EFI partition

GazL · 08-19-2021, 05:39 AM

I like to mount my /boot/efi with ro and sync.

Code:

LABEL="SYSTEM"      /boot/efi       vfat    defaults,ro,sync        0   0

Then, when I update it, I flip it 'rw' and back.

Code:

mount -o remount,rw /boot/efi
cp vmlinuz initrd.gz /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware && sync
mount -o remount,ro /boot/efi

Possibly overkill, but it works for me.

Didier Spaier · 08-19-2021, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GazL

I like to mount my /boot/efi with ro and sync.

Code:

LABEL="SYSTEM"      /boot/efi       vfat    defaults,ro,sync        0   0

Then, when I update it, I flip it 'rw' and back.

Code:

mount -o remount,rw /boot/efi
cp vmlinuz initrd.gz /boot/efi/EFI/Slackware && sync
mount -o remount,ro /boot/efi

Possibly overkill, but it works for me.

As an aside, if using GRUB you would only need to write in the ESP once after OS installation, to put there the OS loader, the kernels and initrds being referred to in /boot/grub/grub.cfg, which can be read by the OS loader as it is able to access many file systems outside of the ESP, including the one used for /boot, which also allows it to load the initrds and kernels stored in /boot.

Then, you won't need to mount the ESP anymore: neither ro nor rw.

Also, if another OS using GRUB is already installed when you install Slackware you won't even need to install a specific OS loader and set up an ESP for Slackware, as running as root from this OS after Slackware installation the command below will add boot entries for Slackware in GRUB's boot menu[1]:

Code:

grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

[1]for the generic kernel, if os-prober is enabled for the other OS and Slackware's initrd is symlinked to or renamed initrd-generic-<kernel version>

enorbet · 08-19-2021, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hazel

All the usb keys that you buy are formatted fat32 so any OS has to be able to read that format. I guess it really is universal.

True but IMHO that just emphasizes how much more important it is to update file systems than such things as BIOS/UEFI with the likes of SecureBoot. That's like turning a firehose on a candle while the rest of the house is in flames.

walecha · 08-20-2021, 02:13 AM

Like Didier, I'm also using grub, so I don't have to mount ESP on boot.

rkelsen · 08-20-2021, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walecha

Like Didier, I'm also using grub, so I don't have to mount ESP on boot.

Fwiw, I use eLilo and I keep the ESP unmounted until I wish to add a kernel. I do this by adding the "noauto" option to fstab.

Haven't figured out how to use grub yet, but I appreciate that it can do things which eLilo can't... That's mainly because I've never been in a situation where eLilo doesn't work. Ain't nobody got time to figure out how to read grub's config files.