[gentoo-user] dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[gentoo-user] dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Harry Putnam]

I'm just having second doubts about how to dual boot 2 gentoo
installations.

Can I just edit grub from the original install and add the appropriate
kernal  line like:

  title=kernel-2.6.27-r3-0x31a-1280x1024
  root (hd0,0)
  kernel /kernel-2.6.27-r3 root=/dev/hda5 vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
  
  ## add this for new install
  
  title=kernel-2.6.27-r4-0x31a-1280x1024
  root (hd1,1)
  kernel (hd1,1)/boot/kernel-2.6.27-r4 root=/dev/hdb2 vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap


I didn't want to just try it in case there is something I've forgotten
that is likely to get screwed up.

I'm not asking if the addressing is right, just asking if in general
this can be done with no problems.

Re: [gentoo-user] dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Paul Hartman]

On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 3:04 PM, Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com> wrote:
> I'm just having second doubts about how to dual boot 2 gentoo
> installations.
>
> Can I just edit grub from the original install and add the appropriate
> kernal  line like:
>
>  title=kernel-2.6.27-r3-0x31a-1280x1024
>  root (hd0,0)
>  kernel /kernel-2.6.27-r3 root=/dev/hda5 vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>
>  ## add this for new install
>
>  title=kernel-2.6.27-r4-0x31a-1280x1024
>  root (hd1,1)
>  kernel (hd1,1)/boot/kernel-2.6.27-r4 root=/dev/hdb2 vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>
>
> I didn't want to just try it in case there is something I've forgotten
> that is likely to get screwed up.
>
> I'm not asking if the addressing is right, just asking if in general
> this can be done with no problems.

I think it should be fine. As long as the separate installations don't
interfere with each other in any way, the grub part looks sensible to
me. It should be no different than guides about booting Linux
alongside Windows etc.

Re: [gentoo-user] dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Alan McKinnon]

On Monday 24 November 2008 23:04:54 Harry Putnam wrote:
> I'm just having second doubts about how to dual boot 2 gentoo
> installations.
>
> Can I just edit grub from the original install and add the appropriate
> kernal  line like:
>
>   title=kernel-2.6.27-r3-0x31a-1280x1024
>   root (hd0,0)
>   kernel /kernel-2.6.27-r3 root=/dev/hda5 vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>
>   ## add this for new install
>
>   title=kernel-2.6.27-r4-0x31a-1280x1024
>   root (hd1,1)
>   kernel (hd1,1)/boot/kernel-2.6.27-r4 root=/dev/hdb2 vga=0x31A
> video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>
>
> I didn't want to just try it in case there is something I've forgotten
> that is likely to get screwed up.
>
> I'm not asking if the addressing is right, just asking if in general
> this can be done with no problems.

You have the right idea.

Make sure your paths are correct when you install. I see you have different 
conventions on the two drives. Don't get confused :-)
-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com

[gentoo-user] Re: dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Harry Putnam]

Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@gmail.com> writes:

> On Monday 24 November 2008 23:04:54 Harry Putnam wrote:
>> I'm just having second doubts about how to dual boot 2 gentoo
>> installations.
>>
>> Can I just edit grub from the original install and add the appropriate
>> kernal  line like:
>>
>>   title=kernel-2.6.27-r3-0x31a-1280x1024
>>   root (hd0,0)
>>   kernel /kernel-2.6.27-r3 root=/dev/hda5 vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>>
>>   ## add this for new install
>>
>>   title=kernel-2.6.27-r4-0x31a-1280x1024
>>   root (hd1,1)
>>   kernel (hd1,1)/boot/kernel-2.6.27-r4 root=/dev/hdb2 vga=0x31A
>> video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>>
>>
>> I didn't want to just try it in case there is something I've forgotten
>> that is likely to get screwed up.
>>
>> I'm not asking if the addressing is right, just asking if in general
>> this can be done with no problems.
>
> You have the right idea.
>
> Make sure your paths are correct when you install. I see you have different 
> conventions on the two drives. Don't get confused :-)

Thanks but I'm not sure what you mean by conventions... do you mean
differences like that boot is not a separate partition?

And the install is already largely done but still from a chrooted
shell with the original Installation booted.

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Chris Thomas]

It looks fine. You can also press e at the Grub prompt or boot to a
live cd if it isn't right.

-Chris

On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 5:16 PM, Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com> wrote:
> Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> On Monday 24 November 2008 23:04:54 Harry Putnam wrote:
>>> I'm just having second doubts about how to dual boot 2 gentoo
>>> installations.
>>>
>>> Can I just edit grub from the original install and add the appropriate
>>> kernal  line like:
>>>
>>>   title=kernel-2.6.27-r3-0x31a-1280x1024
>>>   root (hd0,0)
>>>   kernel /kernel-2.6.27-r3 root=/dev/hda5 vga=0x31A video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>>>
>>>   ## add this for new install
>>>
>>>   title=kernel-2.6.27-r4-0x31a-1280x1024
>>>   root (hd1,1)
>>>   kernel (hd1,1)/boot/kernel-2.6.27-r4 root=/dev/hdb2 vga=0x31A
>>> video=vesafb:mtrr,ywrap
>>>
>>>
>>> I didn't want to just try it in case there is something I've forgotten
>>> that is likely to get screwed up.
>>>
>>> I'm not asking if the addressing is right, just asking if in general
>>> this can be done with no problems.
>>
>> You have the right idea.
>>
>> Make sure your paths are correct when you install. I see you have different
>> conventions on the two drives. Don't get confused :-)
>
> Thanks but I'm not sure what you mean by conventions... do you mean
> differences like that boot is not a separate partition?
>
> And the install is already largely done but still from a chrooted
> shell with the original Installation booted.
>
>
>

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Alan McKinnon]

On Tuesday 25 November 2008 00:16:26 Harry Putnam wrote:
> > You have the right idea.
> >
> > Make sure your paths are correct when you install. I see you have
> > different conventions on the two drives. Don't get confused :-)
>
> Thanks but I'm not sure what you mean by conventions... do you mean
> differences like that boot is not a separate partition?

yes, that's the bit that caught my eye

> And the install is already largely done but still from a chrooted
> shell with the original Installation booted.

You can put the various files and directories anywhere you want to within 
reason, so as long as the bootloader points to the right place, it will all 
just work.

I take it you've already observed that you can also share portage and 
distfiles directories? Easiest is if they are on their own partitions but 
there are tricks that can get the same effect if not. How to do this is left 
as an exercise for the reader :-) with one tip for those who don't know:

mount -o bind

-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Dale]

Alan McKinnon wrote:
> On Tuesday 25 November 2008 00:16:26 Harry Putnam wrote:
>   
>>> You have the right idea.
>>>
>>> Make sure your paths are correct when you install. I see you have
>>> different conventions on the two drives. Don't get confused :-)
>>>       
>> Thanks but I'm not sure what you mean by conventions... do you mean
>> differences like that boot is not a separate partition?
>>     
>
> yes, that's the bit that caught my eye
>
>   
>> And the install is already largely done but still from a chrooted
>> shell with the original Installation booted.
>>     
>
> You can put the various files and directories anywhere you want to within 
> reason, so as long as the bootloader points to the right place, it will all 
> just work.
>
> I take it you've already observed that you can also share portage and 
> distfiles directories? Easiest is if they are on their own partitions but 
> there are tricks that can get the same effect if not. How to do this is left 
> as an exercise for the reader :-) with one tip for those who don't know:
>
> mount -o bind
>
>   

Could he not share /boot?  He may want to have a different set of
kernels for some reason but couldn't he even share those?  I ask cause I
shared when I dual booted Mandrake and Gentoo.  Naturally Mandrake
didn't last long.  LOL  It did have different kernels tho.  Mandrake
used modules like a mad man.

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Galevsky]

2008/11/25 Dale <rdalek1967@gmail.com>:
> Could he not share /boot?  He may want to have a different set of
> kernels for some reason but couldn't he even share those?  I ask cause I
> shared when I dual booted Mandrake and Gentoo.  Naturally Mandrake
> didn't last long.  LOL  It did have different kernels tho.  Mandrake
> used modules like a mad man.

Look at the kernel definition line:

kernel (hd1,1)/boot/kernel-2.6.27-r4 root=/dev/hdb2

You have to specify a file as a kernel and a / partition. Wherever
they are. If you want to share -or not- a unique /boot, feel free.

Galevsky

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Jorge Peixoto de Morais Neto]

> I take it you've already observed that you can also share portage and
> distfiles directories? Easiest is if they are on their own partitions but
> there are tricks that can get the same effect if not. How to do this is left
> as an exercise for the reader :-) with one tip for those who don't know:
>
> mount -o bind
> --
> alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com
I know about mount -o bind.
However, (forgive me if this is naive), why not just a symlink? That
is the way I do.
I want my root partition to be small (for performance reasons), so I
put things that don't need speed int its own partion, which I mount in
/usr/local/slowpart (the name fits; the partition is at the end of the
harddisk and 80% full, so it is slower than the root partion, that is
at the beginning of the hard disk and 7% full.
In this slowpart, I have DISTDIR, PKGDIR, and some personal files that
are not frequently accessed (such as files I will likely never use but
kept for safety). I configure DISTDIR and PKGDIR in make.conf, but the
personal files are linked to my home via symbolic links.

Another reason for having a different partition is that I can easily
backup my other personal data to it when I have to format the root
partition.

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Jorge Peixoto de Morais Neto]

On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 3:06 AM, Jorge Peixoto de Morais Neto
<please.no.spam.here@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I take it you've already observed that you can also share portage and
>> distfiles directories? Easiest is if they are on their own partitions but
>> there are tricks that can get the same effect if not. How to do this is left
>> as an exercise for the reader :-) with one tip for those who don't know:
>>
>> mount -o bind
>> --
>> alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com
> I know about mount -o bind.
> However, (forgive me if this is naive), why not just a symlink? That
> is the way I do.
> I want my root partition to be small (for performance reasons), so I
> put things that don't need speed int its own partion, which I mount in
> /usr/local/slowpart (the name fits; the partition is at the end of the
> harddisk and 80% full, so it is slower than the root partion, that is
> at the beginning of the hard disk and 7% full.
> In this slowpart, I have DISTDIR, PKGDIR, and some personal files that
> are not frequently accessed (such as files I will likely never use but
> kept for safety). I configure DISTDIR and PKGDIR in make.conf, but the
> personal files are linked to my home via symbolic links.
I guess the advantage of bind-mount is having all of it configured in
fstab, as instead of having many symlinks.
(forgive me it this is naive).

And there is all that --move, --make-shared, --make-slave,
--make-private, --make-unbindable stuff, but that seems overkill for a
desktop user.

-- 
Software is like sex: it is better when it is free - Linus Torvalds

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: dual booting 2 gentoo installations

[Alan McKinnon]

On Thursday 27 November 2008 07:20:37 Jorge Peixoto de Morais Neto wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 3:06 AM, Jorge Peixoto de Morais Neto
>
> <please.no.spam.here@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> I take it you've already observed that you can also share portage and
> >> distfiles directories? Easiest is if they are on their own partitions
> >> but there are tricks that can get the same effect if not. How to do this
> >> is left as an exercise for the reader :-) with one tip for those who
> >> don't know:
> >>
> >> mount -o bind
> >> --
> >> alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com
> >
> > I know about mount -o bind.
> > However, (forgive me if this is naive), why not just a symlink? That
> > is the way I do.
> > I want my root partition to be small (for performance reasons), so I
> > put things that don't need speed int its own partion, which I mount in
> > /usr/local/slowpart (the name fits; the partition is at the end of the
> > harddisk and 80% full, so it is slower than the root partion, that is
> > at the beginning of the hard disk and 7% full.
> > In this slowpart, I have DISTDIR, PKGDIR, and some personal files that
> > are not frequently accessed (such as files I will likely never use but
> > kept for safety). I configure DISTDIR and PKGDIR in make.conf, but the
> > personal files are linked to my home via symbolic links.
>


> I guess the advantage of bind-mount is having all of it configured in
> fstab, as instead of having many symlinks.
> (forgive me it this is naive).

I wouldn't call it naive. Sometimes the simple solution is the best one, 
sometimes you need something more complex. So whether to use symlinks or a 
bind mount depends on circumstance.

>
> And there is all that --move, --make-shared, --make-slave,
> --make-private, --make-unbindable stuff, but that seems overkill for a
> desktop user.



-- 
alan dot mckinnon at gmail dot com