[NMLUG] another boot issue

[michaelm at nnmcc.edu (Michael Maddex)]

Ed Brown said:

<-- big snip -->

> Also experimented more with Michael's suggestions about installing a
> bootloader in the MBR on the raid array 'disk'.  Another effort to
> install grub, this time using the "native-install" method, using a grub
> floppy, but it still isn't finding the menu, though I can boot from the
> grub prompt by manually entering the parameters.  Ran into problems with
> the "chainloader" idea too: couldn't figure out how to install that way,
> also foresaw a problem with that in terms of the grub.conf file... could
> explain more later.

Ed, here's a short description of what I had in mind:

1 - With the external array removed, set up the box as usual with grub installed in
in the MBR of /dev/sda (if that's your first drive, the one the BIOS is finding).

2 - With the external array attached, set up the box with lilo installed in the MBR
of the first drive of the array, the one where the BIOS is now looking for a boot
loader.  After the usual top lines in /etc/lilo.conf, you should have a single stanza
something like:

        other = /dev/sdxn            # where 'x' and 'n' locate your grub loader
                table = /dev/sdx     # location of the partition table
                lable = somestring   # if you need a boot menu

There are lots more options described in the lilo README, but I think that should
do it.

> The good news maybe is that I haven't made things any worse, always a
> possibility when messing with bootloaders and such...

Yes.  Always a good sign.

> thanks for the suggestions!
> -Ed

Hope this helps.  Good luck.

-- 
Michael Maddex -- Instructor
Computers, Engineering and Technology
Northern New Mexico Community College

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
-- XEROX PARC