# Recent optimization causes build failures when using squashfs

**URL:** <https://hub.mender.io/t/recent-optimization-causes-build-failures-when-using-squashfs/4391>\
**Category:** General Discussions\
**Tags:** yocto\
**Created:** [December 8, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/recent-optimization-causes-build-failures-when-using-squashfs/4391 "2021-12-08T22:00:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cveilleux](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/cveilleux/32/307_2.png) [@cveilleux](https://hub.mender.io/u/cveilleux)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/recent-optimization-causes-build-failures-when-using-squashfs/4391/1 "2021-12-08T22:00:18Z")

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A recent change in meta-mender causes build failure when ARTIFACTIMG\_FSTYPE is set the squashfs:

```auto
| + echo '### End of contents of wks file ###'
| ### End of contents of wks file ###
| + outimgname=/builds/sentinel-c/os/poky/build/tmp/work/intel_corei7_64-sentinelc-linux/chinook-image/1.0-r0/deploy-chinook-image-image-complete/chinook-image-intel-corei7-64-20211208201418.biosimg
| + wicout=/builds/sentinel-c/os/poky/build/tmp/work/intel_corei7_64-sentinelc-linux/chinook-image/1.0-r0/deploy-chinook-image-image-complete/chinook-image-intel-corei7-64-20211208201418-biosimg
| + BUILDDIR=/builds/sentinel-c/os/poky/build
| + wic create /builds/sentinel-c/os/poky/build/tmp/work/intel_corei7_64-sentinelc-linux/chinook-image/1.0-r0/mender-biosimg.wks --vars /builds/sentinel-c/os/poky/build/tmp/sysroots/intel-corei7-64/imgdata/ -e chinook-image -o /builds/sentinel-c/os/poky/build/tmp/work/intel_corei7_64-sentinelc-linux/chinook-image/1.0-r0/deploy-chinook-image-image-complete/chinook-image-intel-corei7-64-20211208201418-biosimg/
| INFO: Creating image(s)...
| 
| ERROR: It's not possible to create empty squashfs partition 'None'

```

For now, my workaround is to revert this commit in meta-mender:

```auto
cfdeb3d1 Avoid populating rootfs partition B to save space when compressing.

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oleorhagen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/oleorhagen/32/297_2.png) [@oleorhagen](https://hub.mender.io/u/oleorhagen)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 9:21am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/recent-optimization-causes-build-failures-when-using-squashfs/4391/2 "2021-12-09T09:21:42Z")

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@cveilleux thanks for the report and the finding!

Ticket [here](https://tracker.mender.io/browse/MEN-5285)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kacf](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/kacf/32/146_2.png) [@kacf](https://hub.mender.io/u/kacf)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 7:19am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/recent-optimization-causes-build-failures-when-using-squashfs/4391/3 "2022-01-04T07:19:27Z")

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Hey @cveilleux, can you try the fix suggested in [MEN-5285: Avoid empty partitions for squashfs. Doesn't support them. by kacf · Pull Request #1559 · mendersoftware/meta-mender · GitHub](https://github.com/mendersoftware/meta-mender/pull/1559) ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cveilleux](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/cveilleux/32/307_2.png) [@cveilleux](https://hub.mender.io/u/cveilleux)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2022, 6:26pm UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/recent-optimization-causes-build-failures-when-using-squashfs/4391/4 "2022-01-12T18:26:59Z")

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@kacf I have applied [MEN-5285: Avoid empty partitions for squashfs. Doesn't support them. by kacf · Pull Request #1559 · mendersoftware/meta-mender · GitHub](https://github.com/mendersoftware/meta-mender/pull/1559/commits/77cc1fdaa15ad4fffd3d6e5de53a65933daade07) on top of mender’s dunfell branch and removed the revert of cfdeb3d1

The build works fine now, it fixes the problem.

Thanks!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kacf](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/hub.mender.io/kacf/32/146_2.png) [@kacf](https://hub.mender.io/u/kacf)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2022, 6:05am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/recent-optimization-causes-build-failures-when-using-squashfs/4391/5 "2022-01-13T06:05:13Z")

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Great, thanks for confirming!

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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:** [July 31, 2025, 7:22am UTC](https://hub.mender.io/t/recent-optimization-causes-build-failures-when-using-squashfs/4391/6 "2025-07-31T07:22:19Z")

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A post was split to a new topic: [Mender-repopulate-inactive-partition breaks squashfs](https://hub.mender.io/t/mender-repopulate-inactive-partition-breaks-squashfs/7929)