Lilo boot problems sdb seen as sda in debian testing

fogpipe · 09-20-2015, 07:41 PM

Im using lilo to boot slackware current on /dev/sda5 and debian testing on /dev/sda1.
Slackware on /dev/sdb5 boots fine.

Lilo is installed to the mbr of /dev/sdc.

The debian kernel, config, system.map and initrd.img files are all in /boot/debian on /dev/sda5, the slackware partition and thats where im running lilo from.

My lilo entry for debian:

Code:

image=/boot/debian/vmlinuz-4.1.0-2-amd64
    root = /dev/sda1
    label=Debian
    initrd=/boot/debian/initrd.img-4.1.0-2-amd64
        read-only
#       restricted
#       alias=1
    append="fb=false"

Which works unless my external usb drive /dev/sdb is plugged in.
If that drive is plugged in lilo or the boot process or something gets /dev/sda confused with /dev/sdb and cant find the root partition or init.

So as things stand now to boot debian i have to unplug /dev/sdb and plug it back in after boot.

I have already tried including

Code:

disk=/dev/sdb
     inaccessible

In lilo.conf so im guessing it isnt lilo.

Is there any way to make lilo or the boot process see /dev/sda1 correctly when /dev/sdb is plugged in?

colorpurple21859 · 09-20-2015, 07:51 PM

find the id of the disk with

Code:

blkid

then use

Code:

root = UUID=<disk uuid>

instead of

Code:

root = /dev/sda1

fogpipe · 09-20-2015, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colorpurple21859

find the id of the disk with

Code:

blkid

then use

Code:

root = UUID=<disk uuid>

instead of

Code:

root = /dev/sda1

That gave a syntax error with i tried to put it in root line of the lilo stanza for that kernel. What worked was including that in the append portion of the stanza. Thanks

fogpipe · 09-22-2015, 04:15 PM

Actually i think the problem was with the init system and im not the only one seeing it.

https://lists.debian.org/debian-user.../msg01366.html

Quote:

On 10/15/2014 11:53 AM, Don Armstrong wrote:

On Wed, 15 Oct 2014, Jape Person wrote:
From dmesg ...[ 4.853751] systemd-gpt-auto-generator[154]: Failed to determine partition table type of /dev/sda: Input/output error [ 4.854298] systemd[151]: /lib/systemd/system-generators/systemd-gpt-auto-generator failed with error code 1. ... and later on ... [12650.204616] systemd-gpt-auto-generator[7555]: Failed to determine partition table type of /dev/sda: Input/output error ... I looked in the BTS and couldn't even find a package named systemd-gpt-auto-generator, much less a bug that had been filed for it. I guess it's a routine or function name?
It's part of systemd; it generates rules to mount partitions from GPT partition tables without needing to express them in /etc/fstab. [See man systemd-gpt-auto-generator for details.]