Arch Linux

TiborB

Member

Registered: 2008-12-09

Posts: 103

dualboot 32bit&64bit and common boot partition

Hi,

I am considering installing 64bit system alongside to 32bit (both arch linux), but it seems that the result would be files conflicts in common /boot partition - f.e. /boot/vmlinuz-linux, /boot/initramfs-linux.img.

My idea is to use file linux.preset to avoid this - I would change the one in current 32bit sytem to this:

# mkinitcpio preset file for the 'linux' package

ALL_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf"
ALL_kver="/boot/vmlinuz-linux-32bit"

PRESETS=('default' 'fallback')

#default_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf"
default_image="/boot/initramfs-linux-32bit.img"
#default_options=""

#fallback_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf"
fallback_image="/boot/initramfs-linux-32bit-fallback.img"
fallback_options="-S autodetect"

recreate the kernel, recreate grub.cfg and could go on with installation of 64bit.

Is this the possible solution?

mrunion

Member

From: Jonesborough, TN

Registered: 2007-01-26

Posts: 1,938

Website

Re: dualboot 32bit&64bit and common boot partition

Just out of curiosity, why would you want both a 32-bit and 64-bit dual boot of the same distro? It also seems like your pacman database would get real funky real quick!

---

Matt

"It is very difficult to educate the educated."

djgera

Developer

From: Buenos Aires - Argentina

Registered: 2008-12-24

Posts: 723

Website

Re: dualboot 32bit&64bit and common boot partition

Use a bind mount, for example.

In the filesystem from "boot" partition create dirs like "arch32" and "arch64"
In fstab per archNN mount /boot on /real-boot then bind mount /real-boot/archNN on /boot
In syslinux/syslinux.cfg just reference each kernel/initramfs with the real path ../archNN/vmlinuz-linux (I assume that syslinux is installed on "syslinux" directory in the filesystem of "boot" partition.

In this way, pacman is happy with the linux package and there is no need to rename files on each upgrade.

I guess the same thing can be done with grub, but I do not know, how these automated grub scripts works, if some checks are done when autogenerated "grub.cfg" is done.

TiborB

Member

Registered: 2008-12-09

Posts: 103

Re: dualboot 32bit&64bit and common boot partition

Just out of curiosity, why would you want both a 32-bit and 64-bit dual boot of the same distro? It also seems like your pacman database would get real funky real quick!

I am switching from 32bit to 64bit (on new partition, of course) but for some transition period I want to have both systems functional...

TiborB

Member

Registered: 2008-12-09

Posts: 103

Re: dualboot 32bit&64bit and common boot partition

Use a bind mount, for example.

In the filesystem from "boot" partition create dirs like "arch32" and "arch64"
In fstab per archNN mount /boot on /real-boot then bind mount /real-boot/archNN on /boot
In syslinux/syslinux.cfg just reference each kernel/initramfs with the real path ../archNN/vmlinuz-linux (I assume that syslinux is installed on "syslinux" directory in the filesystem of "boot" partition.

In this way, pacman is happy with the linux package and there is no need to rename files on each upgrade.

I guess the same thing can be done with grub, but I do not know, how these automated grub scripts works, if some checks are done when autogenerated "grub.cfg" is done.

I have a grub, and it doesnot seem very straightforward to me... But there is a chance that my pae kernel will still be functional.....

Anyway I am going to try the solution I presented above...