Hello, I am trying to install slackware current from a live usb to an external usb hdd. I have already made the partition scheme on this disk (actually only one for the root and one of the swap, too lazy to go further...). Then I run the script setup2hd. But while on the slackware setup menu I choose target, nothing happens. Only the keymap and the exit options work. Is there any log of this script that I can look into? Has anyone tried anything similar before? Should I chose the main iso file instead of the live one?

Regards, Apostolos.

OK, I tried with the slackware64-14.2-install-dvd image (not the live one) and right now slackware is being installed on the external hdd. Do not know though if I can boot from it since on the same disk I have also Antergos as the bootable linux. I guess I have to modify the grub so both images can be bootable. Or should I use lilo for both?

Regards, Apostolos.

Lilo - grub - which ever works for you. Personally I'd install the lilo or grub on that external mbr or that other one which ever you are using to boot with, if you are not doing so already.

and match them. meaning MBR for both or efi for both. mix and match can work but not doing mix and match makes it less to do.

oh yeah MAYBE change Slacks fstab from old school to UUID

OK, so I am having trouble on booting slackware. I chose the already existing grub of Antergos and tried to update the conf file (grub-mkconfig of arch actually has a probe feature that automatically detected slackware) but can not boot it. Takes a kernel dump at startup. I entered my own custom values

menuentry "Slackware 14.2 test" {
set root=(hd0,3)
linux /boot/vmlinuz-generic-4.4.14 root=/dev/sdb3
initrd /boot/initrd.gz
}


but it does not work, kernel panic, can not syncing etc... I guess this is for another topic.

Regards, Apostolos

OK here is a copy of my Slackware 14.2 grub menu entry _ YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MODIFY IT to fit your system UUID's especially.

218cff91-944d-454f-98ac-b1d162326e95 <--theses are UUID Numbers.they are all the same number - just replace with yours. and set the other bold to your stuff then give it a go.

put that in 40_custom file after you fix it first. then run update-grub again.

mostly because you need huge to start with then after you're in you got a do a little something something to your kernel to get generic to work.

1 members found this post helpful.

Slackware doesn't create an initrd by default, so if you didn't create one, it would prevent the generic kernel from booting. You can either switch the kernel to the huge one and remove the initrd entry, or you can create an initrd. To do that, boot your Antergos and mount your Slackware drive.

Once that's mounted, chroot to your mounted Slackware drive. Then run $(/usr/share/mkinitrd_command_generator.sh -k 4.4.14). This command will normally output the command you'd need to run, but if you put it in the parenthesis with a dollar sign at the front, it will just run that command for you, saving you a step. You can then exit the chroot. I'm not familiar with grub, but if you need to do anything to rewrite that data to the MBR, now would be when you'd do it. Then you can try and reboot and select Slackware's entry.

I tested the setup2hd this evening, using this ISO: http://bear.alienbase.nl/mirrors/sla...ve-current.iso (liveslak 1.1.8).
I partitioned the harddrive , made sure to have a EFI partition as well, and then ran setup2hd in a KDE Konsole (as root of course).
No issues, all software got installed to the harddrive. Setup picked up that I was booting on an EFI computer, found the EFI partition and configured everything nicely.
After reboot, was running Slackware64-current on the system. Mission accomplished.

1 members found this post helpful.

@BW-userx
this menu entry (with the correct of course uuid and other parameters) was created by the grub-mkconfig os-probe function. But it didn't work. I got a kernel dump (although I can not find any logs/messages/dumps on the /var/log of the slackware partition).

@bassmadrigal
I did exactly that in the first attempts but without success.

@Alien Bob
Well, the full story is this. I am running the iso images through a VirtualBox from a windows machine (I am not using a usb stick) and I am trying to install the Linux OSes on the external disks. I was successful in installing Arch and Antergos this way in external disks (Arch on an ssd and Antergos on an hdd) but without other OS running there, so each dstro had the whole disk for itself. I am trying to do the same with Slackware, the only difference being that on the disk there is also another linux OS (the Antergos one). From the live image iso I could not make the target selection for a reason (probably I am doing something wrong). But with the other iso image the selection was successful. Still having problem with booting though. When I had the wrong parameters on the grub menu I got the kernel panic, can not syncing, can not find root fs etc. Now I am just getting a kernel dump (or trace?). But I can not find this in the Slackware disk (in directory /var/log) where the installation took place. I do a mount /mnt /dev/sdb3 (the partition where slackware resides), I go to the /mnt/var/log but all log files are 0 bytes.

Anyway, I am gonna fight it a bit more before trying to do the installation as if there is no other OS on the disk and use Lilo to get Slackware started.

Thank you all for the valuable input.

What if you change your grub entry to use the huge kernel instead of the generic kernel?

same question as @bassmadrigal Because I specificity said in my post you need to have huge kernel to boot it first, then you can change it to the genic kernel and others gave you commands to get that done.

from my template I posted.

/boot/vmlinuz-huge-4.4.38
that to be changed to your version Kernel making it vmlinuz-huge-4.4.x


from your entry in post #6

set root=(hd0,3) is first hard drive, 4th partition, then in that next statement it is, root=/dev/sdb3 Second hard drive, third partition.

Taking from here root=/dev/sdb3 then would make that first one set root=(hd1,2)

Grub uses a zero based counting system. and they have to match the same Linux system. /boot area (hard drive/partition)

I am using the huge kernel in the last attempts. One more point is that the output of the parted print command shows:
[apost@apost-antergos ~]$ sudo parted /dev/sdb print
Model: ASMT 2105 (scsi)
Disk /dev/sdb: 500GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos
Disk Flags:

Number Start End Size Type File system Flags
1 1049kB 30,7GB 30,7GB primary ext4
3 30,7GB 79,3GB 48,6GB primary ext4
2 498GB 500GB 2147MB primary linux-swap(v1)

The partition number 3 is where the slackware linux is installed. Should it be msdos? When I made the partitions, I choose that as I did with arch and Antergos. Should I have put gpt instead?

post what you are using within Grub to see your Slackware.

@BW-userx

sorry, I just saw the post. You are right, every time I had an error like that on grub entries I was getting the kernel panic message (can not mount root fs). the other attempts ended in kernel crush.

Kool correct your error then post back with results. After you've given it a try, or two.

one try (with huge):

menuentry 'Slackware-14.2 GNU/Linux' --class slackware-14.2 --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-simple-f47070f8-752c-4053-bc25-19b50c3a1f5f' {
load_video
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos3'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos3 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos3 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos3 f47070f8-752c-4053-bc25-19b50c3a1f5f
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f47070f8-752c-4053-bc25-19b50c3a1f5f
fi
echo 'Loading Linux 4.4.14 ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-huge root=/dev/sdb3 ro rootdelay=15


another one (generic):

menuentry 'Slackware 14.2 (on /dev/sdb3)' --class slackware --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'osprober-gnulinux-simple-f47070f8-752c-4053-bc25-19b50c3a1f5f' {
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd1,msdos3'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd1,msdos3 --hint-efi=hd1,msdos3 --hint-baremetal=ahci1,msdos3 f47070f8-752c-4053-bc25-19b50c3a1f5f
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root f47070f8-752c-4053-bc25-19b50c3a1f5f
fi
linux /boot/vmlinuz-generic-4.4.14 root=/dev/sdb3
}


using rootdelay I came to a point where the system is waiting 15 seconds before mounting the root. then the crush happens. I mean, the boot reaches this point.