Arch Questions

[cheetahman]

Here is the Menu.lst file and would I also have to configure the fstab also and then I'm going to install SUSE will it detect the partitions if I don't configure it.

It looks like I don't have to configure the fstab

/etc/fstab

Your filesystem settings and mountpoints are configured here. The install program should have created the necessary entries for you, but you should look over it and make sure it's right.


# Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Mon Jul 3 18:29:13 EDT 2006

color white/blue black/light-gray
default 0
timeout 8
gfxmenu (hd0,5)/boot/message

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: windows 2###

title Windows XP
chainloader (hd0,1)+1

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title SUSE Linux 10.1
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 vga=0x31a resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: floppy###
title Floppy
chainloader (fd0)+1

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe -- SUSE Linux 10.1
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 vga=normal showopts ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off noresume nosmp noapic maxcpus=0 edd=off 3
initrd /boot/initrd

title Previous Kernel -- SUSE LINUX 10.1
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz.previous root=/dev/hda6 vga=0x31a resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd.previous

Those three I mentioned all have been setup to triboot with Debian I had it install the Bootloader then Reinstalled and SUSE overwrote and detected it but what would It look like without the Yast info also Arch is going to be installed in /hda7 so it over writes Debian.


title Windows XP
chainloader (hd0,1)+1

title SUSE Linux 10.1
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 vga=0x31a resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd

title Arch Linux
root (hd0,6) - is this hda7
kernel /boot/
initrd /boot/initrd

Does vga stand for the monitor and what is mkinicpio and mkinitrd the only one I have used so far is initrd also what does resume=/dev/hda5 mean and hda5 is the swap.

Also Arch is a cross between Slackware and Gentoo. "Hard and Customizable"

It currently my computer is setup like this

hda1-Fat contains Dell Partition
hda2-Windows XP
hda3-Extended
hda5-Swap
hda6-SUSE Linux 10.1
hda7-Debian Sarge



title Windows XP
chainloader (hd0,1)+1

title SUSE Linux 10.1
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 vga=0x31a resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd

title Arch Linux
root (hd0,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/hda7 ro vga=794
initrd /boot/kernel26.img

So is this all correct

title Windows XP
chainloader (hd0,1)+1

title SUSE Linux 10.1
root (hd0,5)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda6 vga=0x31a resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent showopts
initrd /boot/initrd

title Arch Linux
root (hd0,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/hda7 ro vga=791
initrd /boot/kernel26.img

Mine doesn't have these on it currently but Windows XP boots without it would it matter in Arch

makeactive
chainloader +1

[saikee]

You have asked too many questions and I get confused.

Unless one has the full menu.lst or access to its /boot of Arch it would not be possible for one to comment on the accuracy of your amendments.

I start with your last question of

(1) Makeactive command

A Linux never need to be made active in order to boot. So forget about the Grub command "makeactive" as it is only used on systems that must be installed in and booted from a primary partition. You can tell from both Grub and Lilo that Linux boot loader always identifies the partition to be booted and so it doesn't matter if the partition has been made active or not.

Windows systems need to be made active because MS's MBR has no target partition to boot. It searches the 4 primary partitions, much like a blind person, and boots the one that has been marked "active". That is why official MS systems cannot be booted from a logical partition while Linux can.

The makeactive command may be omitted if you have only one MS system (and no other system that uses the active flag like Solaris or BSD) in the hard disk as the active partition should have no necessity of getting altered.

(2) Chainloader +1 command

This is known as the "indirect booting". If you look at how Windows is booted
title Windows XP
chainloader (hd0,1)+1
The last command is of course just a combination of

root (hd0,1)
chainloader +1

The command is to ask Grub, currently sitting in the MBR, to load whatever system in the second partition of disk 1 (known as (hd0,1) as Grub counts from 0) from its +1 position. The +1 position is the second sector of the hard disk and the MBR occupies the very first sector.

All bootable partitions has its boot loader at the boot sector starting at the very beginning of the partition.

The chainloader +1 is therefore for Grub booting to another boot loader by missing its first sector. Once the second boot loader is in memory it will load its own master system. Grub and the second boot loader is cut and paste together (Grub at the first sector with second boot loader occupying the remainder).

Had Grub booted Windows "directly" it must use the kernel and initrd command but Windows has no formal kernel or ram disk file so the only way to boot it is by the "indirect method".

I write the "indirect method" in detail with the intention to solve your triple boot problem permanently. You can use Grub fromone Linux to boot all other Linux "indirectly" too and it is a lot easier.

The steps in your case are

(1) Amend Suse menu.lst to include Arch, to be installed in hda7 as intended by you, as follow
title Arch Linux
root (hd0,6)
chainloader +1
(2) During the installation of Arch tell its installer to place its boot loader in the "root partition".

Once installed you Arch will boot. Your PC will first boot up Suse's Grub. By selecting Arch Linux you boot to the boot loader of Arch Linux. There you select whatever choices the installer has organised for you. The beauty of indirect method is you preserve the original boot menu as constructed by the installer and the method work seemlessly for both Grub and Lilo.

You will find the "indirect booting" a lot easier to implement (can be viewed as a lazy way of avoiding answering all your confusing "direct booting" questions)

The snag of "indirect booting" I know of is if the new Linux doesn't support partition installed beyond 137Gb or partition number higher than 16 then it will fail if you install the distro in such a position in the hard disk, otherwise it is as good as the "direct booting" method.

Also for the obvious reason the Linux providing the boot loader in the MBR must be booted directly. Otherwise it is like a log chasing its own tail and the booting process will never end.