Newsgroups: comp.unix.solaris Date: 1997/03/12
Newsgroups: comp.unix.solaris Date: 1997/03/12
> I woould like to try booting my Sparcstation IPX from > the floppy drive but don't get a openboot prompt when I > turn on the system.
Maybe it is configured to auto-boot. When you power on and get the OpenBoot banner, hit L1-A (stop-A or break if you are using a terminal) to get the "ok" prompt.
If it's a relatively recent prom rev you should be able to type "boot floppy".
Also, you'll need to do the installboot procedure on a floppy of the correct filesystem type.
Jim.Moore
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.admin Date: 1996/01/08
> If you are using the SunOS 4.1.4 (Solaris 1.X), here's the procedure > > 1. Format the floppy and run news fs on rfd0a. > 2. After mounting this at a mount point do 'cp /boot' > 3. Install a bootblock on the floppy with > /usr/mdec/installboot /mnt/boot /usr/mdecbootfd /dev/rfd0a > 4. Copy the vmunix with 'cp /vmunix' to the mnt_point > 5. Unmount it and pat yourself on the back :-)
I don't think this is sufficient: you can boot, but you need much more of the root filesystem to do anything useful. Bootable floppies are useful with some operating systems (e.g., SCO), but I don't think they are with SunOS or Solaris. Boot from CD-ROM if you have it, from tape if you don't.
Tim Boemker
stop-A, then
boot cdrom
GRUB: GRand Unified Bootloader
GRUB is an operating system independant boot loader and shell. GRUB uses a device naming system which is different and independant of the one used by Linux. For example (hd0,0), the designation "hd0" refers to the first hard drive. The second designation refers the the partition number. Each begin counting from "0". Some systems like BSD may include more designations. Note that GRUB does not distinguish EIDE from SCSI.
Linux device name GRUB name Linux filesystem (Examples) /dev/hda1 (EIDE) or /dev/sda1 (SCSI) (hd0,0) /boot /dev/hda2 or /dev/sda2 (hd0,1) / /dev/hdb1 or /dev/sdb1 (hd1,0) /home /dev/fd0 (fd0,0) /mnt/floppy
Sample config file: /etc/grub.conf (Linked to actual file: /boot/grub/grub.conf).
default=0
timeout=10
splashimage=(hd1,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz - Image to be displayed: /boot/grub/splash.xpm.gz which is on the second hard drive, first partition.
title Red Hat Linux (2.4.9-21)
root (hd1,0) - Root of GRUB reference. Same as /boot. See above table.
kernel /vmlinuz-2.4.9-21 ro root=/dev/sdb6
initrd /initrd-2.4.9-21.img - Referenced from GRUB root reference. Hence file: /boot/initrd-2.4.9-21.img
Note: All GRUB paths are referenced from /boot, as defined by the "root" statement.
Create GRUB boot floppy:
[root prompt]# fdformat /dev/fd0H1440 [root prompt]# mke2fs /dev/fd0 [root prompt]# mount -t ext2 /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy [root prompt]# grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/floppy '(fd0)' [root prompt]# cp /boot/grub/grub.conf /mnt/floppy/boot/grub/grub.conf [root prompt]# umount /mnt/floppy
The small reduced kernel /boot/vmlinuz-…BOOT and support files in /boot can be loaded on the floppy to create other boot options.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.admin Date: 1995/06/15
>>I would like to make a bootable floppy for SUN OS 4.1.3. > >Definitely possible. It's pretty simple.
Yes, I found the procedure described in the Solaris 2 Answerbook. It is generally identical to your outline. For the record, the steps are:
fdformat newfs /dev/rfd0c mount /dev/rfd0c /mnt cp /boot /mnt cd /usr/kvm/mdec installboot /mnt/boot bootfd /dev/rfd0c
As I mentioned in the original post, I had the kernel intact on the hard disk, which I figure is the common case - people like me screw up the boot table. So, I made boot load the standard vmunix from there. The boot command is:
ok boot fd()-a
The system then boots from the floppy and asks you several questions, among which, on which device is the root filesystem and what is the name of the kernel. The answers in my case were /dev/rsd0g and /vmunix.
Kamen Penev
mkbootdisk —verbose `uname -r`
creates a stand-alone boot floppy
Formatting /dev/fd0… done. Copying /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.7-10… done. Creating initrd image… done. Setting up syslinux… done.
The only required argument is the kernel version to put onto the boot floppy
--compact
Use the "compact" LILO option.
'mkbootdisk —verbose —compact `uname -r`' yields:
/dev/fd0 1423 1113 310 79% /mnt/floppy
'mkbootdisk —verbose `uname -r`' yields:
/dev/fd0 1423 1113 311 79% /mnt/floppy
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.setup, comp.os.linux.misc Date: 2000-11-07 12:01:39 PST
> I installed RH 7.0, however I want to have this drive as a primary slave > to my NT install which is on the primary master. When I use the boot > disk it gives a kernel panic cannot mount 3:20 or something....
I ran into this problem several times before I finally figured out what was happening. I was using a different distribution, but that's not part of the issue.
When a kernel is created, it has some default values built into it. The kernel can be loaded several different ways. One way is to write it in binary mode to a floppy diskette. Another is to use a boot loader. The boot loader allows you to choose what partition you are going to boot and, if it's a good boot loader, like "lilo", will also allow you to pass override parameters to the kernel.
Regardless of how the kernel is loaded, it has to know what device has the root file system on it. Linux, like all *nix, has a single-rooted file heirarchy. In DOS, you have drive A:, B:, … Z: each of which has its own root directory.
In Linux, there's only one "root directory". It's on the root device. Various physical disks are grafted into a directory tree at mount points. But the tree has to have a root somewhere. What's happening with the kernel panic, is that the kernel is getting loaded from the floppy, and it thinks the root directory (root device) is supposed to be /dev/hda20 (3:20 = hda20?). When the kernel goes out to mount the root file system, it doesn't find the root file system (root directory) it wants and it goes into a "panic".
What you need to do now is to override the default setting in the kernel so that it expects to find the root file system on the actual device where you installed the root file system. Either that, or you need to use a boot loader that allows you to pass parameters to the kernel. Kernel parameters passed this way will override the default parameters in the kernel. You can tell your boot loader to ignore the root device pointed to by the kernel, and to use the file system on /dev/hdb5. It will be quite happy. Or you can boot with a kernel that has /dev/hdb5 set for its default.
I don't know much about NT, but from what I've read, you can use NT loader to boot Linux as well as NT. That would allow you to have a boot menu started from the hard drive. Pretty nice, useable solution. To make it work smoothest, modify the kernel to look for the root file system on /dev/hdb5. That doesn't take a recompile. There's a utility called "rdev" that changes the root device pointer in the kernel. There are a couple other items you can change in the kernel using this utility, so I recommend you use "man rdev" to get the low-down on it.
Once you've used rdev to modify the root device pointer in the kernel, you won't get kernel panic anymore. You will also want to consider swapdev, etc. ("man rdev" explains this) and the other kernel settings. With the proper minor adjustments, you will be able to boot using any of the popular methods. (NT boot loader, floppy with raw kernel, floppy with lilo, OS2 loader, loadlin, …)
If you like booting from a floppy, you might consider installing just the lilo boot loader on the floppy. It takes only a second to load. Much faster than the 10-20 seconds it takes to load the entire kernel from a floppy.
Gene Wiggins
: from the floppy, and it thinks the root directory (root device) is : supposed to be /dev/hda20 (3:20 = hda20?). When the kernel goes out
That'll be /dev/hda32. It's hex. Hey, maybe it's octal!
: I don't know much about NT, but from what I've read, you can use : NT loader to boot Linux as well as NT. That would allow you to have
You can, using the "copy lilo boot sector to boot.ini file" technique.
: the root file system on /dev/hdb5. That doesn't take a recompile. : There's a utility called "rdev" that changes the root device
Sure does.
Peter
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.setup Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 03:18:24 GMT
What is the right way (in Linux) to allow MBR to boot the active partition?
I used to install Windoze (98) on my PC first, and let it creates the right MBR which can boot the active partition. My disk partition tools was pq magic. Now, I am trying to do everything in Linux. I created my disk partition by sfdisk, and I restored my Win/Linux disk images by Partimage.
Now the problem is that the MBR created by sfdisk can not boot the active partition. I've tried it many times, and have even tried to restore the previous Windows MBR then work on it by sfdisk… nothing works.
Just to make sure it is only the MBR's booting problem. I boot my grub from floppy, then
rootnoverify (hd0,1) chainloader +1 boot
I am able to boot into my Windoze 98. Then, I tried 'format /mbr' from there but strangely, the format that comes with Windoze 98 doesn't have this /mbr option.
All in all, I have no problem creating my partitions, change the bootable partition… etc, but simply can't make MBR boot the active one.
> Then, I tried 'format /mbr'
Michael J. Tobler
Note,
fdisk /mbr
didn't enable me to boot either. Went back to pq magic.