Re: [opensuse] Yast & Grub bootloader different.

On Wednesday 26 November 2008 02:45:03 am David C. Rankin wrote:
Bob S wrote:
Hello SuSE people,

No answer on my last request so I'll state the problem differently this
time.

My Grub bootup menu is different ( many less entries) than the bootloader
menu as shown in Yast. Why? How can I fix it ?

Bob S

OK,

Now I found the first part:

<quote>

Hello SuSE people,

I haave three different versions of SuSE and each containing at least two
different kernels. Ijust added a jen kernel to 10.3 and 11.0. I checked the
menu.lst file for each distro and they are correct. Going into Yast
bootloader all of my desired options are there.

Trouble is, that when I reboot the menu doesn't have half the options it
shows in Yast. Am I doing something wrong?

Bob S

</quote>

Bob,

Same answer, send the info requested in my first reply so we can be sure,

OK David, here you go but you will need some explanation as to what you see.
bob@Easystreet:~> cat /proc/partitions
major minor #blocks name

8 0 78150744 sda
8 1 5116671 sda1
8 2 26218080 sda2
8 3 26218080 sda3
8 4 1 sda4
8 5 10490413 sda5
8 6 5245191 sda6
8 7 4851598 sda7
8 16 29316672 sdb
8 17 10241406 sdb1
8 18 14972580 sdb2
8 19 2048287 sdb3
8 20 2048287 sdb4
8 32 244198584 sdc
8 33 10490413 sdc1
8 34 15735667 sdc2
8 35 2104515 sdc3
8 36 1 sdc4
8 37 5245191 sdc5
8 38 5245191 sdc6
8 39 10490413 sdc7
8 40 15735636 sdc8
8 41 15735636 sdc9
8 42 10490413 sdc10
8 43 10490413 sdc11
8 44 10490413 sdc12
bob@Easystreet:~>
As you can see, I do not use separate /boot partitions.

bob@Easystreet:~> cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
cat: /boot/grub/menu.lst: Permission denied
bob@Easystreet:~> cat /etc/fstab
LABEL=11.0 /11.0 ext3 acl,user_xattr 1 2
LABEL=11.0tmp /11.0tmp ext3 acl,user_xattr 1 2
LABEL=11.0var /11.0var ext3 acl,user_xattr 1 2
/dev/disk/by-id/scsi-SATA_ST3250824AS_4ND4ZTYJ-part3 swap swap
defaults 0 0
LABEL=10.3 / ext3 defaults 1 1
LABEL=11.0home /11.0home ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=backup /backup ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=datastorage /datastorage ext3 defaults 1 2
/dev/sdc7 /fat vfat
users,gid=users,umask=0002,utf8=true 0 0
LABEL=10.3home /home ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=mediadata /mediadata ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=storage /stoarge ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=10.3tmp /tmp ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=10.3usr /usr ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=10.3var /var ext3 defaults 1 2
/dev/sda1 /windows/C vfat
users,gid=users,umask=0002,utf8=true 0 0
LABEL=workspace /workspace ext3 defaults 1 2
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs noauto 0 0
debugfs /sys/kernel/debug debugfs noauto 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts mode=0620,gid=5 0 0
LABEL=10.2 /10.2 ext3 defaults 1 2
LABEL=10.2home /10.2home ext3 defaults 1 0
LABEL=10.2var /10.2var ext3 defaults 1 0
usbfs /proc/bus/usb usbfs noauto 0 0
LABEL=10.2tmp /10.2tmp ext3 defaults 1 0
bob@Easystreet:~>
As you can see, I mount all of my active partitions which allows me to jump
back and forth between the distros to look at and/or change things.

Easystreet:/ # cat /boot/grub/menu.lst
# Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Sun Nov 23 23:16:46 EST 2008
default 1
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd2,7)/boot/message

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title Regular -- openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.7-jen67
root (hd2,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.7-jen67-regular root=/dev/disk/by-label/11.0
resume=/dev/sdc3 splash=silent showopts vga=0x31a
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.7-jen67-regular

###Don't change this command - Yast identifier: Original name: openSUSE 10.3
title openSUSE 10.3
root (hd2,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.18-0.2-default root=/dev/disk/by-label/10.3
resume=/dev/sdc3 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.18-0.2-default

###Don't change this command - Yast identifier: Original name: openSUSE 10.3
title openSUSE 10.3-jen
root (hd2,7)
kernel /boot/file:/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.7-jen67-regular
root=/dev/disk/by-label/10.3 resume=/dev/sdc3 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.7-jen67-regular

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name:
linux-2.6.25.11-0.1-default###
title openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.11-0.1
root (hd2,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.11-0.1-default root=/dev/disk/by-label/11.0
resume=/dev/sdc3 splash=silent showopts vga=0x31a
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.11-0.1-default

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe -- openSUSE 11.0 - 2.6.25.11-0.1
root (hd2,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.25.11-0.1-default root=/dev/disk/by-label/11.0
showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume edd=off x11failsafe vga=0x31a
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.25.11-0.1-default

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name:
linux-2.6.18.2-34-default###
title openSUSE 10.2
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18.2-34-default root=/dev/disk/by-label/10.2
resume=/dev/sdc3 splash=silent showopts vga=0x31a
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.18.2-34-default

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: windows###
title Windows
rootnoverify (hd2,7)
chainloader (hd0,0)+1

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: floppy###
title Floppy
rootnoverify (hd2,7)
chainloader (hd0)+1

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe -- openSUSE 10.2
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18.2-34-default root=/dev/disk/by-label/10.2
showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume edd=off 3 vga=normal
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.18.2-34-default

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe -- openSUSE 10.3
root (hd2,7)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22.18-0.2-default root=/dev/disk/by-label/10.3
showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume edd=off 3
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.22.18-0.2-default

title Kernel-2.6.18.8-0.10-default
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.10-default root=/dev/disk/by-label/10.2
resume=/dev/sdc3 splash=silent showopts vga=0x31a
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.18.8-0.10-default
Easystreet:/ #
This is the menu that shows up in Yast. It is correct, but ios not the one
that shows up on the logon screen aat boot time.

but here is what I suspect is going on. First you have more than one /boot
partition. (probably one for each version -- which is 100% OK). Grub, or
any boot loader for that matter, can only operate on one /boot partition at
a time and only one is the primary /boot partition called after the BIOS
passes control to the boot loader. (somebody has got to be first -- Right?)

Right
To boot all of your operating systems, grub, for lack of better words,
daisey chains the various /boot partitions together. It starts with which
ever one is configured to get control first and then, if it isn't booting
the OS associated with that /boot partition, grub will pass control to the
next /boot partition associated with the menu entry you chose from the
first menu.

Welllll....yes, but as in the menu.lst shown above Grub is directed where to
go. Correct me if I am wrong.

Basically:

...<Cut explanation>....

At any stage in the game, you are only going to see the menu entries
associated with the /boot/grub/menu.lst file that is on the /boot partition
that has control. Grub doesn't scour the all hard drives on each install
collecting menu entries from every boot partition it finds. It just
installs, configures it self to boot the OS it is installing and then
creates an entry to point to the /boot partition that was primary before
the current install.

Theortically, I suppose that is correct, but I have never seen Grub come up
with a correct menu.lst; You must instruct it to go look and half the time it
doesn't find everything and I end up editing by hand. Maybe because of the
way I have set everything up. But, I never had trouble making it work
properly until now. I just don't know where the menu at boot up time is
coming from.

So, what I bet happened in your case is that, whatever your last installed
OS was, you are looking at the "menu" created by the yast installer that
sits on the /boot partition for that install.

No, you would probably lose that bet because the last install was 11.0 and the
menu.lst for 11.0 is not like the menu that comes up at boot time.

You don't see all the choices
on every menu because you are only looking at the --- last installed ---
menu. The other /boot partitions have their own "menu" and when control is
passed to them, you will see the remaining choices.

If you mean that cliccking on another OS in the primary menu.lst that it would
bring up another menu.lst for that OS then you would be correct. That used to
happen for 10.0, 10.1, and 10.2 after I switched from LILO.

That also explains why
when you boot to another of your OS's and check the grub menu with Yast,
you will see all of your choices for each install. It's normal, at first
perplexing, but normal none the least.

Wellll...I guess that is correct. I never had reason to check the boot loader
for each individual OS because it worked properly. After a new OS was
installed and I clicked on an older OS it would bring up the older menu.lst
where I would again make my choice.

If you want to go check each one individually from any of your OS's, since
you have individual /boot partitions, it's pretty easy to do. First, just
do a:

cat /proc/partitions

.....<cut explanation - not necessary -as all partitions are already mounted
and can be looked at individually and easily>....Really though, David. your
explanations and attention to detail are outstanding. Thank you for that. If
you can figure this out it would be great

You only hope and pray that the last installed OS configured grub properly
to pass control to the previous install correctly. Otherwise, things get
real interesting. Throw fake RAID in there and it gets down-right fun:

Don' have RAID but I guess 11.0 didn't hear my prayers. Need to find out why
the menu that comes up at boot time is not the proper one and doesn't emulate
any of the installedOS's and/or why it's behavior is not as previously. I
guess that I just can't grasp how Grub works. Supposed to be simple, rright?

Bob S
--
To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxx
For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Dual boot problem
    ... The install went smoothly but when the computer restarted it ... went straight into Windows XP and the Grub Bootloader did not appear! ... One produced the same problem) For some reason the Grub bootloader had ... install GRUB on the first track on the partition where I installed ...
    (comp.os.linux.setup)
  • fixing grub : mbr fix when windows install after linux
    ... "There is not a boot manager screen at all, ... windows but GRUB boot window does not appear. ... "I forgot to install GRUB, I didn't install GRUB in the MBR, I chose ... Fedora but that was not an active primary partition". ...
    (comp.os.linux.misc)
  • Re: How to boot FreeBSD and linux from FreeBSD MBR?
    ... The short answer is to install LILO everywhere, once for each time you install ... Currently I have the FreeBSD Boot Selector in my MBR, ... GRUB can boot Linux versions on other partitions. ... on Primary Partition #2. ...
    (freebsd-hackers)
  • Re: Dual Boot Instructions
    ... I ended up reinstalling Vista, ... The boot SECTOR is not the bootLOADER. ... finds the partition table for that HDD and sees that the first partition is ... violated, we no longer can simply install WinXP, install Vista and ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.vista.hardware_devices)
  • Re: Size of boot partition
    ... > You are saying that you can boot multiple versions of Linux from the same boot ... > grub to install itself at the beginning of the Linux partition and then System ... It's accomplished by having a single instance of grub installed in the MBR ...
    (comp.os.linux)