Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install
On Mon 01 Aug 2016 at 10:37:28 (-0500), Richard Owlett wrote:
> *CAVEAT LECTOR*
> I _KNOW_ I'm doing an *ATYPICAL* install.
> I *REQUIRE* Grub to be its own partition.
> The Debian 8.4 installer at least recognizes that some users would
> desire Grub to be in its own partition.
>
> "Debian GNU/Linux Installation Guide"
> [https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/] effectively ignores
> the issue.
>
> 6.3.6.2. Install the Grub Boot Loader on a Hard Disk says only:
> ...By default, grub will be installed into the Master Boot Record
> (MBR), where it will take over complete control of the boot process.
> If you prefer, you can install it elsewhere. See the grub manual for
> complete information. ...
>
> It does not even give a link for "grub manual" [e.g.
> http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html] which says in
> Section 3.4 "...or the core image can be installed in a file system
> and a list of the blocks that make it up can be stored in the first
> sector of that partition."
>
> I assumed that as the installer explicitly gave the option it would
> handle the details. It apparently did not.
>
> After install,
If this was a non-standard install, then "After install" on its own
doesn't mean much. What did you install where? What's in the MBR
of the disk you installed on? (What the disk was used for previously
might be important here.) What did you write in your "grub partition"?
> I am dumped into GRUB's rescue mode
> "set" responds
> prefix=(hd0,msdos1)/boot/grub
> root=hd0,msdos1
>
> "ls" responds
> (hd0) (hd0,msdos5) (hd0,msdos2) (hd0,msdos1)
>
> The title in readme.txt on the installation DVD reads "Debian
> GNU/Linux 8.4.0 "Jessie" -
> Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20160402-13:26"
>
> I had set aside sda1 [2GB ext2] for grub.
That's generous. My /boot directory contains 20MB (I only have
one kernel installed) and /boot/grub contains 11MB.
> Examining sda1 with a live edition of GPARTED shows ~33 MB has been
> written to it.
> Examining it with a live edition of Debian 7 shows no files, hidden
> or not.
Then presumably you didn't mount it and write any files on it during
the installation? (33MB could be the filesystem metadata though I
don't have an empty partition to see if this number is reasonable.)
> Where will I find the missing details?
Probably scattered in various forums. You may have to piece things
together. I'd be surprised if there was a mainstream HOWTO for your
approach as it's so unusual.
Cheers,
David.
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