On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 19:37:40 -0400
Cliff Avey <makalu(a)ansae.com> wrote:
I've got an FC3 system build with /boot (and grub) on hda1, swap
on
hda2, / (root) on hda5 (extended partition) and /var on hda6. I'd like
to install a separately booted FC7 on this box and add it to my main
grub menu.
The "chainloader" command is what I use for this. It works great because
each version gets its own /boot and grub.conf so any kernel updates
I apply don't mess up my master grub.conf. Looks like this:
On my "master" boot, I told linux to install grub in the MBR, and the
grub.conf I have looks like this:
default=0
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,1)/grub/zooty.xpm.gz
title F7 x86_64
rootnoverify (hd0,4)
chainloader +1
title F7 i386
rootnoverify (hd0,5)
chainloader +1
title FC6 x86_64
rootnoverify (hd0,2)
chainloader +1
title Windows XP i386
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
title Fedora Core 5 x86_64 (2.6.18-1.2239.fc5)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-1.2239.fc5 ro root=LABEL=FC5ROOT64 rhgb quiet audit=0 selinux=0
8250.nr_uarts=9
initrd /initrd-2.6.18-1.2239.fc5.img
title Fedora Core 5 x86_64 (2.6.18-1.2200.fc5)
root (hd0,1)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-1.2200.fc5 ro root=LABEL=FC5ROOT64 rhgb quiet audit=0 selinux=0
8250.nr_uarts=9
initrd /initrd-2.6.18-1.2200.fc5.img
Those last two entries are for the actual kernel on the FC5 system that
I never use anymore, but which serves as my master grub and emergency
boot if f7 gets hosed for some reason.
My other systems I just install normally (had to install windows 1st or
it gets all screwed up). When installing another linux, I tell it to
use the advanced grub options and make it install grub in the /boot
partition (NOT the MBR).
The effect of all this is that grub usually runs twice, once to boot the
master, then the 2nd time to boot the chain loaded system.
This sort of evolved this way. If I was starting from scratch, I'd probably
build a stand alone grub boot partition that did nothing but chainloading
and didn't even have an associated copy of linux (there are some web pages
I've found in google that describe how to do a stand alone grub like
this).