Dual boot correct setup?

[Chris H]

OK, here's what I have:

2 hard drives

hda
hda1 boot 32Mb
hda5 swap 512Mb
hda6 / 30odd Mb

hdb
hdb1 boot 32Mb
hdb5 / 10odd Mb

LILO is on mbr of hda

Slackware is on hda, Gentoo is on hdb.

When I installed Gentoo it bunged the kernel, initrd, sys.map etc to /boot on hdb.

I copied these to a subdirectory on hda /boot/gentoo and pointed to these when I fiddled with the lilo.conf file in Slackware.

All worked fine until I recompiled the Gentoo kernel. I copied the files over and get an error about summat being too big when I select Gentoo from the LILO splash screen.

Methinks I've made things too damn complicated But it was the only way I could get LILO to boot Gentoo. I can't see a way to get LILO to point to the Gentoo kernel on hdb as root is set at the top of the LILO conf file.

What I want to do is for LILO on hda to kick in at boot and offer me Slackware or Gentoo. What's the best way to do that. Suggestions for Grub welcome as well.

Ta.

[ooop]

I don't think there should be any problems with making LILO point to two kernels on different harddrives, if that's what you are trying to do.

You can set separate "root" options in every "image" setting as far as I know.

post your lilo.conf?

(and if you get an error about something being to big, maybe the kernel compiled wrong? Happened to me once actually)

/ooop

[Chris H]

Cheers oops, lilo.conf below. Methinks I've shafted the compilation though.

# LILO configuration file
# Start LILO global section
append="hdd=ide-scsi"
boot = /dev/hda
prompt
# VESA framebuffer console @ 1024x768x256
vga = 773
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/hda6
label = Slackware
read-only # Non-UMSDOS filesystems should be mounted read-only for checking

image=/boot/gentoo/kernel-2.4.20-gentoo-r6
label=Gentoo
root=/dev/hdb1
initrd=/boot/gentoo/initrd-2.4.20-gentoo-r6
append="root=/dev/hdb5 init=/linuxrc"


# Linux bootable partition config ends
[/code]

[Chris H]

Hmm, just spotted an error meself :o

[ooop]

did that error resolv the whole deal?

[Chris H]

nope. Screen goes black at boot now.