Hello,

I've been on that for a week now! I am really confused (although I've learned a lot now).

I have 2 disks: the first one with the default windowsXP installation.
I added a second one to install linux, because I couldn't find a way to resize my partitions on the first disk (one NTFS, one FAT32).

I initially installed red hat 9 on the second disk, made a couple of mistakes with GRUB, fixed them, ..., and now I have 3 primary partitions on it: 100MB for /boot, 7GB for /, and 1GB for the swap.

Untill that point everything is ok.

Now I would like to install Fedora Core 5 too. After booting on the installation ISO (Hard Disk installation) it asks me if I want to upgrade from Redhat 9 or make a fresh installation. Since I want to keep RH9, I choose to make a fresh install.

I thought the solution was to create a new / partition. However I didn't find the way for that: the disk druid complains that there are two root partitions. And what if I want to install more distributions? I can't have more than 4 primaries...
So I thought I should create an extended partition, but there is no option for that in disk druid?


Please help!

For now I have upgraded to FC5 and removed RH9 using the default partitioning (using LVM, which I don't understand). But I want to know.




Brice

At work, we create multiple partitions, and assign each distro to one partition only. For example, we divide an 80G drive into multiple 8G extended partitions first (using either knoppix or manually partitioning with diskdruid and adding new partitions later). We then have each distro install grub to their root partition only, leaving the MBR alone. We install grub with a master menu to the MBR so that we can easily select each distro. All partitions use the same 1G swap partition.

Your installation method may vary considerably, depending on usage model, drive size, and number of distros you want to install at once. I'd recommend not using LVM until you get more comfortable with Linux, as trying to use a rescue disk on it can be challenging, if not futle. LVM essentially allows you to spread a logical partition across multiple drives. Very handy for expanding an existing filesystem like a server (I use it at home on mine for that very reason), but not for the new user just starting out. Kind of like giving a kid with a brand new drivers license a mac truck with ferrarri performance.

As to any Redhat based distro's, one of the biggest snags you will find is that they love to mount partitions by drive label, not physical partition information (ex: "root=LABEL-/" instead of "root=/dev/hda1"). Not a problem with one distro, but add 4 or 5, and ... you get the picture. To fix this, edit /etc/fstab and /boot/grub/menu.lst after installation. Then run tune2fs -L <newlabelname> /dev/<partition> to change the partition label (ex: tune2fs -L Fedoracore5 /dev/hda5).

As a last tip, the master partition table can only have 4 entries. One of those entries can be an extended table, similar to a subdirectory in structure. The maximum number of primary & extended partitions is 15. I think this is because most bios's still use a 16 byte partition table (I could have this information wrong).

I used to have more than one distro installed and learned something from that. It is a lot easier if you can have one /boot and share it with the distros. I have done this with Mandrake and Gentoo and it worked really well. I use grub now but it was a nightmare when I was using lilo.

Just one more little bit of info that should help.

Hi,
Here are some instructions on how I dual boot several linux distros.

My instructions are basically how I share my documents between the different distros, and some very general dual-boot instructions. Basically, I install Grub to the MBR from whichever distro I installed last (currently it is Fedora 5). If the other distros aren't automagically detected, I just add the entries to /boot/grub/menu.lst manually.

I don't know of the value of having multiple Redhat distros at the same time, since Fedora 5 is basically a (very) updated version of RH9.

I hope this helps
--Ian

From someone who does frequent multi-boot installs:

Of the replies above, GrueMaster's is the way I do it. Having 2 levels of GRUB is indeed an apparent added complexity, BUT it saves time & hassle in the long run:

If you let each newly installed distro use the MBR & any separate /boot partition, most will cheerfully trash the previous boot menu, & sometimes remove the initrd & kernel files as well. Even it you have backed these up, restoration is a PITA.

Also, most distros no longer have a simple 1 choice menu -- there are frequently 2 kernels available, a rescue option, & MEMTEST == 4 choices, typically. 4 choices times 4 distros ... you do the arithmetic, it's a complicated menu that gets presented at every boot.

Two level boot menuing is good for the same reasons sub-directories are good.

And what do you do if your latest enthusiasm still uses lilo?


With the "Master GRUB" method everybody gets to do his/her own thing in his/her own partition. It doesn't matter WHAT boot loader they use, so long as it can be put in a PBR (Partition Boot Record -- i.e. the 1st sector of the partition).

When it comes time to add to the master GRUB menu, the new stanza is as simple as:

Variation:
Saves learning how to create an independent GRUB installation on the MBR.

1. Let the 1st installed distro create a /boot partition & use the MBR.
2. When you put the 2nd distro on the box, put its boot loader into its root partition (PBR).
3. Rename the original /boot/grub/menu.lst
4. Make a new, master /boot/grub/menu.lst.
5. Point it to Distro #1 by using the GRUB "configfile" command to "chain" to the renamed original /boot/grub/menu.lst.
6. Have the new, master /boot/grub/menu.lst chainload to Distro #2 as described above.
7. Repeat 2) & 6) for any additional installs.

Hopes this helps.

True, but I suggest that you adjust some of the timeouts for GRUB - ie make the timeout for the "chained" boot loader 0, to speed up your boot time.

One reason that I hav gone with a single GRUB is that my monitor takes a while to adjust resolutions, so I don't think it can be good for it to go from text mode to frame-buffer to text-mode to frame-buffer to text-mode to X. You probably don't have this problem though.

Also, I don't have multiple entries for each distro in GRUB - just one will do. I never have any need for using failsafe modes, etc.

But, either way will actually have the same effect in the end
--Ian

Thanks guys for all the valuable information.

To answer IBall: "I don't know of the value of having multiple Redhat distros at the same time, since Fedora 5 is basically a (very) updated version of RH". It's because I am using RH9 for a project at work, and we are not sure how difficult it would be to migrate to Fedora or other. So I wanted to have RH9 on my computer to be sure that I can test my code on a platform 100% compatible with the destination one.
However I want to give a try to Fedora and test at the same time portability...

The problem is that I can't have RedHat install itself on my 2nd hard drive now!!! It's amazing! At the stage when it asks me about partitioning, it gives no option concerning the drive. It wants to format my first hard drive, nothing else. When I tell it NO it crashes and displays a bug report that I don't understand. Maybe I would eventually report it in that thread, although I am not sure it would help. RedHat is no longer supported, is it?
I tried:

• hard disk install from ISO images
  • with a boot diskette
  • from grub copying the kernel and initrd in /boot (I passed the kernel option root=/dev/hdb5, I also tried without it)
• CD install

All of them failed. Amazing!

So currently I gave up with multi-distro installation and have only FC5 on my second drive. I really think it will be compatible enough with the destination RH9 platform for the kind of code I want to develop.
However thank you all for your replies, that was really interesting.

Brice

You could probably fool RH9 into installing exactly how you want, by first partitioning your drive the way you want, then creating a kickstart file for the RH9 install that only specifies which partition to install to. You'll get prompted for the rest of the information as always, but this could save at least one headache.

If that doesn't work and you have a spare drive, install RH9 on a single drive, letting it do it's own partitioning, then add the second drive and bot with a live cd. Mount the first drive root partition, and all of it's normally mounted partitions below it, then copy all the files and directories to the root partition of the second drive. From there, you can edit the fstab file to eliminate the rest of the mount points.

HEY FRIENDS......

I have been using knoppix for past 1 year and except for some difficulties am very very satisfied with its performance so far.I am now intrested in trying some new distros like kubuntu an I have got its cd too.I have a 40G hd partioned as 30 for windows 98 (c,d) an 10 forknoppix as hda6 (storage) and hda8 (home).My windows is totally messed up so I dont use it any more just a storage space.My system is currently dual boot.Now I want to install kubuntu without loosing knoppix.Can I do that if yes how.I have 512 swap (hda7).

Plzz reply ASP...waitin ........

regards
kiran

You need to make space on your disk first. For instance, if you are going to get rid of windows, first move all documents and data to a single partition (say D, or hda5). During the Ubuntu installation process you will be prompted for the partition setting, so choose to install your root partition where windows was (hda1) and to format it. Tell the installer not to touch your other partitions. Grub should be correctly configured automatically.
Now if you want to share your home partition between the 2 distrib, I am not sure. What I do is that I have a home folder per distrib, but my documents and data are in a separate shared partition. I use the home folder only to store the configuration files.
Maybe someone else can help here.

Let me know if it is what you want to do and if it works.
No worry, Ubuntu installation is very easy, including the partitioning stage.