GRUB to boot ISOs? Multi-OS CD project.

4Sixteen · 04-18-2009, 08:42 AM

Hello everybody.

I have in mind putting together a CD with multiple OS'es.
I'd like to use GRUB to allow me to choose what to load.
I have an idea on how to make a GRUB-driven ISO, I've searched on the topic before I decided to come here for direct help.

On this very forum, I found an old topic, and the solution at that time was slamming together all distros on a CD, renaming the kernels when needed. I don't wish going that way.

Can't GRUB boot a given ISO image?
Or better, be able to "emulate" the root directory for the distro?
I've tried test-booting a LiveCD's contents from a hard drive folder with GRUB, the error was that the root filesystem couldn't be found.

I'm by no means a Linux expert, so please include as much detail as you like, I have much to learn. I don't even know what GRUB version I have, for instance.

Thank you in advance.

-416

vibinlakshman · 04-18-2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Sixteen

Hello everybody.

I have in mind putting together a CD with multiple OS'es.
I'd like to use GRUB to allow me to choose what to load.
I have an idea on how to make a GRUB-driven ISO, I've searched on the topic before I decided to come here for direct help.

On this very forum, I found an old topic, and the solution at that time was slamming together all distros on a CD, renaming the kernels when needed. I don't wish going that way.

Can't GRUB boot a given ISO image?
Or better, be able to "emulate" the root directory for the distro?
I've tried test-booting a LiveCD's contents from a hard drive folder with GRUB, the error was that the root filesystem couldn't be found.

I'm by no means a Linux expert, so please include as much detail as you like, I have much to learn. I don't even know what GRUB version I have, for instance.

Thank you in advance.

-416

"grub-install -v "gives u grub version , but this info is not that much useful .. root filesys is making u problem right .. !! Dont worry solutions can be made

4Sixteen · 04-18-2009, 12:50 PM

Version 0.97.
I will be awaiting further replies, thanks again.

4Sixteen · 04-19-2009, 07:39 AM

Bump! Anyone got any ideas?

linus72 · 04-19-2009, 07:52 AM

Bump-

multicd-4.6.sh
( http://multicd.tuxfamily.org/ )

I am a growing multidostro magi am i.
check out my DSL-Qemu with persistent VHD save below..

You can also put multi distro's on USB-need help-ask.

4Sixteen · 04-19-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by linus72

Bump-

multicd-4.6.sh
( http://multicd.tuxfamily.org/ )

I am a growing multidostro magi am i.
check out my DSL-Qemu with persistent VHD save below..

You can also put multi distro's on USB-need help-ask.

Thanks.
"I'll be back."

4Sixteen · 04-29-2009, 04:20 AM

First of all, I apologize for the bump.

Secondly, I'd like to thank Linus72 for his script. It helped me realize that GRUB wasn't the answer to my problems, but ISOLINUX was.
GRUB is a great piece of software, but you still need to use some of ISOLINUX's components if you'd want to put, for example, a 1.44 MB bootable floppy image on your CD.

With this occasion, I have also learned a bit about LiveCD's.

Here's my experience summed up:

I wanted to put Insert Linux somewhere other than the root.
To accomplish this, I had to look into its miniroot.lz (LZMA archive).
I mounted the miniroot file after I extracted it, and made changes to the linuxrc file. Here I discovered that Insert Linux can accept insert_dir and insert_name from boot parameters, but I didn't test it.

I just wanted to share this; everybody who wants to create their own multi OS DVD or CD should first get SYSLINUX, a big package which containts ISOLINUX, then if they want to have a clean root directory on the media, they must alter the miniroot files.

Regards,
- 416