Grub2 boot or not to boot

[RaiTulo]

Fedora x86-64 Beta RC4 DVD, Fres install new Partition Table: gpt

After install: No Bootable Device -- insert boot disk and pres any key
lshw:
*-core
description: Motherboard
product: DG965OT
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 0
version: AAD63733-204
slot: Base Board Chassis Location
*-cpu
description: CPU
product: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz

Only way to boot Fedora: plug "System Rescue CD" (2.3.1) USB stick an choose "Boot from second harddisk"
Only 1 HD, sda
grub2-setup -f /dev/sda -v .. see log file F16 Grub2.txt

parted /dev/sda
GNU Parted 3.0
Using /dev/sda
Welcome to GNU Parted! Type 'help' to view a list of commands.
(parted) p
Model: ATA ST9500420ASG (scsi)
Disk /dev/sda: 500GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: gpt

Number Start End Size File system Name Flags
1 1049kB 2097kB 1049kB bios_grub
2 2097kB 526MB 524MB ext4 ext4 boot
3 526MB 54.2GB 53.7GB ext4
4 54.2GB 62.6GB 8338MB linux-swap(v1)
5 62.6GB 500GB 438GB ext4

Any idea to get gpt/bios_boot to working?

[RaiTulo]

New MDSOS partition table and custom partition Boot OK.

lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 8:0 0 465.8G 0 disk
├─sda1 8:1 0 500M 0 part /boot
├─sda2 8:2 0 48.8G 0 part /
├─sda3 8:3 0 8.1G 0 part [SWAP]
└─sda4 8:4 0 408.3G 0 part /home

[RaiTulo]

BIOS - GPT problem.


http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/index.html

[AdamW]

yeah, we've come across a few systems that just seem to refuse to boot from gpt-labelled disks. some thinkpads seem to be affected - https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=735733 . the info on that page is interesting, thanks raitulo.

[RaiTulo]

BIOS - GPT problem.


http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/index.html

After more testing: F16 Beta RC4 DVD x86_64, GPT partitions

Intel® Motherboards tested. (Latest BIOS)
D945GCLF2, BIOS Date 4/14/2010 Version 0278, Not bootting
DG965OT, BIOS Date 11/17/2008 Version 1754, Not Booting
DP35DP, BIOS Date 7/15/2009, version 0572. UEFI boot Enable or Disable:Not Booting.
DH57JG, BIOS date 4/28/2011, version 0656, YES its boot

Tested moving insalled F16 HDD MoBo to MoBo, not re-installing everytime.

Every Board boot Fedora 16 if i use SystemRescue-CD USB stick (boot SR-cd, selecting option "Boot Second HDD" (usb stick comes first hdd))

[AdamW]

did you try rod's #1 workaround?

[RaiTulo]

did you try rod's #1 workaround?

which page?

[sea]

just in RaiTulo's link.

[AdamW]

entry #1 under 'stick with the BIOS' on http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/bios.html .

[RaiTulo]

entry #1 under 'stick with the BIOS' on http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/bios.html .

http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/bios.html
"Sticking with the BIOS"

1.
Particularly if you've got an Intel motherboard, use Linux fdisk or a similar tool to mark the EFI GPT protective partition entry in the MBR as active/bootable. In fdisk, type a followed by the partition number (probably 1), then type p to view the partition table. An asterisk (*) should appear in the Boot column for the relevant partition. You can then type w to save your changes. Do not use GParted, GNU Parted, or another libparted-based tool to make this change; these tools interpret the "boot flag" as being synonymous with an EFI System Partition type code on GPT disks, so changing the "boot flag" with these tools will not have the desired effect. You must use fdisk or some other tool that will alter the MBR data structures, not the GPT data structures!

I made fres install F16B-rc4 x86_64 DVD:

# fdisk -l /dev/sda

WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sda'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 976773167 488386583+ ee GPT

Togle Boot flag on with fdisk YES, its boot every tested Intel motherboard.

No more test today.

# gdisk /dev/sda
GPT fdisk (gdisk) version 0.7.2

Partition table scan:
MBR: protective
BSD: not present
APM: not present
GPT: present

Found valid GPT with protective MBR; using GPT.

Command (? for help): p
Disk /dev/sda: 976773168 sectors, 465.8 GiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): 8015E9F5-892F-4F6C-9A11-8F9B375979A5
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 976773134
Partitions will be aligned on 2048-sector boundaries
Total free space is 2029 sectors (1014.5 KiB)

Number Start (sector) End (sector) Size Code Name
1 2048 4095 1024.0 KiB EF02
2 4096 1028095 500.0 MiB EF00 ext4
3 1028096 105885695 50.0 GiB 0700
4 105885696 944005119 399.6 GiB 0700
5 944005120 976773119 15.6 GiB 8200

[fpmurphy]

Many Intel-manufactured BIOS-based m/boards have problems with GRUB2/GPT This is nothing new. For example, see http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gr.../msg00055.html. The solution in almost every case that I have come across is to mark the PMBR as bootable.

[nimnull22]

You have to enable support EFI in bios motherboard to be able to boot from gpt.

[AdamW]

raitulo: so you're saying that if you use the workaround of marking the protective MBR entry as bootable, it makes booting work on all those intel motherboards?

[chrismurphy]

I can report that on a Macbook Pro 8,2, dual boot, changing the hybrid MBR to a protective MBR and setting the protective MBR (single partition /dev/sda1) to be bootable makes *both* OS's non-bootable. They simply do not show up in the option-key startup disk selection menu.

Using gdisk to create a new hybrid MBR and setting specifically and only the linux boot partition to be bootable restores bootability of both OS's.

[chrismurphy]

I can report if a hybrid MBR contains either a linux boot partition, or linux lvm (or root) partition, or both, so long as either one of them is flagged bootable in the MBR, the Apple hardware I've tested will see it, and present a "Windows" disk icon at the Apple EFI startup disk menu (option key at startup). That Windows option will load grub and from there the user can choose whatever installation grub is made aware of.

So while the Apple EFI requirement for presenting a "legacy OS" option is specific, there is some permissiveness to it. It just doesn't like protective only MBRs. I'm not sure if it's because of the EE hex code for that partition or the fact there's only one partition present that it doesn't like, but that's kinda moot.

Anyway, point is there's at least one rather large pile of hardware out there that does not like the protective MBR marked as bootable. Not only does it not reveal an option to boot linux, but at least on Apple hardware it also makes the Mac OS volume non-bootable as well. (Until reversed - the data is fine.)