Very Computer

Well, you also try:
image = /kernelImage?
root  = /dev/hda1 or /dev/sda1
label = kernelImage?
Insert one such set in /etc/lilo.conf for each configuration.

(I think that might work if you have so many "root" directories on
different partitions and disks)

: I want to configure lilo so that I can choose from several Linux
: kernel images at boot time.  The catch is that the images aren't all
: in the same partition (nor on the same disk).  I've read all the LILO
: documentation that I can find, and I still can't figure out how.

: As far as I can see, all image path names are relative to the same
: root directory (which you can set to be anything).

: What I want to do is to be able to choose from, let's say, 4 kernels:

:    hda1              (hda contains lilo boot record)
:       /kernelImage1
:       /kernelImage2
:    sda1
:         /kernelImage3
:         /kernelImage4

: Do I have to install lilo on sda, and then have an entry in the lilo
: configuration on hda that boots lilo from sda?  So, on initial boot
: my choices would be:

:       kernelImage1
:       kernelImage2
:       boot from MBR on sda

: then (if the latter is chosen) I can choose

:         kernelImage3
:       kernelImage4

: Actually I should just get rid of the IDE drive -- it sometimes makes
: a very loud rumbling which the previous owner called "the cement mixer
: noise."  Probably not a good sign, eh?

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: I want to configure lilo so that I can choose from several Linux
: kernel images at boot time.  The catch is that the images aren't all
: in the same partition (nor on the same disk).  I've read all the LILO
: documentation that I can find, and I still can't figure out how.

Perhaps my description wasn't clear -- the two disks are to be completely
seperate, stand-alone Linux systems each with it's own root and set of
kernels.

: Do I have to install lilo on sda, and then have an entry in the lilo
: configuration on hda that boots lilo from sda?  So, on initial boot
: my choices would be:

:       kernelImage1
:       kernelImage2
:       boot from MBR on sda

: then (if the latter is chosen) I can choose

:         kernelImage3
:       kernelImage4

Well, that works (but it's kind of ugly).

Right now, I've got the following set up:

        hda     (LILO installed as MBR for drive)

                image = /kernel1
                        [...]

                image = /kernel2
                        [...]

                other = /dev/sda1
                        unsafe

On the SCSI, I've got LILO installed twice.  Once in sda1 which is
chained to when I pick the last option above.

        sda1    (LILO installed as boot in that partition)

                image = /kernel3
                        [...]

                image = /kernel4
                        [...]

I also have LILO installed as the MBR of sda (rather than sda1, above)
so that when I disable my IDE disk I boot up on the SCSI drive.

        sda     (LILO installed as MBR for drive)

                image = /kernel3
                        [...]

                image = /kernel4
                        [...]

You have to have duplicate LILO installations on the SCSI disk because
LILO uses BIOS to do it's disk I/O.  In the case where I've booted
initially from the IDE drive and chained to LILO on sda1, the SCSI
drive is D: (bios code 0x81) so LILO needs to do it's I/O to BIOS
drive D.

When I disable the IDE drive, and boot directly from the SCSI drive,
it is now C: (bios code 0x80) so a copy of LILO installed when that
was drive D won't work.  Thus the second copy of LILO that treats the
SCSI drive as C.  I need be able to boot without the IDE drive because
it is making the "cement mixer noise" more frequently and will surely
give up the ghost someday soon.  I know, I could boot from floppy and
it would work for either case, but I don't like floppies -- though I
do have a boot floppy just in case.

*, huh?

Once I'm satisfied that the AHA2740 driver is stable, I'll probably
just yank the IDE drive and life with LILO will be much simpler.

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Grant Edwards                                 |Yow!  bleakness....
Rosemount Inc.                                |desolation....  plastic
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1. It was an interesting thing to try to do.

2. Becuase the SCSI disk is run by a pre-alpha AHA2740 driver (which
   seems to work great, but I don't want to count on it not kacking),
   and the IDE drive is making bearing noises, so it might not be
   there next time either.

So I decided to try to figure out how to make my system bootable with
either drive not present and when both are present to boot either one.

The one thing that I quickly realized is that the "root=" specifier
defines what file system the kernel is to mount as root.  It does _not_
specify where the kernel is to be found for the purposes of booting.

--
Grant Edwards                                 |Yow!  Is this TERMINAL fun?
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