware Image:

```auto
MENDER_ARTIFACT_NAME=release-1 ./docker-mender-convert \
--disk-image input/golden-image-1.img \
--config configs/raspberrypi/include/pre_bookworm_config \
--overlay input/rootfs_overlay_demo/

```

After copying the resulting image on a new SD card, the display shows only black.  
What went wrong?

Thank you!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheYoctoJester](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/theyoctojester/32/1444_2.png) [@TheYoctoJester](https://hub.mender.io/u/TheYoctoJester)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/error-when-generating-artifact-for-system-update/7528/4 "2025-02-25T14:45:05Z")

</div>

Hi @adhn,

The `configs/raspberrypi/include/pre_bookworm_config` is, as its path suggests, just an include which provides functionality to an actual configuration. Depending on your base image and device, you should probably choose one here: [mender-convert/configs/raspberrypi/uboot/debian at master · mendersoftware/mender-convert · GitHub](https://github.com/mendersoftware/mender-convert/tree/master/configs/raspberrypi/uboot/debian)

Greetz,  
Josef

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adhn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@adhn](https://hub.mender.io/u/adhn)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 9:18am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/error-when-generating-artifact-for-system-update/7528/5 "2025-03-04T09:18:30Z")

</div>

Hi @TheYoctoJester ,

makes sense.  
Thank you!  
It is now working as expected.