* GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition [not found] <d8658f80910310215t2892982era860dbf083c1c9c8@mail.gmail.com> @ 2009-10-31 18:29 ` Dave Vasilevsky 2009-10-31 18:39 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko 2009-11-01 11:58 ` Robert Millan 0 siblings, 2 replies; 8+ messages in thread From: Dave Vasilevsky @ 2009-10-31 18:29 UTC (permalink / raw) To: grub-devel On my GPT-partitioned MacBook, I seem to have two options for booting with grub-pc: 1. Install grub to the start of an existing partition. This coexists well with the rEFIt boot menu, but requires blocklists to load core.img. 2. Use a BIOS boot partition. This allows embedding core.img, but installs to the MBR and makes rEFIt unhappy. I had the idea that we could get the advantages of both: Install the boot-image to an existing partition, but load core.img from a BIOS boot partition. With some creative hex-editing I got this working without much difficulty. Is there a technical reason why grub doesn't support this setup? If I were to write a patch allowing this, what behaviour would be preferred: Should 'grub-setup (hdX,Y)' automatically use a BIOS boot partition if one exists, or should a command-line flag be required? Dave Vasilevsky ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread
* Re: GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition 2009-10-31 18:29 ` GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition Dave Vasilevsky @ 2009-10-31 18:39 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko 2009-10-31 18:50 ` Dave Vasilevsky 2009-11-01 11:58 ` Robert Millan 1 sibling, 1 reply; 8+ messages in thread From: Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko @ 2009-10-31 18:39 UTC (permalink / raw) To: The development of GRUB 2 Dave Vasilevsky wrote: > On my GPT-partitioned MacBook, I seem to have two options for booting > with grub-pc: > > 1. Install grub to the start of an existing partition. This coexists > well with the rEFIt boot menu, but requires blocklists to load > core.img. > 2. Use a BIOS boot partition. This allows embedding core.img, but > installs to the MBR and makes rEFIt unhappy. > > On EFI system try grub-efi. > I had the idea that we could get the advantages of both: Install the > boot-image to an existing partition, but load core.img from a BIOS > boot partition. With some creative hex-editing I got this working > without much difficulty. > > Is there a technical reason why grub doesn't support this setup? If I > were to write a patch allowing this, what behaviour would be > preferred: Should 'grub-setup (hdX,Y)' automatically use a BIOS boot > partition if one exists, or should a command-line flag be required? > > It may be a good idea but the best way is to use first sector of BPB for this. But the usability is limited. For EFI systems we have grub-efi and for BIOS boot you still need a specially adapted MBR for it anyway > Dave Vasilevsky > > > _______________________________________________ > Grub-devel mailing list > Grub-devel@gnu.org > http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/grub-devel > > -- Regards Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko Personal git repository: http://repo.or.cz/w/grub2/phcoder.git ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread
* Re: GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition 2009-10-31 18:39 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko @ 2009-10-31 18:50 ` Dave Vasilevsky 2009-10-31 18:55 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko 0 siblings, 1 reply; 8+ messages in thread From: Dave Vasilevsky @ 2009-10-31 18:50 UTC (permalink / raw) To: The development of GRUB 2 phcoder wrote: > On EFI system try grub-efi. I have indeed tried grub-efi, you can see the notes I left here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MactelSupportTeam/EFI-Boot-Mactel#MacBook4,1 . Unfortunately inability to use both accelerated X and the console makes me prefer grub-pc for the moment. I appreciate all the work you've put into grub-efi though, it's great to see it improving. > the best way is to use first sector of BPB for > this. But the usability is limited. I'm not sure I'm understanding, isn't the BPB just a few dozen bytes in the boot sector? Some filesystems have a bit more room, but usually not very much. The advantage of using the BIOS Boot Partition is that you can embed the entire core.img, no? > for BIOS boot you still need a specially adapted MBR for it anyway Agreed that this is sub-optimal, but on my system it's the lesser of evils for now. Cheers, Dave ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread
* Re: GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition 2009-10-31 18:50 ` Dave Vasilevsky @ 2009-10-31 18:55 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko 2009-10-31 19:09 ` Dave Vasilevsky 0 siblings, 1 reply; 8+ messages in thread From: Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko @ 2009-10-31 18:55 UTC (permalink / raw) To: The development of GRUB 2 Dave Vasilevsky wrote: > phcoder wrote: > >> On EFI system try grub-efi. >> > > I have indeed tried grub-efi, you can see the notes I left here: > https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MactelSupportTeam/EFI-Boot-Mactel#MacBook4,1 > . Unfortunately inability to use both accelerated X and the console > makes me prefer grub-pc for the moment. I appreciate all the work > you've put into grub-efi though, it's great to see it improving. > > Workaround for your problem is described here: http://grub.enbug.org/TestingOnMacbook For the long run linux has to be fixed. >> the best way is to use first sector of BPB for >> this. But the usability is limited. >> > > I'm not sure I'm understanding, isn't the BPB just a few dozen bytes > in the boot sector? Some filesystems have a bit more room, but usually > not very much. The advantage of using the BIOS Boot Partition is that > you can embed the entire core.img, no? > > It was a typo. I meant BBP (BIOS Boot Partition) -- Regards Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko Personal git repository: http://repo.or.cz/w/grub2/phcoder.git ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread
* Re: GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition 2009-10-31 18:55 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko @ 2009-10-31 19:09 ` Dave Vasilevsky 2009-10-31 19:14 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko 2009-10-31 23:55 ` Michael Scherer 0 siblings, 2 replies; 8+ messages in thread From: Dave Vasilevsky @ 2009-10-31 19:09 UTC (permalink / raw) To: The development of GRUB 2 phcoder wrote: > Workaround for your problem is described here: > http://grub.enbug.org/TestingOnMacbook Are you talking about fix_video? When I tested, without fix_video I could use the console, but X was slow. With fix_video, X was accelerated, but the console was scrambled as soon as X started. >>> the best way is to use first sector of [BIOS Boot Partition] This only works if the BBP is in the MBR. In my configuration, there are already 4 partitions in the MBR, with no room for the BBP. That's why I want to embed the boot-image in another partition, and have it pass control to the BBP. Dave ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread
* Re: GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition 2009-10-31 19:09 ` Dave Vasilevsky @ 2009-10-31 19:14 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko 2009-10-31 23:55 ` Michael Scherer 1 sibling, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread From: Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko @ 2009-10-31 19:14 UTC (permalink / raw) To: The development of GRUB 2 Dave Vasilevsky wrote: > phcoder wrote: > >> Workaround for your problem is described here: >> http://grub.enbug.org/TestingOnMacbook >> > > Are you talking about fix_video? When I tested, without fix_video I > could use the console, but X was slow. With fix_video, X was > accelerated, but the console was scrambled as soon as X started. > > This is X bug then >>>> the best way is to use first sector of [BIOS Boot Partition] >>>> > > This only works if the BBP is in the MBR. In my configuration, there > are already 4 partitions in the MBR, with no room for the BBP. That's > why I want to embed the boot-image in another partition, and have it > pass control to the BBP. > GRUB2 doesn't need BBP to be in pseudo-MBR to boot > Dave > > > _______________________________________________ > Grub-devel mailing list > Grub-devel@gnu.org > http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/grub-devel > > -- Regards Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko Personal git repository: http://repo.or.cz/w/grub2/phcoder.git ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread
* Re: GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition 2009-10-31 19:09 ` Dave Vasilevsky 2009-10-31 19:14 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko @ 2009-10-31 23:55 ` Michael Scherer 1 sibling, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread From: Michael Scherer @ 2009-10-31 23:55 UTC (permalink / raw) To: The development of GRUB 2 Le samedi 31 octobre 2009 à 15:09 -0400, Dave Vasilevsky a écrit : > phcoder wrote: > > Workaround for your problem is described here: > > http://grub.enbug.org/TestingOnMacbook > > Are you talking about fix_video? When I tested, without fix_video I > could use the console, but X was slow. With fix_video, X was > accelerated, but the console was scrambled as soon as X started. I have got it working with fix_video and with a working intel driver, with accelerated 3d on a fedora 12 . here is the grub entry : menuentry "Fedora boot" { root=(hd0,2) fix_video loadbios /EFI/grub/vbios.bin /EFI/grub/int10.bin search -s -f /vmlinuz-2.6.31.5-96.fc12.i686.PAE linux /vmlinuz-2.6.31.5-96.fc12.i686.PAE ro root=/dev/mapper/vg_akroma-lv_root nomodeset rhgb=0 initrd /initramfs-2.6.31.5-96.fc12.i686.PAE.img } Even plymouth is working fine. The xorg driver is the following : xorg-x11-drv-intel-2.9.1-1.fc12.i686 -- Michael Scherer ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread
* Re: GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition 2009-10-31 18:29 ` GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition Dave Vasilevsky 2009-10-31 18:39 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko @ 2009-11-01 11:58 ` Robert Millan 1 sibling, 0 replies; 8+ messages in thread From: Robert Millan @ 2009-11-01 11:58 UTC (permalink / raw) To: The development of GRUB 2 On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 02:29:45PM -0400, Dave Vasilevsky wrote: > On my GPT-partitioned MacBook, I seem to have two options for booting > with grub-pc: > > 1. Install grub to the start of an existing partition. This coexists > well with the rEFIt boot menu, but requires blocklists to load > core.img. Why? Can't you fix rEFIt instead? > 2. Use a BIOS boot partition. This allows embedding core.img, but > installs to the MBR and makes rEFIt unhappy. That will lead to trouble. The BBP is a shared resource, like MBR. If installing GRUB to a partition made use of it, it could overwrite other things, which users wouldn't appreciate. Besides, the whole notion of "installing a bootloader to a partition" is specific to DOS-style labels anyway, and used only for compatibility with Microsoft. There isn't any real benefit in trying to archieve the same thing on GPT. -- Robert Millan The DRM opt-in fallacy: "Your data belongs to us. We will decide when (and how) you may access your data; but nobody's threatening your freedom: we still allow you to remove your data and not access it at all." ^ permalink raw reply [flat|nested] 8+ messages in thread
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[not found] <d8658f80910310215t2892982era860dbf083c1c9c8@mail.gmail.com>
2009-10-31 18:29 ` GPT BIOS boot partition and installing to a partition Dave Vasilevsky
2009-10-31 18:39 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko
2009-10-31 18:50 ` Dave Vasilevsky
2009-10-31 18:55 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko
2009-10-31 19:09 ` Dave Vasilevsky
2009-10-31 19:14 ` Vladimir 'phcoder' Serbinenko
2009-10-31 23:55 ` Michael Scherer
2009-11-01 11:58 ` Robert Millan
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