How to Partition drive for Multi-boot

[devils casper]

If you have little memory, an old system, and no usb connector, then one thing that you could do is to check "DistroWatch", and look a flavor of Linux OS that is designed to operate on older system.

I am well aware of Distrowatch.com and distros suitable for old machines. I was just a reply to Siddly.

Antix, Sidux, Arch, Debian base+ and Crux are perfect for older machines.

[vkv]

Hi ,

I agree with all. Both are good like Virtual os and multi boot.
But it depends on user, how he wants. We can easily run more than 5 OS in virtual box .

I think what you did while installing is , selecting the option of automatic partition.
Please don't go for that. Try to do manual partition
when you install the first OS , Select the manual partition option and keep some free space. Then install the other OS's

Please Don't forget GRUB "which is the main part when you go for Multi boot. You can always restore the grub form live CD but you have to know which partition holds which distro.

I hope I don't need to explain about Virtual box , coz it is one of the best and easy tool for virtualization and if you are using REDHAT os, try the XEN kernal in which virtualization is inbuilt .

Thanks
VKV

[glene77is]

*(: Linux_forum_Multi-Boot_110321.txt
To Devels Casper, India

Thanks for the post.
I have not figured out why or how to use the 'chainload' command.
Give me a CLUE about using the "chainload" command, please.
Use of the 'Virtual Box' sounds interesting.

I do not think the following is new information for you, Casper,
I am just SHARING my implementation methods ,
so that the OTHER forum members may see "yet another" working example.
I welcome your comments.

So, as you have done,
I have this arrangement on my 1.8GigHz, 320GB computer.

###############################################
partition map:
hda0,sda1= Ubuntu 10.04
hda0,sda2 = Extended
hda0,sda7 = Puppy 520
hda0,sda8 = Church Ubuntu 9.
hda0,sda5 = archive, ext2
hda0,sda6 = Knoppix 6.4
hda0,sda9 = Partition Magic boots to RamDrive Solemente !!!
hda0,sda12 = Puppy 520 (experiment straight copy w/o save.2fs)
hda0,sda11 = LightHouse Puppy 5.02
hda0,sda10 = CrunchBang Linux
hda0,sda13 = archive, ext2
hda0,sda3 = SWAP
###############################################

Ubuntu grub2 does not 'see' the Puppy Linux OS because (?) it has no exposed initrd or vimliuz.
So, I extract info from the Puppy menu.lst and copy/mod into my sda1 Ubuntu grub.cfg

I have not figured out why or how to use the 'chainload' command,
therefore,
My grub.cfg runs this code (and much other).

### LUCID UBUNTU ################################################## #
# standard code script


### LIGHTHOUSE PUPPY ################################################## #
menuentry "."
{
reboot
}
menuentry "< LHP-5.02-G sda11 > LightHouse Puppy (/dev/sda11)"
{
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,11)'
### grub.cfg wording
linux /lhp50211/vmlinuz pmedia=atahd psubdir=lhp50211 nmi_watchdog=0 xforcevesa nomodeset loglevel=3
initrd /lhp50211/initrd.gz
}
menuentry "< LHP-5.02-G sda11 > LightHouse Puppy RAM ONLY < pfix=ram > "
{
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,11)'
### grub.cfg wording, added pfix=ram
# linux /LHP_502/vmlinuz pmedia=atahd psubdir=LHP_502 nmi_watchdog=0 xforcevesa nomodeset loglevel=3 pfix=ram
# initrd /LHP_502/initrd.gz
linux /lhp50211/vmlinuz pmedia=atahd psubdir=lhp50211 nmi_watchdog=0 xforcevesa nomodeset loglevel=3 pfix=ram
initrd /lhp50211/initrd.gz
}

### menu.lst wording
# title Lighthouse Pup 502 frugal
# rootnoverify (hd0,9)
# kernel /LHP_502/vmlinuz pmedia=atahd psubdir=LHP_502 nmi_watchdog=0 xforcevesa nomodeset loglevel=3
# initrd /LHP_502/initrd.gz
# title Puppy Linux 520 frugal in sda12 dir puppy520
# rootnoverify (hd0,11)
# kernel /puppy520/vmlinuz pmedia=atahd psubdir=puppy520
# initrd /puppy520/initrd.gz

### KNOPPIX ################################################## ######
menuentry "."
{
reboot
}
menuentry "< K-64> KNOPPIX (on /dev/sda6)"
{
insmod reiserfs
set root='(hd0,6)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set f3db89ee-5f0e-43ae-b69f-2859529ce9f7
linux /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda6 rootwait lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce loglevel=0 quiet rw
}
### from K-64 menu.lst
# title KNOPPIX
# root (hd0,6)
# kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sda7 rootwait lang=us apm=power-off vga=791 nomce loglevel=0 quiet rw
#


### PARTITION MAGIC ################################################## #
# Copy the “pmagic” folder from the CD to the the ”/” of any partition on your computer.
# It can be any file system supported by the Linux Kernel, including NTFS or FAT16/32.
# title PartedMagic
# root (hd0,0)
# kernel /pmagic/bzImage noapic load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 rw vga=791 sleep=10 loglevel=0 keymap=us
# initrd /pmagic/initramfs
menuentry '... P-Magic .................................................. .......'
{
reboot
}
menuentry "< PM > PartedMagic in RamDisk from sda9"
{
insmod ext2
set root='(hd0,9)'
linux /pmagic/bzImage noapic load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=0 rw sleep=10 loglevel=0 keymap=us
initrd /pmagic/initramfs
}

################################################## ##########

I do not think the following is new information for you,
I am just SHARING my implementation methods ,
so that the OTHER forum members may see "yet another" working example.


That is how I do it for the multi-boot via grub.cfg.
As much as practical, Script is dropped into the custom module,
all changed modules are saved with an ansi date/time stamp filename.
When an 'update' from ubuntu updates my grub.cfg,
then grub.cfg is revised from the 'custom' block at the bottom of grub.cfg, or from a dated backup.



*** Fixing a re-directed MBR *************************************
WHEN I install an OS that freshly installs an MBR pointing to the new OS,
so it no longer points to (hda0,sda1) my primary OS,
THEN I run through the following routine:

************************************************** ******
from: Nathan729, Ubuntu forums.
Re: Altering MBR to point to new Partition.
The simplest solution is to boot from a Live-CD,
and then repair grub...
### Thanks for the idea from Natham729 Ubuntu formum.
### Ubuntu Live-CD, Terminal, enter script Code:
# MKDIR in RamDrive
sudo mkdir /mnt
# MOUNT primary OS in /mnt by reference
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
# INSTALL MBR code pointing to primary OS by reference as /mnt
sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt /dev/sda
#MOUNT other subdir as required
sudo mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
sudo mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
sudo mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
# UPDATE grub.cfg
sudo chroot /mnt update-grub
# REBOOT
sudo reboot.
************************************************** ******


I have not figured out why or how to use the 'chainload' command.
Give me a CLUE about using the "chainload" command, please.
Use of the 'Virtual Box' sounds interesting.


Thanks.
glene77is--{^,^}--Memphis, TN

[dmac257]

I didn't mention anything about Boot Loader intentionally. There is a much better way to setup multiboot using GRUB of first installed distro but it's confusing for new users sometimes.


Correct procedure is :
* Install GRUB of First distro in MBR of Hard disk.
* Install GRUB of all other distros in boot sector of their respective / partitions.
* Chainload GRUB of other distros from GRUB of first distro.

This way, there won't be any need to edit or regenerate new GRUB Menu after kernel update of any distro.

*** Above procedure works fine for GRUB2 too.

While this "sounds" easy, when I tried to do it again it didn't work. I am trying to install gNewSense, Ubunto, and OpenSUSE with room for others later but when I tried it the first two installed distros show up as options (three entries for each distro), but SUSE doesn't show up. I started over and have installed gNewSense only but it didn't saw WHERE it was installing the bootloader just that it WAS installing the bootloader. How do I check if it was installed to the MBR and not to / of its partition? AND how do I make the successiver installations install to the / of their partitions? heh .. and how do I know if the bootloader is grub , grub2 , or Lilo (or something else)?

dmac257

[glene77is]

While this "sounds" easy, when I tried to do it again it didn't work. I am trying to install gNewSense, Ubunto, and OpenSUSE with room for others later but when I tried it the first two installed distros show up as options (three entries for each distro), but SUSE doesn't show up. I started over and have installed gNewSense only but it didn't saw WHERE it was installing the bootloader just that it WAS installing the bootloader. How do I check if it was installed to the MBR and not to / of its partition? AND how do I make the successiver installations install to the / of their partitions? heh .. and how do I know if the bootloader is grub , grub2 , or Lilo (or something else)?
dmac257

dMac,

See post #3 for my multi-boot layout, (which I call MBR-Boot-Repoint).
I chose to use Ubuntu for desktop, and Lighthouse Puppy for USB systems.

That means I use Grub2 for my Multi-System Bootloader.
I maintain a /boot/grub/ backup of files which have been changed.
I maintain a /etc/grub.d backup of files which have been changed.

In the past, I always installed Ubuntu last,
let it make the MBR / Grub2 point into the Ubuntu partition, to grub.cfg.
Ubuntu Grub2 will scan for the system files initrd and vimlinuz ,
if found they are added to the grub.cfg menu output.
If not then I visually scan, pickup the menu.lst info; see below.

IF I am experimenting with numerous other OS,
(Knoppix, Church Ubuntu, CrunchBang Ubuntu),
some of which installed their own MBR/Bootloaders,
THEN I am using the MBR-Boot-Repoint routine (post #3)
to re-install MBR & Grub2 then Update it, (see post #3).

In the end, I have been able to maintain Ubuntu in (hda0,sda1),
the primary physical HD, so I always know where 'home' is located.

Note:
IF Ubuntu Grub2 does not detect another OS,
such as Puppy Linux (which has no exposed initrd and vimlinuz
(it uses a Squash File System),
THEN I use PCMan filemanager and gedit to read the target OS menu.lst and retreive the loading info, copy this into my Ubuntu grub.cfg, reword it to match the proper Grub2 syntax, and viva it lives.

Note:
I have maintained a subdir in Ubuntu for various menu.lst files that are written.
This gives me a reference for proper syntax between Grub, Grub2, Lilo.
For ex., When I installed Puppy Lighthouse, solo on a HD, it dropped the menu.lst into a file for me, which was easily copied across to my Ubuntu /menulst/ and it sits alongside of the menu.lst/grub.cfg files from Knoppix, CrunchBang, Church, PartitionMagic, Suse, and Ubuntu.

I also maintain a computer with Win-XP and Ubuntu with a simple dual boot.

See post #3 in this thread.
Hope that helps.

glene77is--{^,^}--Memphis,TN