LILO Misbegaving

Ranamon · 06-23-2015, 04:59 PM

Here is the lilo.conf I'm using:

Code:

append=" vt.default_utf8=0"
boot = /dev/sda
default = "KitsuNix"

  bitmap = /boot/kitsunix-boot-255.bmp
  bmp-colors = 254,101,,,,

  bmp-table = 476p,224p,1,15,17

  bmp-timer = 476p,361p,254,101

prompt
timeout = 300

# Override dangerous defaults that rewrite the partition table:

change-rules
  reset

vga = normal

# Linux bootable partitions

image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/sda5
  label = "KitsuNix"
  read-only
  
#  -----------------------------------------

image = /boot/crux/vmlinuz-crux
  root = /dev/sda7
  label = "CRUX"
  read-only

Then this happens (attachment). LILO had CRUX as the default on the boot menu, however, when you select it, it boots KitsuNix. If you want CRUX, you have to select "KitsuNix". The boot menu operates backwards.

Otherwise, everything works: KitsuNix and CRUX both boot normally. Is this some LILO wierdness where "default" actually means the opposite of what seems normal?

rtmistler · 06-24-2015, 06:50 AM

For lack of anything better to offer, I'd say stick with these oddities and don't fuss over them because LILO is so old and you're fortunate to just have it working. I do not believe this would be extensible if you were on a 64-bit system, but I don't really know. My thinking is that if you run up against a blocking problem related to your bootloader, then I'd switch to grub2.

dijetlo · 06-24-2015, 07:41 AM

Try taking the quotation marks out of the label, the label is interpreted as a string, you only need quotation marks if your making the name more than one word long.
It also seems like a work around for this would be to swap the root partitions regardless of whether their correct or not or conversely, you could switch the labels (or simply rename them "This one" and "That one" ). While I agree with rmistler that lilo is old, it works fine on 64bit systems (it's a boot loader, it just sits there and points).

Ranamon · 06-24-2015, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dijetlo

Try taking the quotation marks out of the label, the label is interpreted as a string, you only need quotation marks if your making the name more than one word long.
It also seems like a work around for this would be to swap the root partitions regardless of whether their correct or not or conversely, you could switch the labels (or simply rename them "This one" and "That one" ). While I agree with rmistler that lilo is old, it works fine on 64bit systems (it's a boot loader, it just sits there and points).

I added the quote marks to try to solve this problem, and it changed nothing. The next thing I'll try is to reverse the order in the lilo.conf. If that doesn't work, oh well... This behaviour just seems so odd.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtmistler

For lack of anything better to offer, I'd say stick with these oddities and don't fuss over them because LILO is so old and you're fortunate to just have it working. I do not believe this would be extensible if you were on a 64-bit system, but I don't really know. My thinking is that if you run up against a blocking problem related to your bootloader, then I'd switch to grub2.

It is a 64 bit system indeed, and I have never had a problem with LILO before this oddity showed up that seems to defy everything I ever thought I knew about LILO. The distro marked "default" isn't shown as the default on the menu even though it is.

ondoho · 06-25-2015, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtmistler

LILO is so old and you're fortunate to just have it working.

i care to disagree.
lilo is still under development:
https://alioth.debian.org/forum/forum.php?forum_id=2976
and i think that for certain usage scenarios it's a much better solution than grub.

that said, i think i'd rather use syslinux in such scenarios.