Re: Choosing default OS in multi boot system
berenger.morel@neutralite.org wrote:
Le 30.10.2013 14:55, Richard Owlett a écrit :
I have a laptop physically set aside for _experimenting_ with
install
parameters to determine my optimum configuration. One install will
duplicate as closely as possible whatever comes with some donated
hardware for the church's after school program for pre-teens.
The combination of running the Debian Installer with as many
defaults
as possible and Grub2 being automatically installed each time
results
in two annoying characteristics.
ONE:
On boot, the the last system installed will be the default.
That is
the least likely one to run correctly (IF AT ALL) due to bad
choices
during install or subsequent tweaking. Resulting Grub rescue
mode ...
;/
TWO:
When there are multiple Debian installs present, especially
when same
kernel used, the Grub menu is not informative.
QUESTION_ONE:
Can I force the boot to default to the oldest rather than newest
install. It will always be a functioning install and usually is
completely normal with ONLY defaults chosen.
QUESTION_TWO:
Is there an automatic way for the Grub menu to display the
associated
partition label instead of the kernel id? the partition
designation
(sda1 ... sda8 etc) would be minimally acceptable.
I could manually edit the configuration file which advises "DO
NT EDIT" ;/
I do occasionally try to follow convention :)
TIA
My replies to your questions are: "probably". You probably can do
those things, but I have no idea about how, because grub became
too complex to maintain. I allow you to understand here, that I
think grub is bloated for my uses.
Your problems are the exact ones I had, and which made me switch
to lilo.
Where Grub is bloated, lilo obviously lacks small features:
Don't know if I'd call Grub2 bloated, but Grub-legacy was friendlier.
_ no QWERTY text editor inside ( it is anyway a pain to use such
keyboard if you do not usually use qwerty keyboards, as I )
Didn't know either Grub or lilo had an internal editor.
_ no automatic updates when you add or remove a kernel (
os-prober does not change the /etc/lilo.conf file, so you must be
careful on kernel updates. But you should anyway always be, right? )
Automation was motivation for staying with Grub, but may not be
worth the bother.
But, by being simple, it's damn easy to add a new OS, it takes 5
lines (and some are not mandatory) at the end of the config file:
===
image = /boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-2-amd64
label = "linux-old"
root = /dev/sda6
initrd = /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-2-amd64
read-only
===
I do not think I need to explain the content of those lines,
except that I have used the old way /dev/sda6 for partition
names, but indeed, other ones works too. It's simply that this
way is easier to maintain than
"9dfd6ae9-d0ff-46ef-ac65-7bb9dbe7b614".
For the default system, there is a dedicated line:
===
default=Linux-old
===
There are other various things, mostly to configure the selection
menu ( do you want a CLI interface, ncurse-like interface, or
graphical one? How much time do you want to have to choose
default? etc) but you will learn about them easily by reading
comments in debian's default lilo.conf.
I experimented with it some time ago. Don't recall it being too
difficult to deal with. Also I have become more
familiar/comfortable with Debian/*nix way of doing things in the
meantime.
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