[Mageia-dev] Grub2 vs. Grub Legacy in M3

Tue Jan 29 01:26:30 CET 2013

On 2013-01-28 22:38 (GMT) Barry Jackson composed:
+
+> Felix Miata wrote:
+
+>> On 2013-01-28 19:27 (GMT) Barry Jackson composed:
+
+>>> So IMO all of the FUD about "you can't install grub2 to the PBR" is
+>>> pointless since it's just not necessary.
+
+>> Maybe not all is FUD. I don't see anything in that README that describes
+>> a procedure for an OS/2 or eCS multibooter whose primary bootloader
+>> and/or bootloader of choice is IBM Boot Manager, which is prerequisite
+>> to booting OS/2 when it is installed to a logical partition (the only
+>> place I've ever installed it in the past decade). It can't be told to
+>> load a particular file on a partition, only its PBR via the simple
+>> process of selecting a partition in its setup utility for inclusion in
+>> its boot menu. It works (in effect, chainloads) fine for partitions on
+>> which Grub Legacy has been configured with the Grub Legacy setup
+>> command. The only options I see for such users is selecting a partition
+>> with Grub Legacy configured with menu.lst stanza(s) that include
+>> core.img, or configuring IBM BM as a secondary bootloader to a primary
+>> bootloader that is not installed on the MBR.
+
+> Maybe.
+> I have no OS/2 systems to test with.
+> I think grub2 can be forced to write to the PBR (but I can't find it
+> documented just now).
+> Maybe you could investigate and test this and suggest an edit to the
+> README ?
+
+Doing this justice probably requires a bigger scope than I can handle. I 
+stopped upgrading eCS at v2.0, while in releases since then, the default eCS 
+boot manager was changed to AiR-Boot, which is yet another problem, as it 
+installs into the MBR track. OTOH, Gene Alexander, who is an eCS VAR, should 
+be equipped to do this if he's willing and able to invest the time. I see 
+he's filed 25 Mageia bugs and was a Mandriva user pre-Mageia.
+
+Not only is eCS >2.0 beyond my means (and interest), Grub Legacy took me a 
+long time to wrap my head around, leaving me loathe to invest more than 
+nominal time in Grub2 issues, with its extensive deviations from Grub Legacy 
+basics, and yet youthful stage of development and documentation.
+
+I've only ever allowed Grub2 to be installed on a very few *buntu installs. I 
+currently have Kubuntu 10.04 LTS  with Grub 1.98 on its sda12 PBR booting 
+from IBM BM on sda2 on host gx150, and I have Kubuntu 12.04 LTS with Grub 
+1.99 on its sda15 PBR booting from IBM BM on sda2 on host t2240. These are 13 
+& 11 year old and slow Intel systems. The former is i815 with Piii CPU with 
+neither had Mandriva nor Mageia ever installed, and I like to avoid doing any 
+more than I must with it.
+
+The newer host t2240 is a Celeron P4 @ 2.40GHz and i845G chipset I have 
+similar but weaker aversion to use. It does have M2 with Grub Legacy on sda16 
+PBR booting from IBM BM (until today not booted since June).
+
+Does M2 have current Grub2 in backports, or would it be simple enough to 
+install from Cauldron repos? If so, maybe if needed and pressed I could find 
+time to try installing Grub2 to its PBR. I'm not of a mind to replace M2 
+there yet, and it doesn't have space for a new installation of anything until 
+I figure out what if anything I want to do about its crowded HD.
+-- 
+"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
+words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)
+
+  Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!
+
+Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/
+