linux on second HD

dataport · 01-22-2004, 09:16 PM

hi all, does my second HD have to be a master HD or can it be a slave drive?

michaelk · 01-22-2004, 09:19 PM

Doesn't matter. Just make sure the jumpers are set correctly.

fyoder · 01-23-2004, 12:28 AM

If you're doing dual boot with windows it's probably easiest if windows is on the master and linux on the slave. Other way around and you may have to create a rather messy lilo.conf entry like

other=/dev/hdb1
label=windows
table=/dev/hdb
map-drive = 0x80
to = 0x81
map-drive = 0x81
to = 0x80

to get it to work. It works for me with win98, YMMV, but the map drive stuff wouldn't be necessary if windows was on the master drive.

GraemeK · 01-23-2004, 06:31 AM

if i was to install linux on a second hdd set as slave woul linux still replace the MBR on the master hdd? i guess it would.....

G

fyoder · 01-23-2004, 06:53 AM

"if i was to install linux on a second hdd set as slave woul linux still replace the MBR on the master hdd?"

Probably, though lilo has a lot of options, and if you're installing a distro with its own install routine (most often the case unless you're building Linux From Scratch or something), part of that routine may be to ask you where you want the bootloader installed. This will vary by distribution. I vaguely recall slackware once offering some options and warning that installing on the mbr was 'possibly dangerous'.

GraemeK · 01-23-2004, 08:17 AM

i see...

well i'll install linux on hdb (second hdd) and install the bootloader on hda on the MBR.
i'll take the chance... surely you can only have one bootloader anyways? or at least a way to access more than one.

G

fyoder · 01-23-2004, 08:34 AM

"surely you can only have one bootloader anyways?"

IIRC, I think you could put a boot loader on a floppy. If the floppy was before the hard drive in boot order it would be used. Vague recollection of reading an article about putting grub on a floppy. Apparently it can be quite a powerful tool on its own, more flexible in many ways than lilo. It's syntax would take a little getting used to though.