[SOLVED] Lilo install mbr to other disk as root disk.

whizje · 06-04-2012, 04:08 AM

Is it possible to install lilo to the mbr of /dev/sdc my bootdrive and specify /dev/sde as root. Because I can't boot directly from /dev/sde.
Specifying /dev/sdc as boot and /dev/sde as root in lilo.conf seems to install ok but doesn't work. Lilo oopses with L 010101 etc.

Code:

 LILO configuration file
# generated by 'liloconfig'
#
# Start LILO global section
# Append any additional kernel parameters:
append="raid=noautodetect vt.default_utf8=1"
boot = /dev/sdc

  bitmap = /boot/slack.bmp
  bmp-colors = 255,0,255,0,255,0
  bmp-table = 60,6,1,16
  bmp-timer = 65,27,0,255
prompt
timeout = 1200
change-rules
  reset
vga = normal
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sde2
  label = Linux
  read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends

Code:

bash-4.2# lilo -t -v3
LILO version 23.2 (test mode)
  * Copyright (C) 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger  (until v20)
  * Copyright (C) 1999-2007 John Coffman  (until v22)
  * Copyright (C) 2009-2011 Joachim Wiedorn  (since v23)
This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. This is free software 
distributed under the BSD License (3-clause). Details can be found in 
the file COPYING, which is distributed with this software.
Compiled at 19:24:22 on Aug 11 2011
Running Linux kernel 3.2.13 on x86_64

Warning: LBA32 addressing assumed
device-mapper major = 253
raid_setup returns offset = 00000000  ndisk = 0
 BIOS   VolumeID   Device
Reading boot sector from /dev/sdc
pf_hard_disk_scan: ndevs=5
  0800  5C237869  /dev/sda
  0810  01F3A422  /dev/sdb
  0820  EE109927  /dev/sdc
  0830  088E6203  /dev/sdd
  0840  43A5EC73  /dev/sde
Resolve invalid VolumeIDs
Resolve duplicate VolumeIDs
  0800  5C237869  /dev/sda
  0810  01F3A422  /dev/sdb
  0820  EE109927  /dev/sdc
  0830  088E6203  /dev/sdd
  0840  43A5EC73  /dev/sde
device codes (user assigned pf) = 0
device codes (user assigned) = 0
device codes (BIOS assigned) = F
Filling in '/dev/sde' = 0x84
device codes (canonical) = 1F
Device 0x0820: BIOS drive 0x80, 255 heads, 46593 cylinders,
               63 sectors. Partition offset: 0 sectors.
Using Volume ID EE109927 on bios 80
Device 0x0842: BIOS drive 0x84, 255 heads, 9726 cylinders,
               63 sectors. Partition offset: 8390656 sectors.
Using Volume ID 43A5EC73 on bios 84
mode = 0x03,  columns = 80,  rows = 25,  page = 0
Using BITMAP secondary loader
Calling map_insert_data
Secondary loader: 19 sectors (0x3800 dataend).
Warning: The boot sector and map file are on different disks.
bios_boot = 0x80  bios_map = 0x84  map==boot = 0  map S/N: 43A5EC73
Mapping bitmap file /boot/slack.bmp
Device 0x0842: BIOS drive 0x84, 255 heads, 9726 cylinders,
               63 sectors. Partition offset: 8390656 sectors.
Using Volume ID 43A5EC73 on bios 84
width=640 height=480 planes=1 bits/plane=8
Calling map_insert_file
Bitmap: 31 sectors.
BIOS data check was okay on the last boot
image_menu_space = 16

Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-huge-3.2.13
Device 0x0842: BIOS drive 0x84, 255 heads, 9726 cylinders,
               63 sectors. Partition offset: 8390656 sectors.
Using Volume ID 43A5EC73 on bios 84
Setup length is 32 sectors.
Mapped 12256 sectors.
Added Linux  *
    <dev=0xe4,hd=253,cyl=200,sct=123>
    "ro root=842 raid=noautodetect vt.default_utf8=1"

 BIOS   VolumeID   Device
  80    EE109927    0820
  81    5C237869    0800
  82    01F3A422    0810
  83    088E6203    0830
  84    43A5EC73    0840
The boot sector and the map file have *NOT* been altered.
2 warnings were issued.

pan64 · 06-05-2012, 01:06 PM

I think you mixed two things: the MBR is the first thing loaded from the disk, it comes before any OS, any filesystem. It is generally located on the first disk. Putting it onto another disk has no any meaning. (when you say the OS is located on sde or whatever it means the MBR will direct the boot process to continue loading the OS from that partition). So moving MBR has no meaning, but maybe you can explain what is on sde and why it cannot boot (probably MBR cannot handle it?)

whizje · 06-06-2012, 03:47 AM

Sde is the fifth disk with my root partition on sde2 the pc can only boot the first four drives. Momentarely the pc boots from the third disk hdc. Installing a temporaly system on hdc2 with the same kernel enables the system to boot from hde2, but specifying the kernel by mounting it on /mnt and in lilo.conf setting image=/mnt/boot/vmlinuz fails. Also other = /dev/hde2 and installing the mbr in the root partition sde2 fails. I would like to be able to run lilo from sde2 without to be depended of changing settings on other drives. Except setting up a initial bootloader/menu.

whizje · 06-07-2012, 08:16 AM

I have created a bootpartition on /dev/sdc2 that solves the problem, everybody thanks for thinking along.