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Problems with GRUB 2

Started by Radek, 2009.12.07, 11:34:49

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Radek

Sorry for (ab)using the forum for topics that perhaps should be communicated other way :)

A friend of us, Joe, tried to install Ubuntu 9.10 on his eCS machine. He was unable to boot Ubuntu using BM after installation. He got "disk not formatted" error. eCS booted, LVM reported no errors on the disk, the Ubuntu partition was okay. We suspected ext4, but it wasn't guilty - installing Ubuntu on ext3 did not solved the problem.

In the end, the only thing that could cause troubles, was GRUB 2. Ubuntu 9.10 uses GRUB 2 while preceding versions use GRUB 0.9. Therefore, Joe installed Ubuntu 9.04 and the upgraded to 9.10. This passed.

This means that GRUB 2 seems to be incompatible with BM somehow. Because GRUB 2 can be supposed to appear in further releases of other Linux flavours, too, this could mean that eCS/Linux machines won't be booted using BM.

The whole discussion is on os2.cz . Can anybody inform eCS maintainers about possible problems with BM?

chennecke

This problem is caused by a bug in Grub2. Currently, Grub2 cannot be installed to a partition, only to the MBR.

There are the following scenarios:

* On systems with disks < 512GB, you should be able to install Grub2 to the MBR and boot OS/2 via the IBM Bootmanager using the chainloader option. Or you use the IBM Bootmanager as the main boot manager and install Grub1 in the Linux partition.

* On disks >512GB, OS/2 does not support the correct geometry. You can still use the IBM Bootmanager and install Grub 1 in the Linux partition.

rdconsult

#2
Quote from: chennecke on 2009.12.07, 13:15:37
This problem is caused by a bug in Grub2. Currently, Grub2 cannot be installed to a partition, only to the MBR.

There are the following scenarios:

* On systems with disks < 512GB, you should be able to install Grub2 to the MBR and boot OS/2 via the IBM Bootmanager using the chainloader option. Or you use the IBM Bootmanager as the main boot manager and install Grub1 in the Linux partition.

* On disks >512GB, OS/2 does not support the correct geometry. You can still use the IBM Bootmanager and install Grub 1 in the Linux partition.


GRUB2 is used in 9.04 if file system ext4 is selected.

GRUB2 has to be installed to the Partition boot record.

There is a thread at German OS2.org

Mulit Boot System mit BM, Installation von Ubuntu 9.04 in freier logischer Partition HowTo

http://de.os2.org/forum/helpdesk/?list=123432

The Howto is tested and verifyed with 9.04

Does GRUB2in MBR or the chainload module set the  I13X Flag in memory (required by the BMR and OS/2 PBR code)?

See The OS/2 Master Boot Record - I13 I13X Test and Flag

http://os4you.org/wiki-usb-boot-en.html#The_OS.2F2_Master_Boot_Record_-_I13_I13X_Test_and_Flag
 
kind regards

Rainer

chennecke

I don't know about the I13X flag.

Anyway, I tried a large number of instructions from different howtos and was unable to start the IBM Bootmanager from Grub1 or Grub2. Furthermore, installing Grub2 to the PBR was not possible either. The installation script's output suggested that the installation worked but it apparently didn't. That's a known problem, at least with Ubuntu 9.10.

On the other hand, I can load Ubuntu 9.10 located on an ext4 drive with Grub1 installed to its PBR just fine.

Radek

I also wasn't able to "boot BM" from Grub 0.97. I am running eCS/Debian so that I am lucky not having anything common with Grub 2 so far. But how long will I be lucky?

Let us hope the bug in Grub 2 gets fixed soon and we shall be allowed to forget the problem with it. Otherwise, we have to start searching for another boot manager which will be compatible with Grub 2 somehow and which will be able to start OS/2.

Saijin_Naib

Can AIRBOOT handle both?

abwillis

I had problems with Grub when I installed Ubuntu 9.04 (not sure if it was Grub or Grub2... used JFS).  It would not install to the Partition.  Finally, I created an 8M ext2 partition and installed Grub to it which then allowed me to add that to BM.
Andy