Arch Linux

jbodhorn

Member

Registered: 2015-12-11

Posts: 130

dual boot arch linux/win10, install 2nd copy of arch to blank space

I'm currently dual booting arch linux and win 10, recently upgraded my laptop's ssd. After copying my old ssd to the new ssd and resizing some of the partitions; windows root, arch root, and arch home partitions to make them a bit bigger, I still have like 150gb ish of unallocated space on the new ssd.

I'd like to use that unallocated space to start another arch install while keeping my current windows 10 and arch installs intact and bootable until the 2nd arch install(2nd arch install being a third os along side current arch install and windows 10) is complete (if ever...)to satisfaction.

when I was installing the 2nd arch install's kernel and went to add it to the bootloader how would I make sure systemd-boot knows the difference between the two installs of arch and are both selectable at the boot menu? A week or two ago I had started a second arch install from the current arch install instead of from a boot disk. I got as far as setting up the bootloader and wasn't sure how to make sure systemd-boot shows 2 seperate arch installs alongside win 10. I gave up out of fear of breaking stuff

Since I didn't trust my actions I reverted my 2nd install of arch back to unallocated space at the end of my ssd, nothing was permanently changed since as soon as I saw the bootloader I was lost. Once I got to the bootloader setup of the 2nd arch install I realized I had no idea how to differentiate between the 2 separate installs of arch for the bootloader. I'd be grateful if someone could at least tell me what I should be reading to learn this... Eventually I'd like to get the 2nd arch install to a fully functioning desktop(been running gnome and it's what I plan to stay with) so I can delete the current arch install(the one I'm booted from atm) and use that space once again to install a 2nd linux(third OS) install on this ssd

Awebb

Member

Registered: 2010-05-06

Posts: 6,688

Re: dual boot arch linux/win10, install 2nd copy of arch to blank space

I asked google "systemd-boot multiple distributions" and it spit out https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=225920. The page hook Trilby supplied doesn't exist anymore, but there is https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sy … ng_loaders.

I'd pick one Arch instance to mage them all and from there it's just adding conf files for everything you're going to boot.

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,381

Re: dual boot arch linux/win10, install 2nd copy of arch to blank space

One thing that's a bit special here if you are going to use systemd-boot you should ensure that you either manually define another kernel preset name for the generation of the vmlinuz and initramfs images, or mount a distinct directory of your ESP to the respective /boots so that the kernel images do not overwrite each other.

jbodhorn

Member

Registered: 2015-12-11

Posts: 130

Re: dual boot arch linux/win10, install 2nd copy of arch to blank space

One thing that's a bit special here if you are going to use systemd-boot you should ensure that you either manually define another kernel preset name for the generation of the vmlinuz and initramfs images, or mount a distinct directory of your ESP to the respective /boots so that the kernel images do not overwrite each other.

Is it as simple as changing mkinitcpio -p linux to mkinitcpio -p anythingbutlinuxhere? I thought I remembered  having to define the kernel location and name with systemd-boot. My issue if I remember correctly was both kernels being named exactly the same, I didn't see a place to point to the location of the kernel specifically.

Would I make additional config files(in their own folders as I did for the original arch install) for systemd-boot to have both arch installs show on the boot menu or do I add to my existing systemd-boot configs for my current arch install?

Or should I just switch to grub 2, I believe the issues it had back then have long been resolved!?

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,381

Re: dual boot arch linux/win10, install 2nd copy of arch to blank space

It isn't that straight forward, when a relevant mkinitcpio hook for a kernel is first ran it will generate a preset file you'll have to adjust the content of said prefix file to use distinct names for the kernels .

You'd "add" to your existing configs (you'll have one entry file per systemd-boot entry anyway, where you just refer to the different folder paths for the kernel images) and you mount the actual EFI partition somewhere and then bind mount the correct folder to /boot

I'd say using GRUB is simpler here as you don't need to care about the ESP partition (safe for installing/configuring GRUB on it) and GRUB can identify kernel images even if they are on linux file systems.

Last edited by V1del (2020-05-15 10:57:43)