Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > linux.debian.user > #170621

Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install

Show all headers | View raw

On 8/1/2016 12:01 PM, David Wright wrote:
> 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.

I meant after the Installer had asked me all its questions and I 
gave go ahead to complete install.
The only strangeness should have been where grub was installed.
I emphasized the atypical nature because back in Squeeze days 
here was much "Don't do that" concerning putting grub in its own 
partition. When the installer APPEARED to offer me a desirable 
option, I chose it. Also I've lost the link to the instructions I 
had used then. Not sure if they would match the current version 
of Grub in any case.

>  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.)

I used GPARTED Live to delete all existing partitions.
I then created a Ext2 partition at the beginning of the drive and 
flagged it as bootable. [This is partition I reserved for grub].
The remainder of drive was set up as extended partition.
Created a 3 GB Linux Swap at the end of the extended partition.
Created a 10 GB partition at the beginning of the extended 
partition for this install of Debian.

>  What did you write in your "grub partition"?

Me nothing ;) I assumed that when the installer asked me where to 
manually place grub it would do so. I had followed the installer 
formatting examples saying /dev/sda1 .

>> 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 suspected as much.

>  I'd be surprised if there was a mainstream HOWTO for your
> approach as it's so unusual.

If I'm successful that will change.
My goal is to learn enough about *nix too have the detail control 
of Slackware or "Linux from Scratch" with the advantages of 
Debian standard repositories.

If retirement is not for learning, what use is it?

>
> Cheers,
> David.
>
>

Back to linux.debian.user | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-08-01 17:40 +0200
  Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2016-08-01 19:10 +0200
    Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-08-01 20:10 +0200
      Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2016-08-01 21:00 +0200
      Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2016-08-01 21:20 +0200
        Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-08-01 22:30 +0200
        Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2016-08-02 03:10 +0200
        Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Pascal Hambourg <pascal@plouf.fr.eu.org> - 2016-08-06 12:10 +0200
        Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Pascal Hambourg <pascal@plouf.fr.eu.org> - 2016-08-06 12:10 +0200
          Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-08-06 15:10 +0200
          Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2016-08-06 16:20 +0200
            Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Pascal Hambourg <pascal@plouf.fr.eu.org> - 2016-08-07 00:00 +0200
              Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2016-08-07 00:20 +0200
            Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Pascal Hambourg <pascal@plouf.fr.eu.org> - 2016-08-07 11:50 +0200
  Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Brian Flaherty <bxf4@yahoo.com> - 2016-08-01 19:30 +0200
    Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-08-01 20:30 +0200
  Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-08-05 20:50 +0200
    Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2016-08-05 22:10 +0200
      Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-08-05 23:10 +0200
      [PRIVATE REPLY} Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-08-05 23:20 +0200
    Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2016-09-02 15:40 +0200
      Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2016-09-03 06:30 +0200
        Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Lisi Reisz <lisi.reisz@gmail.com> - 2016-09-03 12:40 +0200
          Re: Problem with NON-STANDARD install Gene Heskett <gheskett@shentel.net> - 2016-09-03 13:00 +0200

csiph-web