Arch Linux

BillGates

Member

Registered: 2021-09-23

Posts: 2

[Solved] Configuring rEFInd (during install)

I'm installing vanilla Arch for the first time since the guided installer was first removed something like a decade ago. I have been able to successfully boot after following the install process, but I really struggled with with getting my refind_linux.conf into a working state.

My .conf file currently looks like this:

"Boot with standard options"  "root=PARTUUID=463fdab0-b8a6-fe4e-b0d3-9bb9980e5a28 rw"
#"Boot with standard options"  "root=PARTUUID=463fdab0-b8a6-fe4e-b0d3-9bb9980e5a28 rw add_efi_memmap initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img"
#"Boot using fallback initramfs"  "root=PARTUUID=463fdab0-b8a6-fe4e-b0d3-9bb9980e5a28 rw add_efi_memmap initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img initrd=boot\initramfs-%v-fallback.img"
#"Boot to terminal"  "root=PARTUUID=463fdab0-b8a6-fe4e-b0d3-9bb9980e5a28 rw add_efi_memmap initrd=boot\intel-ucode.img initrd=boot\initramfs-%v.img systemd.unit=multi-user.target"
#"Boot to single-user mode"    "archisobasedir=arch archisolabel=ARCH_202109 single"
"Boot with minimal options"   "ro root=/dev/nvme0n1p3"

Line 1 seems to allow me to boot the installed system, successfully.
Lines 2-4, I added based on the rEFInd Arch Wiki article. Additionally, these lines don't allow me to boot the installed system. When one of these options are selected, it looks like an attempt is made to boot the system, but I am quickly returned to the rEFInd menu.
Line 5 was generated as part of the rEFInd install process. I did not try to boot using it, but I does not look like it would work successfully.
Line 6 was also generated automatically. It does work.
It seems like both Lines 1 and 6 are examples of the bare minimum kernel parameters required to boot.

1. Is there a good way to build this file based on the installation I am attempting to build, or must I enter everything by hand?

2. For the root kernel parameter, are both methods equal, or is one line a better way of defining the root partition?

3. To test parameters, is the only way to test them one at a time, repeatedly, rebooting?

Last edited by BillGates (2021-09-27 16:14:43)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 21,645

Re: [Solved] Configuring rEFInd (during install)

All of this depends a bit on how you configured things. For example where did you mount your ESP before/when running refind_install?

Most of it is answered in one form or another in https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/REFInd … parameters

1. For the automatism question that is linked to the upstream docs, in the first paragraph of that section: https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/linux.html#easiest Also in that section there's a warning of the caveats of doing it in the chroot and that you must uncomment extra_kernel_version_strings in the refind.conf so that the %v values are parsed properly, if you've done that correctly the 3 other lines should work., The 5th is definitely wrong and refers to the Arch ISO rather than the installed system, which is warned about in the wiki section I linked

2. For the given example they amount to the same thing, using the PARTUUID is predictable and guaranteed though (if you add a second nvme drive, you aren't inherently guaranteed to always get nvme0 for the same drive) and thus preferred: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Persis … ice_naming

3. Probably, not sure how else you'd want to do tha, parameter you pass on the kernel cmdline are often not runtime adjustable

Last edited by V1del (2021-09-24 07:29:38)

BillGates

Member

Registered: 2021-09-23

Posts: 2

Re: [Solved] Configuring rEFInd (during install)

I ran refind-install from inside of the chroot environment. Outside the chroot environment the efi partition was mounted to /mnt/efi.

I saw the note about extra_kernel_version_strings in the wiki. I mistakenly thought it didn't apply to my case because I thought I was configuring rEFInd to operate without looking for a kernel.

Thank you!