Booting from a subdirectory

yktula · 2011-05-13 00:02:10

Can I install an operating system in a directory of a filesystem used by another operating system?

In other words, if I have one root partition holding everything for an Archlinux install, can I install another operating system (say, Ubuntu), in /home/yktula/ubuntu/, with /home/yktula/ubuntu being the root directory of the filesystem used by Ubuntu and be able to boot from it?

karol · 2011-05-13 01:40:32

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Chroot
I don't think it is possible to boot from it.

schmidtbag · 2011-05-13 01:43:08

well, you can have arch installed on 1 partition, have your home folder on a separate partition, and have an ubuntu install on a separate partition that uses the same home folder. however, that is a really bad idea.

i don't think it is (easily) possible to boot ubuntu from your home folder, unless you symlink it or direct grub to do so. why do you want to do this anyway? i feel like whatever purpose this is for, there is a much better solution.

karol · 2011-05-13 01:48:39

schmidtbag wrote:

i feel like whatever purpose this is for, there is a much better solution.

Resizing the Arch partition and installing Ubuntu on another one?
A VM if the computer has enough CPU / RAM?
A liveCD/USB?

my0pic · 2011-05-13 02:18:01

yktula wrote:

Can I install an operating system in a directory of a filesystem used by another operating system?
In other words, if I have one root partition holding everything for an Archlinux install, can I install another operating system (say, Ubuntu), in /home/yktula/ubuntu/, with /home/yktula/ubuntu being the root directory of the filesystem used by Ubuntu and be able to boot from it?

You may find this post by vadmium interesting.
He's created an initcpio hook to boot from a subdirectory.

yktula · 2011-05-14 18:57:27

my0pic wrote:

You may find this post by vadmium interesting.
He's created an initcpio hook to boot from a subdirectory.

I did find it interesting. It's exactly what I was looking for! It was posted a day before I started this thread, too (I hadn't seen it).

Arch Linux

#1 2011-05-13 00:02:10

Booting from a subdirectory

#2 2011-05-13 01:40:32

Re: Booting from a subdirectory

#3 2011-05-13 01:43:08

Re: Booting from a subdirectory

#4 2011-05-13 01:48:39

Re: Booting from a subdirectory

#5 2011-05-13 02:18:01

Re: Booting from a subdirectory

#6 2011-05-14 18:57:27

Re: Booting from a subdirectory

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