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-   -   move USB /root to SATA?? (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/ubuntu-63/move-usb-root-to-sata-737376/)

di11rod 07-03-2009 01:00 AM
move USB /root to SATA??
 
I installed Ubuntu Ibex on an external HD (USB2) that has been working well. But now I want to improve performance by attaching the hard drive to the SATA.

If I boot off the Ubuntu install disc, is there something I can edit to have the bootloader reference the drive while it's connected to SATA instead of the USB? I've already tried just connecting the drive to SATA and then specifying in bios to boot from the HDD on SATA. Didn't work.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

di11rod

veerain 07-03-2009 01:17 AM
Just remove the usb drive during boot. It will be boot from the sata hard disk.

catkin 07-11-2009 11:24 AM
Hello di11rod :)

Which bootloader are you using? grub? If so, what do the lines of /boot/grub/menu.lst look like, the ones that made ubuntu boot when it was a USB device?

Do you have only the one HDD in the system?

Best

Charles

di11rod 07-13-2009 01:14 AM
Thanks for the advice. I don't know what bootloader is being used. I just did a default clean install of Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex.

Disconnecting the USB drive, and putting the HD on the SATA chain (it is the only drive) doesn't seem to work for booting. Bios settings have been altered to reflect the change, too.

Maybe the system is using grub. Here is the file you asked about.

Appreciatively,

di11rod


Quote:
cat menu.lst
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not use 'savedefault' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 3

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
## lockold=true
# lockold=false

## Xen hypervisor options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenhopt=

## Xen Linux kernel options to use with the default Xen boot option
# xenkopt=console=tty0

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(recovery) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
## howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
## memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## should update-grub add savedefault to the default options
## can be true or false
# savedefault=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-14-generic
uuid 9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-14-generic root=UUID=9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-14-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-14-generic (recovery mode)
uuid 9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-14-generic root=UUID=9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-14-generic

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic
uuid 9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-11-generic (recovery mode)
uuid 9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-11-generic root=UUID=9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-11-generic

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-7-generic
uuid 9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic root=UUID=9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-7-generic
quiet

title Ubuntu 8.10, kernel 2.6.27-7-generic (recovery mode)
uuid 9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27-7-generic root=UUID=9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.27-7-generic

title Ubuntu 8.10, memtest86+
uuid 9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
quiet

catkin 07-13-2009 03:40 AM
Hello di11rod :)

What do you see when you tried? First off you should see all the BIOS messages, then the BIOS should run the first stage of grub from the hard disk. That's a very small program, just enough to find grub second stage and start it.

grub is powerful and so complex; the easiest explanation of grub I know is at http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/grub.html. Start with the "How does GRUB work?" section.

The messages you see on screen will show how far that process is getting before it fails.

Best

Charles

jschiwal 07-13-2009 04:11 AM
Booting off the Ubuntu install disc, you should be able to get into the grub shell, and enter the root, kernel, and initrd lines in manually. Then enter the 'boot' command. This will boot up your Ubuntu installation. You could fix it from there, or you can update the MBR of the disk from the grub shell directly.

Here is the default entry on my laptops menu.lst file. Yours doesn't seem to have a root command that I can see. It does have the line "uuid 9e876903-0838-44cf-9318-ab3d9b296335". I don't understand this because a device like /dev/sda (a.k.a. (hd0)) doesn't have a filesystem, and thus doesn't have a uuid number. It doesn't look like grub is installed to the MBR of the disk. Are you chain loading it?

Code:
title openSUSE 11.1 - 2.6.27.23-0.1 (default)
    root (hd0,5)
    kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.27.23-0.1-default root=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-TOSHIBA_MK2049GSY_48CYT01OT-part6 resume=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-TOSHIBA_MK2049GSY_48CYT01OT-part5 splash=silent showopts vga=0x314
    initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.27.23-0.1-default
If you don't have grub installed to the MBR, you can do so from a live CD.

In the grub shell, you can locate the partition with the /boot directory by entering:
grub> find /boot/grub/stage1
(hd0,5)

To update the MBR of the drive, I would enter:
root (hd0,5)
setup (hd0)

Now you should be able to boot up normally, after fixing up the menu.lst file and /etc/fstab. If /etc/fstab uses UUID or device path entries, it may not need to be changed. If it names the partitions like "/dev/sdb1", then they will be wrong.
You can use one of these two ways to avoid this problem:
Code:
/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_TOSHIBA_MK2049G_48CYT01OT-part7      /home  ext3    acl,user_xattr 1 2
UUID=5783d30e-8dc4-447a-80f4-8952129e9d9e      /mnt/mybook    ext3    defaults,user,noauto 0 0
Good Luck!

di11rod 07-13-2009 09:11 PM
Excellent and detailed suggestions are greatly appreciated!! I'll try these routes when I get home.

Appreciatively,

di11rod


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