[SOLVED] dual boot with lilo on btrfs

trumpet_tom · 05-29-2010, 02:26 PM

Hi, I just did a fresh install of slack 13.1 on a separate drive to the one I was previously using. I've been having trouble getting lilo to work, so that I can choose between either drive. Lilo is currently installed to /dev/sda, with the old system on /dev/sda1 and the new installation on /dev/sdb1. I keep getting errors like these:

Code:

Fatal: Trying to map files from unnamed device 0x0011 (NFS/RAID mirror down ?)

I managed to install lilo from the old system by copying the kernel image from the new system into the /boot/ directory and running lilo. I am now on the new system and trying the same thing in reverse but it isn't working.

I have searched around a bit and there's a lot of talk of chroot-ing into the other partition to run lilo. I don't understand why the process isn't working both ways though. I can't run lilo on my new installation even with the two kernel images in the local /boot/ folder. Is this something to do with btrfs or am I missing something to do with lilo?

This is my lilo.conf file. I am trying to run lilo using this file from my new installation on /dev/sdb1 and getting the error given above.

Code:

# LILO configuration file

append=" vt.default_utf8=1"
boot = /dev/sda
compact


  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 = 20

change-rules
  reset

vga = normal

lba32

image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.34-rc5
  root = /dev/sda1
  label = Slackware64
#  append = "quiet"
  read-only

image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.34
  root = /dev/sdb1
  label = SSD
  read-only

Many thanks in advance for your help.
Tom

jtarin · 05-29-2010, 07:11 PM

Post your results from the command

Quote:

fdisk -l

and

Quote:

fdisk -ul /dev/sdb

trumpet_tom · 05-30-2010, 06:12 AM

Thanks for your reply.

Code:

root@darkstar:/home/tom# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 164.7 GB, 164696555520 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 20023 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00002eb7

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1        9981    80172351   83  Linux
/dev/sda2            9982       13628    29294527+  83  Linux
/dev/sda3           19893       20023     1052257+  82  Linux swap
/dev/sda4           13629       19892    50315580   83  Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 32.0 GB, 32017047552 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3892 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7ffb5d5f

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1               1        3892    31262458+  83  Linux

Code:

root@darkstar:/home/tom# fdisk -ul /dev/sdb 

Disk /dev/sdb: 32.0 GB, 32017047552 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 3892 cylinders, total 62533296 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7ffb5d5f

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1              63    62524979    31262458+  83  Linux

jtarin · 05-30-2010, 04:43 PM

By default, Lilo assumes that IDE drives are mapped first by the BIOS,
but this can be overridden by using instructions like these in
/etc/lilo.conf:

i

Quote:

mage = /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.34-rc5
root = /dev/sda1
label = Slackware64
bios = 0x80

Check your bios mapping for your disk.

trumpet_tom · 05-31-2010, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtarin

Check your bios mapping for your disk.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by this. The drives are both SATA, /dev/sda is the first channel, /dev/sdb is the second. They're in this order in the bios too. Where do I get these numbers from, or was the one in your example the right one?

Gavin Harper · 05-31-2010, 07:32 AM

Your Lilo conf maps to sdA1

Your fdsk = sdB1

Change the /etC/lilo.conf

trumpet_tom · 05-31-2010, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gavin Harper

Your Lilo conf maps to sdA1

Your fdsk = sdB1

Change the /etC/lilo.conf

I have a partition I want to be able to boot on /dev/sda1 and /dev/sdb1. I want lilo to be installed to the MBR of the first drive, /dev/sda. Doesn't my current configuration match that?

allend · 05-31-2010, 08:53 AM

To run lilo from your new installation on /dev/sdb1, you will need to have the old installation mounted in your new installation e.g. 'mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/tmp'
Then 'lilo -r /mnt/tmp' should work.
Note that this command causes lilo to do a 'chroot' to the installation on /dev/sda1, so the lilo.conf in /etc on /dev/sda1 will be used.

Drakeo · 05-31-2010, 09:05 AM

this is a way i have been doing it for years (but like jtarin said it could be over ridden at boot to look for a MBR on anonther drive)

on your main operating system sda1 you will create the folder /mnt/sdb1

Now we will edit are /etc/fstab to look like this.

Quote:

/dev/sdb1 /mnt/sdb1 ext3 defaults 1 2

if using ext4 or any other ext change ext3 to what ever. yours is /etc/lilo.conf will have a second entry will look like this.

Quote:

image=/mnt/sdb1/boot/vmlinuz
label="Slackware"
root=/dev/sdb1
read-only

I do this so I do not have all the kernels in the local /boot/ folder.
lilo has to be run from host system sda1 if lilo is on sda mbr.

trumpet_tom · 05-31-2010, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allend

To run lilo from your new installation on /dev/sdb1, you will need to have the old installation mounted in your new installation e.g. 'mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/tmp'
Then 'lilo -r /mnt/tmp' should work.
Note that this command causes lilo to do a 'chroot' to the installation on /dev/sda1, so the lilo.conf in /etc on /dev/sda1 will be used.

At the moment I'm on my /dev/sda1 partition but if I want to install lilo from the other installation I'll use the chroot method. I didn't realise that it was a problem to run lilo from /dev/sdb if I wanted to install to the MBR of /dev/sda. This explains one thing, thanks.

However, I still can't run lilo if my images are like this

Code:

image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.34-rc5
  root = /dev/sda1
  label = Slackware64
#  append = "quiet"
  read-only

image = /mnt/hd/boot/vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.33.4-smp
  root = /dev/sdb1
  label = SSD
  read-only

This is with /dev/sdb1 mounted on /mnt/hd, with an entry in fstab just like the one you suggested Drakeo.

I get

Code:

root@darkstar:/home/tom# lilo
/proc/misc: No entry for device-mapper found
Is device-mapper driver missing from kernel?
Failure to communicate with kernel device-mapper driver.
Added Slackware64 *
Fatal: Trying to map files from unnamed device 0x000e (NFS/RAID mirror down ?)

This is the bit I still don't get! Surely this should work! Is this possibly related to my quite stripped down kernel, and/or the fact I'm using btrfs? I haven't got any of the "multiple devices" section of the kernel compiled in. Is this required?

Thanks, Tom

allend · 05-31-2010, 09:28 AM

What happens when you have a copy of vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.33.4-smp in the boot of /dev/sda1 and change to 'image = /boot/vmlinuz-huge-smp-2.6.33.4-smp' in lilo.conf in /etc of /dev/sda1?
If this causes an error, then I suspect that the problem is occurring outside lilo.

trumpet_tom · 05-31-2010, 09:32 AM

It works absolutely fine like that.

trumpet_tom · 06-08-2010, 08:13 AM

Right, I have just put my SSD in my new eee 1005ha. There is only one installation on /dev/sda1 and I'm trying to install lilo to /dev/sda (the only disk in the system). Even so I get the following:

Code:

Fatal: Trying to map files from unnamed device 0x0011 (NFS/RAID mirror down?)

What is going on here? Should I ask elsewhere?

trumpet_tom · 06-09-2010, 05:20 AM

I went onto the btrfs IRC channel and spoke to someone, they said that Lilo is currently incompatible with btrfs, so you can't install it if the /boot folder is in a btrfs partition. I didn't realise Lilo had these sorts of problems but apparently it does. They also told me that GRUB wouldn't work any better at the moment.

I made myself a little ext2 partition for /boot and now it all works fine. I guess in a future release Lilo might support btrfs. Will mark this as solved.