Lilo and multiple Linux's
John Robinson
few problems with Lilo.
My hard disk contains:
one partition for Windows - hda1
one partition for Suse 7.3 Proffesional Linux root ( / )-hda2
one partition for Debian 2.2r3 root ( / )-hda3
one swap partition for the Linux's -hda4
Before I installed Suse into hda2 Debian seemed to be working fine with
Lilo installed in the mbr (I think). However after installing suse I now
get the normal Suse menu on startup but that did not know anything about
my debian partition. I changed lilo.conf and added (to the bottom)
root = /hda3
boot =/vmlinuz
label =debian
however this does not work at all. Lilo does not like it when I do
/sbin/lilo. I tried copying vmlinuz from Debian to / in the Suse partition
and then ran /sbin/lilo again. This time it worked but when I select the
debian entry from the menu I get a kernel panic after a few seconds of
loading.
If anyone can help me with this I will be very grateful.
I am pretty sure that there are no hardware problems involved but if you
do need any info then please ask.
Many thanks
John
John Kenyon
"John Robinson" <jo...@spiffy.ox.compsoc.net> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.33.02041...@spiffy.ox.compsoc.net...
For starters you should be using
root=/dev/hdaX
replacing X with the respective partition.
I know this isn't particularly helpful, but you'll probably still have
problems,
as you are effectively trying to tie up the booting of three basically
identical
operating systems.
How about having a "cascaded" lilo boot.
Within each version of Linux install lilo to the boot sector of the root
partition.
Install LILO AGAIN on the mbr of /dev/hda
using entries similar to
boot=/dev/hda
prompt
timeout = 100
delay = 100
vga = normal
# Windoze
other = /dev/hda1
label = Windows
table = /dev/hda
# SuSE
other = /dev/hda2
label = Suse
table = /dev/hda
# Debian
other = /dev/hda3
label = Debian
table = /dev/hda
This _should_ give the following at boot time
BIOS boots MBR
User selects Windows/Debian/SuSE from LILO prompt (run from MBR)
LILO on the MBR then boots selected partition
For Debian/SuSE you get a second LILO prompt (run from boot sector).
If that works, you shouldn't have to touch the MBR unless you remove
Windows/
Debian or SuSE.
Whenever you recompile the kernel for Debian, you run lilo from Debian to
modify the
boot sector on the Debian partition. Same goes for SuSE.
Hope this makes sense. If it doesn't read the LILO user manual again, then
read this
message agains :)
/john
Tim Haynes
> My hard disk contains:
> one partition for Windows - hda1
> one partition for Suse 7.3 Proffesional Linux root ( / )-hda2
> one partition for Debian 2.2r3 root ( / )-hda3
> one swap partition for the Linux's -hda4
[snip]
> I changed lilo.conf and added (to the bottom)
>
> root = /hda3
> boot =/vmlinuz
> label =debian
>
>
> however this does not work at all. Lilo does not like it when I do
> /sbin/lilo.
It won't. You're supposed to use image= to start a new image, just like
lilo.conf does already.
First things first, I recommend you create a /mnt/debian on suse and a
/mnt/suse on debian.
Next, choose one distro partition to regard as your base, from where you'll
run lilo. Make the image with this partition as its root= your default in
lilo.
Mount the other partition as /mnt/{debian,suse} accordingly.
Clone an image= paragraph, give it a different root= and make it use
/mnt/{debian,suse}/boot/vmlinuz-something, and label it {debian,suse} as
the case might be.
Run lilo.
If you want, you can copy the lilo.conf over into the other distro; if
you're likely to run lilo from the other distro, it's pretty much
essential.
The other thing you could do is build your own distro-independent kernel,
and/or keep /boot/ a separate shared partition that both distros mount, and
maybe move one central lilo.conf into it with symlinks into /etc/.
~Tim
--
River of millions flow downstream |pig...@stirfried.vegetable.org.uk
A golden highway to the sea of dreams |http://spodzone.org.uk/
John Robinson
> John Robinson <jo...@spiffy.ox.compsoc.net> writes:
>
> > My hard disk contains:
> > one partition for Windows - hda1
> > one partition for Suse 7.3 Proffesional Linux root ( / )-hda2
> > one partition for Debian 2.2r3 root ( / )-hda3
> > one swap partition for the Linux's -hda4
> [snip]
> > I changed lilo.conf and added (to the bottom)
> >
> > root = /hda3
> > boot =/vmlinuz
> > label =debian
> >
> >
> > however this does not work at all. Lilo does not like it when I do
> > /sbin/lilo.
>
> It won't. You're supposed to use image= to start a new image, just like
> lilo.conf does already.
Doh! That will teach me to type these things from memory (the machine
that I am posting from is not the one with the problem).
> First things first, I recommend you create a /mnt/debian on suse and a
> /mnt/suse on debian.
>
> Next, choose one distro partition to regard as your base, from where you'll
> run lilo. Make the image with this partition as its root= your default in
> lilo.
> Mount the other partition as /mnt/{debian,suse} accordingly.
> Clone an image= paragraph, give it a different root= and make it use
> /mnt/{debian,suse}/boot/vmlinuz-something, and label it {debian,suse} as
> the case might be.
> Run lilo.
This worked a treat. it is now exactly as I want it. I turn the machine on
and get the Suse version of lilo asking me what I would like to boot. I
then select either debian or Suse and it then boots that Distro.
Thanks to everyone who replied. Is there anything you people don't know?
John
Tim Haynes
[snip]
> > Next, choose one distro partition to regard as your base, from where you'll
> > run lilo. Make the image with this partition as its root= your default in
> > lilo.
> > Mount the other partition as /mnt/{debian,suse} accordingly.
> > Clone an image= paragraph, give it a different root= and make it use
> > /mnt/{debian,suse}/boot/vmlinuz-something, and label it {debian,suse} as
> > the case might be.
> > Run lilo.
>
> This worked a treat. it is now exactly as I want it. I turn the machine
> on and get the Suse version of lilo asking me what I would like to boot.
> I then select either debian or Suse and it then boots that Distro.
Glad to hear it :8)
> Thanks to everyone who replied. Is there anything you people don't know?
We aim to please ;8)
~Tim
--
But mountains are holy places, |pig...@stirfried.vegetable.org.uk
And beauty is free / We can still walk |http://spodzone.org.uk/
Through the garden |
Our earth was once green |