Does lilo still have a limit on it's menu entries?
All my Debian installs, Sarge, Etch, and Lenny, originally started off as
Woody 3.0r2, and LiLo was, and still is the bootloader. I installed on Etch
yesterday the 2.6.18-5 kernel, which shows up in /boot ok, but running lilo
doesn't add it to lilo's menu.
I read a while back that earlier versions of lilo could only have 6 entries on
the menu. My lilo version is 1:22.6.1-9.3.
The original kernel when I installed Woody 3.0r2 was a bf one. It is still
listed in /boot, and on lilo's menu. but is nowhere to be seen in synaptic,
and no longer will boot with Etch. On the face of it, I can't see how to
remove this original boot floppy kernel.
Can I just delete all references to the 2.4.18-bf2.4 kernel in /boot? Then run
lilo again. It seems a bit of a hack, but I can't see any way around it as
synaptic doesn't even list the bf kernel, and you can't uninstall something
that's not on the list.
/etc/lilo.conf is below. There are 2 entries for the bf kernel, making 7
entries in total, but I'm presuming that as both bf entries are pointing to
the same kernel, lilo is reasoning that only 6 kernel entries are listed on
the menu, but I may well be wrong in my reasoning.
# /etc/lilo.conf - See: `lilo(8)' and `lilo.conf(5)',
# --------------- `install-mbr(8)', `/usr/share/doc/lilo/',
# and `/usr/share/doc/mbr/'.
# +---------------------------------------------------------------+
# | !! Reminder !! |
# | |
# | Don't forget to run `lilo' after you make changes to this |
# | conffile, `/boot/bootmess.txt', or install a new kernel. The |
# | computer will most likely fail to boot if a kernel-image |
# | post-install script or you don't remember to run `lilo'. |
# | |
# +---------------------------------------------------------------+
# Support LBA for large hard disks.
#
lba32
# Overrides the default mapping between harddisk names and the BIOS'
# harddisk order. Use with caution.
#disk=/dev/hde
# bios=0x81
#disk=/dev/sda
# bios=0x80
# Specifies the boot device. This is where Lilo installs its boot
# block. It can be either a partition, or the raw device, in which
# case it installs in the MBR, and will overwrite the current MBR.
#
boot=/dev/hda5
# Specifies the device that should be mounted as root. (`/')
#
root=/dev/hda5
# Enable map compaction:
# Tries to merge read requests for adjacent sectors into a single
# read request. This drastically reduces load time and keeps the
# map smaller. Using `compact' is especially recommended when
# booting from a floppy disk. It is disabled here by default
# because it doesn't always work.
#
# compact
# Installs the specified file as the new boot sector
# You have the choice between: bmp, compat, menu and text
# Look in /boot/ and in lilo.conf(5) manpage for details
#
install=/boot/boot-menu.b
# Specifies the location of the map file
#
map=/boot/map
# You can set a password here, and uncomment the `restricted' lines
# in the image definitions below to make it so that a password must
# be typed to boot anything but a default configuration. If a
# command line is given, other than one specified by an `append'
# statement in `lilo.conf', the password will be required, but a
# standard default boot will not require one.
#
# This will, for instance, prevent anyone with access to the
# console from booting with something like `Linux init=/bin/sh',
# and thus becoming `root' without proper authorization.
#
# Note that if you really need this type of security, you will
# likely also want to use `install-mbr' to reconfigure the MBR
# program, as well as set up your BIOS to disallow booting from
# removable disk or CD-ROM, then put a password on getting into the
# BIOS configuration as well. Please RTFM `install-mbr(8)'.
#
# password=tatercounter2000
# Specifies the number of deciseconds (0.1 seconds) LILO should
# wait before booting the first image.
#
delay=20
# You can put a customized boot message up if you like. If you use
# `prompt', and this computer may need to reboot unattended, you
# must specify a `timeout', or it will sit there forever waiting
# for a keypress. `single-key' goes with the `alias' lines in the
# `image' configurations below. eg: You can press `1' to boot
# `Linux', `2' to boot `LinuxOLD', if you uncomment the `alias'.
#
# message=/boot/bootmess.txt
prompt
timeout=150
# prompt
# single-key
# delay=100
# timeout=100
# Specifies the VGA text mode at boot time. (normal, extended, ask, <mode>)
#
# vga=ask
# vga=9
#
vga=normal
# Kernel command line options that apply to all installed images go
# here. See: The `boot-prompt-HOWO' and `kernel-parameters.txt' in
# the Linux kernel `Documentation' directory.
#
# append=""
# Boot up Linux by default.
#
default=Linux
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.18-bf2.4
label=Linux
read-only
# restricted
# alias=1
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.18-bf2.4
label=LinuxOLD
read-only
optional
# restricted
# alias=2
# If you have another OS on this machine to boot, you can uncomment the
# following lines, changing the device name on the `other' line to
# where your other OS' partition is.
#
# other=/dev/hda4
# label=HURD
# restricted
# alias=3
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.27-2-386
label=Linuxalsa
initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.4.27-2-386
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-3-386
label=Linux2.6-386
initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.8-3-386
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-2-686
label=Linux2.6.17
initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-2-686
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-3-686
label=Linux2.6.18-3
initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-3-686
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-4-686
label=Linux2.6.18-4
initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-4-686
read-only
I should have kernel 2.6.18-5-686 here as well, if lilo can handle more than 6
menu items now.
Comments welcome.
Nigel.
btw: I don't particularly want to replace lilo with grub. I know grub can
handle multiple menu entries, as on my Fedora installs. I just thought that
later versions of lilo had resolved the 6 menu entries limit.
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