[SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

amghwk · 2021-07-14 07:01:45

Before I start, I have gone through the official Arch wikis but couldn't get the answer that I am looking for.

I have installed Arch in two different partitions. One is using KDE and another is XFCE.

My main install is the KDE and have GRUB installed. This boots the XFCE Arch in another partition ( added via grub-mkconfig and os-prober).

How do I pass a kernel parameter for the XFCE installation, and in which file do I add it in the KDE setup? I don't have GRUB within the XFCE installation, since the KDE installation takes care of that and booting it.

Edit: Edited words for clarity.

Last edited by amghwk (2021-07-23 03:31:53)

seth · 2021-07-14 07:22:08

What happened to your mint installation?
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=267922

Also "One is using KDE and another is XFCE" is nonsense. You can install one system w/ multiple desktop environments.
No need to reboot if you want to switch from KDE to xfce. And the DE(s) you installed is completely irrelevant to your question at hand.
Except of course, if somebody's just trying to be extra smart…

The answer I gave you in the other thread still holds, though.

amghwk · 2021-07-14 13:00:38

I needed to install Arch in another system just to ask this question. I thought that was a common Linux question but it got deleted.

Anyway, so I just add the parameter in /etc/default/grub in XFCE installation?

seth · 2021-07-14 13:06:38

In the installation that you use to control the bootloader.

progandy · 2021-07-14 13:35:37

I needed to install Arch in another system just to ask this question. I thought that was a common Linux question but it got deleted.

You used the grub installation from mint, we had no idea what exactly mint is using as "os-prober" and how it is configured. That is why you found no help in this forum. You should have asked in a mint support channel.

Since you use grub/os-prober of an arch installation now, that is a different case.
The os-prober used by arch linux parses configuration options from the final grub, grub2 and lilo config files found on the tested partition. The first file found will be used. If that doesn't work it just boots without special parameters.

$part/boot/grub/grub.cfg (grub2)
$part/boot/grub2/grub.cfg (grub2)
$part/boot/grub/menu.lst (grub1)
$part/boot/grub/grub.conf (grub1)
$part/etc/lilo.conf (lilo)

You can also disable the os-prober and manually create the menu entries in the booting grub installation /boot/grub/custom.cfg

Last edited by progandy (2021-07-14 13:47:13)

seth · 2021-07-14 13:51:03

Look at the other thread, he just wants to add "nvidia-drm.modeset=1".

amghwk · 2021-07-15 08:54:31

Thank you for the help.

In the second Arch XFCE,I needed to install grub package, edit the /etc/default/grub to place the kernel parameter, run grub-mkconfig to generate the /boot/grub/grub.cfg.

Then I booted into my main KDE installation and run grub-mkconfig again. This made the change in KDE's grub so that it boots XFCE's version with the kernel parameter included.

If I added the parameter in the booting KDE install, it didn't pass the parameter to XFCE's installation.

Now confirmed with cat /proc/cmdline.

I'll mark this as solved.

Last edited by amghwk (2021-07-23 03:32:17)

seth · 2021-07-15 13:20:02

change in KDE's grub

You're aware that the idea of a bootloader is not to have one per installed OS?

progandy · 2021-07-15 13:49:41

seth wrote:

change in KDE's grub
You're aware that the idea of a bootloader is not to have one per installed OS?

If you use grub as your bootloader you have 5 options to create entries for additional linux installations:

Do not use grub-mkconfig at all and do everything manually
Use grub-mkconfig and manually define the entries in custom.cfg or 40_custom
Use grub-mkconfig and write your own grub.d script to generate the entries for the second system.
Use grub-mkconfig with os-prober and live without any kernel parameters. (os-prober entires ignore any kernel parameters set in /etc/default/grub)
Use grub-mkconfig with os-prober and let it parse the kernel parameters from bootloader configuration on the second system.

For 5. you can either manually create one of the config files or generate it using the tooling from the bootloader the file is originally meant for.

amghwk · 2021-07-16 13:08:44

Correct, I didn't install grub (bootloader) for the second Arch (XFCE) installation partition - just the grub package to generate the grub and grub.cfg files. I added the kernel parameter in /etc/default/grub here in XFCE, and generated the grub.cfg via grub-mkconfig -o command.

Arch KDE then parsed the kernel parameter I added in XFCE into it's own boot routine, and finally it boots the XFCE version with the kernel parameter.

Booted into XFCE, done the things in the first paragraph written and then booted into KDE installation and proceeded with the second line above.

(Or that's how I understand to put them into words.)

Last edited by amghwk (2021-07-16 13:12:57)

seth · 2021-07-16 13:57:24

Don't manage the bootloader from different OS.
You don't have to - if you do, there're two bootloders.
Configure it propery on one OS and have that manage all others.

Arch Linux

#1 2021-07-14 07:01:45

[SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#2 2021-07-14 07:22:08

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#3 2021-07-14 13:00:38

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#4 2021-07-14 13:06:38

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#5 2021-07-14 13:35:37

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#6 2021-07-14 13:51:03

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#7 2021-07-15 08:54:31

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#8 2021-07-15 13:20:02

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#9 2021-07-15 13:49:41

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#10 2021-07-16 13:08:44

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

#11 2021-07-16 13:57:24

Re: [SOLVED] Adding kernel parameter for another/second OS installation?

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