Arch Linux

violagirl23

Member

Registered: 2008-01-24

Posts: 184

How should I install GRUB to dual-boot 2 distros on two diff hd drves?

Well, I actually have two questions.  I'm using the FTP install CD and noticed I don't have the Install Kernel Option after Configure System.  Does this mean that the kernel was installed when I did Configure System automatically?  Or that it wants me to run make && make modules_install manually?  I couldn't quite figure that one out. 
Now as for my main question... I pretty much got through the install okay but am a bit paranoid about just saying Install Bootloader.  I currently have Gentoo on another hard drive on my computer and don't want to wipe out GRUB on Gentoo.
If this helps, this is my partition scheme:
/dev/hda1 swap (for both Gentoo and Arch)
/dev/hda2 / for Gentoo
/dev/hdb1 /usr/portage for Gentoo
/dev/hdb2 / for arch
So how should I go about installing the boot loader?   And I am assuming I would have to appropriately edit the lines of my grub.conf in Gentoo.... this is it currently...

title=Gentoo Linux 2.6.23-r3
# Partition where the kernel image (or operating system) is located
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.23-gentoo-r3 root=/dev/hda2

title=Gentoo Linux 2.6.23-r3 (rescue)
# Partition where the kernel image (or operating system) is located
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/kernel-2.6.23-gentoo-r3 root=/dev/hda2 init=/bin/bb

So would I just add
title=Arch Linux
root (hd1,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/hdb2 initrd /boot/kernel26.img
to my Gentoo's grub.conf? Or am I just completely off here?  Then in addition to that what else would I have to do to get it to dual boot without overwriting my Gentoo's GRUB?    I'm just afraid I'll mess it up.

PS: In Arch, all my hard drives are showing up as /dev/sda1, etc., not hda1, if that makes a difference.  :-p  I was like SCSI?  *blinks*  XDDDDD  But that's normal, right?  But I figured since it's Gentoo's GRUB I should use hd*

So woud I just choose to install GRUB for Arch on /dev/sdb2 then, the partition that it's on, since I'm planning on using Gentoo's bootloader, and then just edit gentoo's grub.conf file?

Last edited by violagirl23 (2008-01-30 04:12:20)

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"You can't just ask to borrow somebody else's lampshade. It's AWKWARD!"

tesjo

Member

Registered: 2007-11-30

Posts: 164

Re: How should I install GRUB to dual-boot 2 distros on two diff hd drves?

Basically right but you should add

title= Arch Linux
root   (hd1,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/hdb2 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img

Arch uses a newer library I forget the name, which identifies drives as sdX instead of hdX

fflarex

Member

Registered: 2007-09-15

Posts: 466

Re: How should I install GRUB to dual-boot 2 distros on two diff hd drves?

I don't think you need another installation of GRUB at all, as long as you configure it correctly. Just skip that part of the install.

violagirl23

Member

Registered: 2008-01-24

Posts: 184

Re: How should I install GRUB to dual-boot 2 distros on two diff hd drves?

All right, I'll try just editing my Gentoo file then.  And what about the lack of an install kernel option?  Was it just taken care of somewhere else? (seeing as I have no desire to reboot and have it fail because I have no kernel compiled!)

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"You can't just ask to borrow somebody else's lampshade. It's AWKWARD!"

skottish

Forum Fellow

From: Here

Registered: 2006-06-16

Posts: 7,942

Re: How should I install GRUB to dual-boot 2 distros on two diff hd drves?

Arch uses a newer library I forget the name, which identifies drives as sdX instead of hdX

It changed when the kernel devs changed to the new PATA subsystem.

jacko

Member

Registered: 2007-11-23

Posts: 840

Re: How should I install GRUB to dual-boot 2 distros on two diff hd drves?

All right, I'll try just editing my Gentoo file then.  And what about the lack of an install kernel option?  Was it just taken care of somewhere else? (seeing as I have no desire to reboot and have it fail because I have no kernel compiled!)

there is no option to install kernel anymore,  it's done automatically because there is only one kernel to choose from in core repository. If u want other kernels compiled with different patches u need to check out the AUR.

violagirl23

Member

Registered: 2008-01-24

Posts: 184

Re: How should I install GRUB to dual-boot 2 distros on two diff hd drves?

Basically right but you should add

title= Arch Linux
root   (hd1,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/hdb2 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img

Arch uses a newer library I forget the name, which identifies drives as sdX instead of hdX

Well, I got it working.  Thanks!  Turns out this is what I needed:

root (hd1,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/sdb2 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img

I tried (sd1,1) and root=/dev/sdb2 at first but it barked at me for the (sd1,1), so I changed it back, and with root=/dev/sdb2 all seems to be well.  Thanks!

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"You can't just ask to borrow somebody else's lampshade. It's AWKWARD!"

schivmeister

Developer/TU

From: Singapore

Registered: 2007-05-17

Posts: 971

Website

Re: How should I install GRUB to dual-boot 2 distros on two diff hd drves?

yes, grub root part is different. it only knows strict hdx,y where both x and y are numerals. sda1 = hd0,0

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I need real, proper pen and paper for this.