Dual boot, LILO, GRUB2, SYSLINUX

[mt12345]

machine was running debian with grub2 as boot loader then I installed porteus on spare partition.
how to update lilo (or syslinux or whatever is responsible for booting now) to add debian entry?
I understand I need to add some lines somewhere with image, initrd and location (sda1).

[fanthom]

if you had a bootloader already - what was the point of running Porteus installer?
you could add Porteus to your Grub2 instead ....

anyway - please show us your Grub2 config.

[mt12345]

if you had a bootloader already - what was the point of running Porteus installer?
you could add Porteus to your Grub2 instead ....

I didn't think I would need to boot to debian anymore...
I just kept the partitions to save data.

I want to boot it again to compare software versions and behaviour or even convert some debs.

edit:

I could use supergrub cd or something but I want to learn how to dual boot porteus.

edit2:

documentation covers windows-porteus dual boot scenario only

[mt12345]

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
function gfxmode {
set gfxpayload="${1}"
}
set linux_gfx_mode=1024x768
export linux_gfx_mode
menuentry 'siduction 2013.2.0 paintitblack (lxqt) GNU/Linux' --class siduction --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os $menuentry_id_option 'gnulinux-simple-bead1e15-7d87-4a3a-840f-120f596ff64f' {
load_video
gfxmode $linux_gfx_mode
insmod gzio
insmod part_msdos
insmod ext2
set root='hd0,msdos1'
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root --hint-bios=hd0,msdos1 --hint-efi=hd0,msdos1 --hint-baremetal=ahci0,msdos1 --hint='hd0,msdos1' bead1e15-7d87-4a3a-840f-120f596ff64f
else
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set=root bead1e15-7d87-4a3a-840f-120f596ff64f
fi
echo 'Loading Linux 3.15-5.towo-siduction-amd64 ...'
linux /boot/vmlinuz-3.15-5.towo-siduction-amd64 root=UUID=bead1e15-7d87-4a3a-840f-120f596ff64f ro quiet
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /boot/initrd.img-3.15-5.towo-siduction-amd64
}

[francois]

Personnally to work with porteus my preference is really to boot with grub legacy. Post on easily reinstalling porteus with grub legacy:
http://forum.porteus.org/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=946

Some information on grub2 and porteus:
viewtopic.php?f=48&t=1790

Repairing or reinstalling grub2:
http://www.howtogeek.com/114884/how-to- ... wont-boot/
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2 ... 20GRUB%202

[mt12345]

I know how to repair grub but I thought it would be easier to edit porteus.cfg or lilo.conf instead of booting *buntu.
grub legacy thread - bookmarked, I will investigate later.
thanks for help.

[francois]

Syslinux is quite similar to grub legacy with some small differences in syntax. 8)

Here are some grub legacy entries for debian type systems, crunchbang, ubuntu:
http://crunchbang.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=15748
http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.p ... 94900.html

An example crunchbang adapted to syslinux menu entry:

Code: Select all

LABEL xfce CRUNCHBANG
MENU LABEL Graphics mode (XFCE)
KERNEL /boot/vmlinuz-3.7-1.towo-siduction-amd64
APPEND initrd=/boot/initrd.img-3.7-1.towo-siduction-amd64 root=/dev/sda6 ro noacpi quiet splash
TEXT HELP
Run Porteus the best way we can.
Try to autoconfigure graphics
card and use the maximum
allowed resolution
ENDTEXT

[mt12345]

looks like syslinux is looking for debian kernel in porteus partition (sda4)
I copied debian's files to porteus to get it booting.

# mkdir /mnt/sda4/boot/syslinux/debian
# cp /mnt/sda1/boot/* /mnt/sda4/boot/syslinux/debian/

Code: Select all

LABEL rqt SIDUCTION
MENU LABEL Debian
KERNEL debian/vmlinuz-3.15-5.towo-siduction-amd64
APPEND initrd=debian/initrd.img-3.15-5.towo-siduction-amd64 root=/dev/sda1 ro

[francois]

Do we have a solution?

What about changing to root=/dev/sda4 as in:

Code: Select all

LABEL rqt SIDUCTION
MENU LABEL Debian
KERNEL debian/vmlinuz-3.15-5.towo-siduction-amd64
APPEND initrd=debian/initrd.img-3.15-5.towo-siduction-amd64 root=/dev/sda4 ro

[mt12345]

It works with root=/dev/sda1 (sda4 = porteus)

Anyway debian doesnt boot to desktop, it hangs right after mounting sda2 (/home) that's probably because I shrank the partition.
Nevermind.
I have just replaced debian with salix and changed entry in porteus.cfg:

Code: Select all

LABEL salix
MENU LABEL Salix
KERNEL vmlinuz-huge-3.10.17
APPEND root=/dev/sda1 ro

(again I had to copy kernel to porteus partition - sda4/boot/syslinux)
The problem is solved (till next kernel upgrade on salix side).
Thanx!

[francois]

Thus salix is on sda1, isn't it?

[mt12345]

yes

[fanthom]

(again I had to copy kernel to porteus partition - sda4/boot/syslinux)

yes - seems that syslinux wont allow you to load kernel from other partition (unlike grub) but you could install syslinux in salix as well, set the timeout to 0 and chainload to /dev/sda1 as per this thread:
link

on the other hand i remember someone posting a solution to similar problem on our forum and he was using syslinux only - cant find it right now...

[mt12345]

t you could install syslinux in salix

nah I want to keep it the way it is.
portreus is my main OS , salix is installed on 'testing' partition it may be replaced soon by opensuse fedora anything

[francois]

You need to use extlinux, according to this archlinux thread:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sy ... ux_systems

I will try that.