intepreting the beginners guide on UEFI

greenman-23 · 2013-12-16 20:58:18

hi..

perhaps someone could clarify for me the meaning on the following text on the beginners guide.

under Gumminboot instructions it states:

You will need to manually create a configuration file to add an entry for Arch Linux to the gummiboot manager. Create /boot/loader/entries/arch.conf and add the following contents, replacing /dev/sdaX with your root partition, usually /dev/sda2:

followed by the command line:

# nano /boot/loader/entries/arch.conf

followed by the text:

title Arch Linux
linux /vmlinuz-linux
initrd /initramfs-linux.img
options root=/dev/sdaX rw

Am I meant to write the above four lines into the menu/screen that opens?

I suspect there may have been an earlier instances where the same 'instruction' was given but as it's not implicit .. it wasn't done.

similarly I get the following error message on attempting to install gummiboot

File System /boot is not a fat EFI system Partition (ESP) file system.

Now I have windows 8 and lubuntu currently installed and they were loading prior to start of this Arch install from a Fat 32 drive labelled /boot/efi.
I wasn't however sure (as the instruction wasn't clear in the installation guide) but was I meant to format a new efi boot or just mount the existing..
I mounted the existing as I was assuming that the ESP is basically a list of boot loaders and I didn't want to lose the win8 just yet.
anymore useful suggestions?
regards
malcolm

I further suspect that this install isn't going too well....

regards

jasonwryan · 2013-12-16 21:15:27

A couple of things.

Yes, you do need to create individual .conf files for gummiboot; just follow the wiki instructions. If you aren't comfortable with the command line, or have at least a basic understanding of it, then you are going to struggle with Arch.

With regard to the error on gummiboot install, if your ESP is not /boot, ie., it is /boot/EFI (or some variant thereof), then you will need to issue gummiboot with the --path option: the wiki covers this.

greenman-23 · 2013-12-16 22:11:10

with respect any installation I do is only as good as the tutorial I am using. I have in the past installed moderately complex set ups only 6-12 months later unable to repeat the exercise because the same tutorial is not available. and therein lies the problem.. I like many perform installations at this depth too infrequently to retain the method and thus rely entirely on tutorials.

However the real problem is the 'black box' the bios has become as a consequence of UEFI.. and that's down to a complete lack of documentation (not a linux issue but a PC manufacturers or a failure of to provide documentation) ... one is extremely cautious to do anything that might corrupt the UEFI and require a back to base exercise for the electric brick that might result.

With that in mind I rebooted the PC and whilst no Arch both the win8 and lubuntu partitions and bootloaders were unaffected.. so at least I can repeat my errors to date without destroying my machine (assuming that's possible)...

we will get there in the end and whilst it may not be the walk in the park I'd like it to be .. I will hopefully get a linux OS running that uses all the hardware available and has just the nec configuration to run the programs and local server set up I want...

back to square one in the morning...

greenman-23 · 2013-12-17 19:10:13

sorry just a note to clarify

in setting the --path to /boot/efi (which is the label it has with the # lsblk /dev/sda command )

will I affect any of the current uefi boot settings with respect to win8 and to a lesser extent Lubuntu

i.e will I over write them or, as I imagine, will this just add gummiboot to a boot list in the efi file.

Apologies for not using the correct terms but in lay language am I correct in regarding the uefi menu as just a list of bootloaders in which gummiboot would become just another one? Effectively a 'built in grub'? If so that would perhaps account for why Fedora 19 remains as a boot order option in the 'BIOS' (F2) boot menu despite being removed from the hard drive and not appearing in the grub2 menu that is the ubuntu efi bootloader (first boot option normally).

With respect to that is it possible to add Arch as a boot option in the grub2 menu rather than and in preference in the uefi?

thanks for you time.

jasonwryan · 2013-12-17 20:35:18

No, you are just telling gummiboot where to install the relevant files.

Gummiboot is a boot manager; it just makes the process of UEFI booting simpler, removing the need to manually select entries using the shell.

You can remove the Fedora entry, if you no longer require it, with the efibootmgr utility.

You can use Grub if you want, but it is--IMO--unneeded complexity.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-12-16 20:58:18

intepreting the beginners guide on UEFI

#2 2013-12-16 21:15:27

Re: intepreting the beginners guide on UEFI

#3 2013-12-16 22:11:10

Re: intepreting the beginners guide on UEFI

#4 2013-12-17 19:10:13

Re: intepreting the beginners guide on UEFI

#5 2013-12-17 20:35:18

Re: intepreting the beginners guide on UEFI

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