[SOLVED] Verne and GRUB1.9 - Page 2

**AdamW** · #16 22nd September 2011, 09:56 PM

"Same with the F16 install, I created the GPT partition table, and anaconda created the partitions and formatted them."

What exactly did you choose in anaconda? Custom partitioning, then created the partitions you wanted?

"On the F16 install, it did mark the /boot partition with the EFI partition type, then formatted it ext4 and put my kernels and all that crap in there. Is it possible that grub2 can use the /boot partition as the BIOS boot partition as well"

To the very best of my knowledge, no. Otherwise we wouldn't need to do all this faffing around with special 1MB BIOS boot partitions. =)

I don't think your /boot partition is not of the BIOS boot type, it's of the EFI type. They're not the same thing exactly. The type for a BIOS boot partition is EF02, not EF00. I can only think that anaconda thinks your system is booting via EFI; I don't see why else it would give the /boot partition that type. But at this point I'm not entirely sure of anything.

***DBelton*** · #17 23rd September 2011, 05:57 AM

I believe I chose to have it set up the partitions,, unchecked the LVM box, then went in and checked to be sure it was what I wanted. If i remember right, I changed the size of .boot to be 1gb (on the F16 system, the F15 one is 512MB), but other than that it's pretty much what anaconda set up.

And I don't see how it could think my system is EFI. The one I have F16 on is an older (2003) MSI motherboard and running an intel 865 chipset, and award/phoenix BIOS and the standard hyperthreading single core P4.

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that the itanium was the only platform that used EFI earlier than 2005.

Edit:

I may do some experimenting on that machine this weekend and see what's going on. I was planning to reinstall F16 anyway since a few things got kinda messed up during some of the early alpha updates and I don't think I ever got those situated right. I've also been running it with selinux disabled for just about the entire time (It's one of the reasons that some of the updates got messed up, and I think I ended up with some files that didn't get installed for some of the packages.)

So if I am going to reinstall anyway, I may play around with different partitioning options and see how anaconda handles them.

**AdamW** · #18 23rd September 2011, 07:31 PM

the only other thing i can think of is that you may be running into 738964 and it's actually installing the bootloader to some *other* disk you have connected, and that's working. 738964 documents that anaconda will consider just about any disk connected to the system as a potential bootloader target, and if it finds one it likes other than the disk f16 is actually being installed on, it'll happily go and install the bootloader there (and not bother creating a BIOS boot partition on the target disk). is there any other disk - including a USB stick -attached to the F16 machine?

sea · #19 23rd September 2011, 07:39 PM

Dont know about DBelton, i've installed F16 via USB stick. All the times.
Alpha and Beta RC2 required that bios boot disk, nightly build suddenly didnt while F16 was to become first OS installed.
It never required bios boot partition as 2nd or 3rd OS, eventhough i was going to overwrite existing /boot (without format).

**AdamW** · #20 23rd September 2011, 09:57 PM

the nightly does not have a newer anaconda than beta rc1. it will have either the same one, or an older one.

sea · #21 23rd September 2011, 10:31 PM

Ouch ok, i'm heading to Beta rc2 then for your testing in the other thread

#22 24th September 2011, 12:35 AM

i see a New Anaconda version in Koji. built for F16 http://koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/b...buildID=265116 . maybe they'll use that for RC2

***DBelton*** · #23 25th September 2011, 03:30 AM

I guess it is possible that it installed to a different drive. The bootloader is on /dev/sda (has to be since that is what the BIOS boots.)

I have had several drives in and out of that machine other than the boot drive, so if it did install to a different drive, it's sure not booting from it. The only drive that has remained in the machine is /dev/sda, which has the 4 partitions and the bootloader, and no BIOS boot partition.

I wonder why grub2 requires the BIOS boot partition, but legacy grub doesn't...

#24 25th September 2011, 03:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBelton

I guess it is possible that it installed to a different drive. The bootloader is on /dev/sda (has to be since that is what the BIOS boots.)

I have had several drives in and out of that machine other than the boot drive, so if it did install to a different drive, it's sure not booting from it. The only drive that has remained in the machine is /dev/sda, which has the 4 partitions and the bootloader, and no BIOS boot partition.

I wonder why grub2 requires the BIOS boot partition, but legacy grub doesn't...

best bet is to ask in the #grub irc channel on Freenode

***DBelton*** · #25 25th September 2011, 04:12 AM

Yikes! I haven't been on IRC since sometime around.. ummmm.. 1994.

#26 25th September 2011, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DBelton

Yikes! I haven't been on IRC since sometime around.. ummmm.. 1994.

bout the only place they'll answer you, i think the Grub2 people are just that busy they dont always read/reply to post made on there list , you could probably get away with using a web irc client. instead of a standalone one

***DBelton*** · #27 25th September 2011, 04:26 AM

I would have to say that it's a point in favor of the legacy grub, though.

Simplicity is better

One of the reasons that I have liked Fedora over some of the other distros. Installation is simple and straight forward, no bells and whistles in anaconda to get in the way of what it's purpose is. (I just hope it remains that way during the major changes slated for F17, too)

#28 25th September 2011, 04:38 AM

i cannot remember what those changes are that are planned for F17, there is a wiki of some planned features for F17 etc. Adam or Rahul may know of the one im refering to. but untill i try F16 out myself as in Grub2 i cant really comment about it. only thing i do know is that it now has a 20 second timeout on it? think i saw it mentioned somewhere.

---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:32 PM ----------

still cant find it .. but has a list of some features that will make it in 17 , 18 and future releases on this 1 wiki page. anyway im gonna ndo the install of F16, first i'll backup me music , so i be back lil later

***DBelton*** · #29 25th September 2011, 04:45 AM

I'm not too sure what the changes are, either. I remember seeing something mentioned someplace about a major rewrite to anaconda scheduled for F17, though.. Just hope they keep it simple and don't try to put too much garbage in it. It's purpose is to install an OS, and that should be all it does, but do it well

Heck, just a plain old drab interface that get just enough information to install a linux system, then get the job done.. No bells and whistles, no fancy stuff, doesn't even need many graphics at all. Fewer graphics = smaller memory requirement... and fewer things to go wrong

#30 25th September 2011, 07:46 AM

ok all installed and updated, dunno if i like this Grub2, i hope it improves Graphically of it. though i dunno if they have actually put a theme to it yet? . i think the rewrite only effects Grub2 and the way that and anaconda get along ? . im more interested in this btrfs but im not gonna try it in F16 till im convinced its stable

---------- Post added at 04:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:14 PM ----------

ok i had a slight scare then.. i rebooted and me Mouse wasnt working

so i rebooted back into grub2's recovery mode and fixed it that way