How can I support other distros in LILO with its Kernel ?

alMubarmij · 02-08-2009, 10:27 PM

How can I support other distros in LILO with its Kernel NOT by Slackware kernel installed by LILO ?

My Slackware in /dev/hda5 and other Linux is in /dev/hda2.

Is SmartBootManager a good solution ?

guanx · 02-08-2009, 10:39 PM

Mount the other partition first. Then edit "/etc/lilo.conf", adding a proper entry, and run lilo.

alMubarmij · 02-09-2009, 12:55 AM

Ok, I'll do like this:

Code:

su -
mkdir /mnt/hda2
mount -t ext3 /dev/hda2 /mnt/hda2
mcedit /etc/lilo.conf
lilo

Then what ?
It will still use Slackware kernel at boot time.

And what is "proper entry" ?

Thank you.

DavidHindman · 02-09-2009, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alMubarmij

Ok, I'll do like this:

Code:

su -
mkdir /mnt/hda2
mount -t ext3 /dev/hda2 /mnt/hda2
mcedit /etc/lilo.conf
lilo

Then what ?
It will still use Slackware kernel at boot time.

And what is "proper entry" ?

Thank you.

Do

Code:

man lilo.conf

The man file for lilo.conf has an example of how to use lilo to boot OS2, DOS and Windows 98 as well as Linux.

The paragraph "Per-Image Section" describes how to boot a Linux kernel. You must supply a pathname to the kernel image. It doesn't have to be a Slackware kernel, it can be any kind of Linux kernel.

DavidHindman · 02-09-2009, 01:24 AM

Another thought. Each of your distros needs to have its kernel started with a different root partition (you know, the partition that contains the / directory for that distro). Look closely at the examples in the lilo.conf man page. One of them shows how to use the root= kernel boot option to start up kernels with different root partitions.

alMubarmij · 02-09-2009, 01:32 AM

Thank you.

Can you guide me what I add exactly in lilo.conf for other distro ?

james2b · 02-09-2009, 01:32 AM

Try installing the grub boot loader, it works great either by direct or by chainload, other Linuxes and Windows. I have one main grub installed on the master boot record, and other Linux have grub installed on their boot sector of their root partitions, which then allows chainload booting to the other grubs. Then just edit your grub menu.lst file to add or to update other Linux installed, (or the grub.conf file in Fedora) And here is the main site link: http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/grub.en.html

astrogeek · 02-09-2009, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alMubarmij

Ok, I'll do like this:
...It will still use Slackware kernel at boot time.
And what is "proper entry" ?

As DavidHindman pointed out, the lilo man page is the best reference for you.

But I'll try to fill in some blanks for you quickly here.

First, the reason for mounting the other partition is this: At boot time there is no concept of a filesystem and therefore no way to express the path to any kernel other than absolute location on the disk media (ie, head, cylinder, sector). Lilo 'calculates' this position and writes this to the boot record based on the path specified in lilo.conf. But to do that the partition on which the kernel is stored must be mounted when you run lilo to write the boot record.

So, using your own example, mount hda2 at /mnt/hda2, then add something like this to your lilo.conf:

Code:

image = /mnt/hda2/boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda2
  label = OtherLinux

Be sure 'vmlinuz' in the example is the actual filename of the kernel you want to run.

Then, when you run lilo it will be able to find the other kernel, figure out it's physical location on disk and write that to the boot sector with the label 'OtherLinux'.

Then when you boot and choose 'OtherLinux' it will load the other kernel which will (presumably) mount the filesystem at /dev/hda2 as it's root filesystem - ie, a running Linux system.

w1k0 · 02-09-2009, 12:45 PM

Code:

image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda5
  label = slackware.linux
  read-only  
other = /dev/hda2
  label = other.linux

onebuck · 02-09-2009, 02:24 PM

Hi,

You would edit your Slackware '/etc/lilo.conf' to reflect your installs.

Code:

example stanzas for '/etc/lilo.conf';
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda5
  label = Slackware
  read-only  # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends

# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda2
  label = SomeOtherLinux
  read-only  # Partitions should be mounted read-only for checking
# Linux bootable partition config ends
# Windows bootable partition config begins
other = /dev/sda1
  label = WinXP
#  map-drive = 0x80
#   to = 0x81
#  map-drive = 0x81
#   to = 0x80
  table = /dev/sda
# Windows bootable partition config ends

After your save the '/etc/lilo.conf';

Code:

~#lilo -v -t -b /dev/your_device     #sda, hda this will only test 
~#lilo -v -b /dev/your_device        #this will write MBR to your_device

You should then be able to reboot an find your new lilo menu.

astrogeek · 02-09-2009, 02:46 PM

Sorry onebuck, that will not work...

Quote:

Originally Posted by onebuck

Hi,

Code:

...
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  root = /dev/hda2
  label = SomeOtherLinux
...

...because he will end up booting the Slackware kernel using his other Linux's root filesystem - which is the very problem he is trying to solve.

He must first mount the other filesystem then provide the path to the target kernel through the mount point, that is, the path when lilo is run - not the expected boot time path as that cannot exist until after the kernel is running. That is the essence of what boot, ie 'bootstrap', means.

justwantin · 02-09-2009, 02:49 PM

You can set lilo to boot more than one distro/version each with its own kernel but you need to provide the correct path from the partition/file system on which your /etc/lilo.conf is which also the filesystem/partition from which you run the command lilo.

For example in the two stanzas below I am running lilo from slackware 12.2 on /dev/hda3 and lilo will look for the slackware-12.1 kernel where it is mounted from in 12.2, i.e. /mnt/hda1/boot/vmlinux and the root (directory) for 12.1 is located on /dev/hda1

image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda3
label = 12.2
read-only

image = /mnt/hda1/boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda1
label = 12.1
read-only

rworkman · 02-09-2009, 02:56 PM

Code:

image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.28.4
  initrd = /boot/initrd.gz
  append = "resume=/dev/sda4"
  root = /dev/sda1
  label = current
  read-only

image = /mnt/12.2/boot/vmlinuz-generic-smp-2.6.27.7-smp
  initrd = /mnt/12.2/boot/initrd.gz
  append = "resume=/dev/sda4"
  root = /dev/sda2
  label = stable
  read-only

Note that the "stable" entry is not the primary OS here, so you have to use the full path to its kernel, initrd, and so on.

brianL · 02-09-2009, 03:12 PM

If your other linux's bootloader (grub or lilo) is in its root partition, and Slackware's lilo is in the MBR, just add this to Slackware's /etc/lilo.conf:

Code:

other = /dev/hda2
  label = other

Replace "other" with the distro name. Then run lilo as root.

hitest · 02-09-2009, 03:29 PM

Here's my boot set-up for Slackware/FreeBSD

Code:

# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda2
label = Linux
read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends
# FreeBSD
other = /dev/hda3
table = /dev/hda
label = FreeBSD