[pocket-linux] GRUB loader for read/write in Chapter 4

[David Horton]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Maki [mailto:jwmaki at att.net]
> Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 05:26 PM
> To: pocket-linux at ufo.chicago.il.us
> Subject: [pocket-linux] GRUB loader for read/write in Chapter 4
> 
> I have progressed to Chapter 4, and with a few tweaks and re-do's, it boots.
> BUT, I do not have write ability as the chapter 4.4 implementation examples
> indicate. I am sure the problem is with grub. This is my grub.conf file:
> 
> # /boot/grub/grub.conf  -  GRUB configuration file for Pocket Linux
> color=light-gray/blue black/light-gray
> #
> # The following is for Chapter 2 & 3 boot disk
> # title=bootdisk (Test Boot Disk Configuration)
> #     kernel (fd0)/boot/vmlinuz  root=/dev/fd0  mount=read-only \
> #     vga=normal init=/bin/sh  load_ramdisk=1  prompt_ramdisk=1
> #
> # Chapter 4 boot disk without mount=read-only
>  title=bootdisk (Test Boot Disk Configuration WRITE ENABLED?)
>     kernel (fd0)/boot/vmlinuz  root=/dev/fd0 mount=read-write \
>     vga=normal init=/bin/sh  load_ramdisk=1  prompt_ramdisk=1
> #
> # End of configuration file
> 
> I also tried to just remove the mount=read-only from the Chapter 2&3 boot
> disk configuration file, but that did not work. I am a linux and grub novice
> so any pointers would be helpful. I have searched google and the man and
> info pages for grub with no success. I am hoping this is a simple fix.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jim Maki
> jwmaki at att.net
> 

Here's a little LILO to GRUB translation trick.  Where the LILO instructions say:

'At the LILO prompt, type bootdisk rw init=/bin/sh'

Take anything after the word 'bootdisk' and put it after 'vmlinuz' on the 'kernel' line in GRUB's config file like this:

kernel (fd0)/boot/vmlinuz rw init=/bin/sh

Then be sure to include the 'load_ramdisk=1' and 'prompt_ramdisk=1' parameters since we're using a compressed root disk.  Your final line should look like this:

kernel (fd0)/boot/vmlinuz rw init=/bin/sh load_ramdisk=1 prompt_ramdisk=1

The only difference between this and the grub.conf file you listed above is the 'vga=normal' and 'mount=read-write' parameters.  This should be okay because I think 'vga=normal' is a default setting and 'mount=read-write' is probably synonymous with 'rw'.  I am not absolutely sure about the 'rw' equal to 'mount=read-write' thing so you may want to double-check that.

Good Luck,
Dave