[opensuse] Two problem installations of v11.2
1) A notebook machine that had initially v11.1 that I have been using, and unused partitions which I prepared for installation of v11.2. OS/2 BootManager chooses between the two. There is also a single Swap partition, for the use of both. Before installation of v11.2 on the vacant partitions, BootManager contained lines ONLY for the two sets. Now, after v11.2 is installed (and working!), I can boot to either version, but now BootManager contains an additional line, telling me that sda5 (the swapspace) is not formatted. Assuming that this was true, I ran <mkswap /dev/sda5> to fix it; bash returned the message: "Device or resource busy". It's hard to understand how it can be busy if it isn't formatted, but my next step was to boot to a live operating system and try again, but this produced the same busy message. I do not believe that the partition is really unformatted. Can anyone comment? 2) A desktop machine which initially had both v11.1 and v10.3 installed, with GRUB installed separately for them in the root partitions, and OS/2 BootManager to choose between them. I wanted to replace the v10.3 installation with v11.2 (as in the notebook machine, the idea is always to have the previous version available as a maintenance partition). I cannot boot to v11.2, because there is not GRUB present on it. I need to install GRUB on sda6. but all the information I have found on the subject is only for installing on the MBR, which is what I don't want. How can I install GRUB on a partition? -- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On 2009/11/25 12:42 (GMT+0200) Stan Goodman composed:
1) A notebook machine that had initially v11.1 that I have been using, and unused partitions which I prepared for installation of v11.2. OS/2 BootManager chooses between the two. There is also a single Swap partition, for the use of both. Before installation of v11.2 on the vacant partitions, BootManager contained lines ONLY for the two sets.
Now, after v11.2 is installed (and working!), I can boot to either version, but now BootManager contains an additional line, telling me that sda5 (the swapspace) is not formatted. Assuming that this was true, I ran <mkswap /dev/sda5> to fix it; bash returned the message: "Device or resource busy". It's hard to understand how it can be busy if it isn't formatted, but my next step was to boot to a live operating system and try again, but this produced the same busy message. I do not believe that the partition is really unformatted.
Can anyone comment?
The partition is unformatted is IIRC a generic IBM BM message generated among other things when a partition really is unformatted, and also when the PBR is corrupted or empty. Take a look at it (DFSee is one way) to see if it's empty. There's no reason for a swap partition to show up in IBM BM. Take it out of the BM menu with LVM or DFSee. If you really want to "format" the swap partition, unmount it first with the swapoff command, or before the next boot, remove the line from fstab that causes the swap partition to be mounted.
2) A desktop machine which initially had both v11.1 and v10.3 installed, with GRUB installed separately for them in the root partitions, and OS/2 BootManager to choose between them. I wanted to replace the v10.3 installation with v11.2 (as in the notebook machine, the idea is always to have the previous version available as a maintenance partition). I cannot boot to v11.2, because there is not GRUB present on it. I need to install GRUB on sda6. but all the information I have found on the subject is only for installing on the MBR, which is what I don't want.
How can I install GRUB on a partition?
Typically a Grub HOWTO will say 'setup (hd0)', which installs to the MBR. To install to a partition is almost the same; in your case 'setup (hd0,5)' for /dev/sda6. I usually do it natively/manually. First make sure it's mounted so you can look to see if its /boot/grub exists and contains the usual files. If not, copy them there from /usr/lib/grub on the 11.2 partition, making sure an appropriate device.map exists there. Once the necessary files are there, setup Grub according to http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html#Installing-GRUB-natively where it also shows how you can inspect to see if e.g. /boot/grub/stage1 exists there already. If your 11.2 is not on an ext4 partition, you can use the older Grub to boot 11.2, either by adding a stanza for it to the 10.3 menu.lst, or by exiting the menu to a grub prompt to load the kernel and initrd manually. Once booted, you can run the grub-install script, or install natively/manually. -- The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:3 NIV Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
At 13:43:55 on Wednesday Wednesday 25 November 2009, Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> wrote:
On 2009/11/25 12:42 (GMT+0200) Stan Goodman composed:
1) A notebook machine that had initially v11.1 that I have been using, and unused partitions which I prepared for installation of v11.2. OS/2 BootManager chooses between the two. There is also a single Swap partition, for the use of both. Before installation of v11.2 on the vacant partitions, BootManager contained lines ONLY for the two sets.
Now, after v11.2 is installed (and working!), I can boot to either version, but now BootManager contains an additional line, telling me that sda5 (the swapspace) is not formatted. Assuming that this was true, I ran <mkswap /dev/sda5> to fix it; bash returned the message: "Device or resource busy". It's hard to understand how it can be busy if it isn't formatted, but my next step was to boot to a live operating system and try again, but this produced the same busy message. I do not believe that the partition is really unformatted.
Can anyone comment?
The partition is unformatted is IIRC a generic IBM BM message generated among other things when a partition really is unformatted, and also when the PBR is corrupted or empty. Take a look at it (DFSee is one way) to see if it's empty. There's no reason for a swap partition to show up in IBM BM. Take it out of the BM menu with LVM or DFSee.
The first thing I did was to look at the partitions with DFSee. The Swap partition is NOT labeled as bootable, hence has no business being in the BootManager menu. In DFSee, the line for the Swap partition is as follows: Format - SWAP Related - LinuxxV1 VolumeLabel - SWAPSPACE LVM Volume - Swap, Swap Size = 2117.9 (Obviously because I forgot to set a size, so DFSee apparently chose the maximum permissible size).
If you really want to "format" the swap partition, unmount it first with the swapoff command, or before the next boot, remove the line from fstab that causes the swap partition to be mounted.
2) A desktop machine which initially had both v11.1 and v10.3 installed, with GRUB installed separately for them in the root partitions, and OS/2 BootManager to choose between them. I wanted to replace the v10.3 installation with v11.2 (as in the notebook machine, the idea is always to have the previous version available as a maintenance partition). I cannot boot to v11.2, because there is not GRUB present on it. I need to install GRUB on sda6. but all the information I have found on the subject is only for installing on the MBR, which is what I don't want.
How can I install GRUB on a partition?
Typically a Grub HOWTO will say 'setup (hd0)', which installs to the MBR. To install to a partition is almost the same; in your case 'setup (hd0,5)' for /dev/sda6.
I usually do it natively/manually. First make sure it's mounted so you can look to see if its /boot/grub exists and contains the usual files. If not, copy them there from /usr/lib/grub on the 11.2 partition, making sure an appropriate device.map exists there. Once the necessary files are there, setup Grub according to http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub.html#Installing-GRUB-nativ ely where it also shows how you can inspect to see if e.g. /boot/grub/stage1 exists there already.
Very helpful. Thanks much.
If your 11.2 is not on an ext4 partition, you can use the older Grub to boot 11.2, either by adding a stanza for it to the 10.3 menu.lst, or by exiting the menu to a grub prompt to load the kernel and initrd manually. Once booted, you can run the grub-install script, or install natively/manually.
But it is on an ext4 partition, so this option is out.
-- The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:3 NIV
Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409
Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/
-- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On 2009/11/25 15:21 (GMT+0200) Stan Goodman composed:
Felix Miata wrote:
The partition is unformatted is IIRC a generic IBM BM message generated among other things when a partition really is unformatted, and also when the PBR is corrupted or empty. Take a look at it (DFSee is one way) to see if it's empty. There's no reason for a swap partition to show up in IBM BM. Take it out of the BM menu with LVM or DFSee.
The first thing I did was to look at the partitions with DFSee. The Swap partition is NOT labeled as bootable, hence has no business being in the BootManager menu. In DFSee, the line for the Swap partition is as follows:
Format - SWAP Related - LinuxxV1 VolumeLabel - SWAPSPACE LVM Volume - Swap, Swap Size = 2117.9 (Obviously because I forgot to set a size, so DFSee apparently chose the maximum permissible size).
Did you actually view the partition boot sector with DFSee? Was it all zeros? You should send this to the DFSee list to find out what Jan has to say. First try _adding_ the swap partition to the BM menu, and then removing it. -- The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:3 NIV Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
At 16:55:20 on Wednesday Wednesday 25 November 2009, Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> wrote:
On 2009/11/25 15:21 (GMT+0200) Stan Goodman composed:
Felix Miata wrote:
The partition is unformatted is IIRC a generic IBM BM message generated among other things when a partition really is unformatted, and also when the PBR is corrupted or empty. Take a look at it (DFSee is one way) to see if it's empty. There's no reason for a swap partition to show up in IBM BM. Take it out of the BM menu with LVM or DFSee.
The first thing I did was to look at the partitions with DFSee. The Swap partition is NOT labeled as bootable, hence has no business being in the BootManager menu. In DFSee, the line for the Swap partition is as follows:
Format - SWAP Related - LinuxxV1 VolumeLabel - SWAPSPACE LVM Volume - Swap, Swap Size = 2117.9 (Obviously because I forgot to set a size, so DFSee apparently chose the maximum permissible size).
Did you actually view the partition boot sector with DFSee? Was it all zeros?
I didn't do that. Now I have selected the Swap partition; before proceeding to ask for the partitions contents, I already see a warning as follows: ***** First sector (0) is not a valid filesystem boot record! The first sector seems to have been cleared to 0xF6 by FDISK or LVM! ***** I didn't go further ,because that is what we wanted to know. So BootMgr thinks it is a bootable partition, although it isn't, and DFSee does not display it as one.
You should send this to the DFSee list to find out what Jan has to say. First try _adding_ the swap partition to the BM menu, and then removing it. --
The suggestion of making it bootable and then removing that status was a good one, and there is now no nonsense about unformatted swap partition. Interestingly, it required two attempts to remove the boot mark from the swapspace line -- presumably once for the mark I had made, and again for the phantom. I sent the problem to Jan first thing, a day before I posted here. Apparently this phenomenon is so bizzare that he has not seen it before, I may become famous for screwing up partitions in an innovative way.. I'll send you his reply and my response to your private address. I don't think I should publish the messages of living persons. I'll also tell him how the problem was solved. Many thanks... -- Stan Goodman Qiryat Tiv'on Israel -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
participants (2)
-
Felix Miata -
Stan Goodman