bugGNU GRUB - Bugs: bug #36132, Requires write access outside of...

 
 

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bug #36132: Requires write access outside of /boot

Submitter:  Tamus Royce <tamusjroyce>
Submitted:  Mon 09 Apr 2012 02:03:08 AM UTC
   
 
Category:  Installation Severity:  Major
Priority:  5 - Normal Item Group:  Feature Request
Status:  Wont Fix Privacy:  Public
Assigned to:  None Originator Name:  TamusJRoyce
Open/Closed:  Closed Release:  Bazaar - trunk
Release:  Reproducibility:  Every Time
Planned Release:  None

Fri 20 Apr 2012 03:41:40 PM UTC, comment #5: 

I think I forgot how flexible linux can be.

In my situation I solved it by moving the configuration files to /boot/grub2.  Then I simply linked /etc/grub2 to /boot/grub2.  I have to remember to do this for each system, but it works!

mkdir /boot/grub2
cp -p /etc/grub.d/* /boot/grub2
mv /etc/grub.d /etc/grub.d.bak/
ln -s /boot/grub2 /etc/grub.d

Vladimir, thank you for your help.  There was something I wasn't understanding.

I would still like this as a feature.  But I guess it would be part of the installer, because symlinking solves the issue without changing any code.

Tamus Royce <tamusjroyce>
Fri 20 Apr 2012 03:28:02 PM UTC, comment #4: 

I do understand.  You might not be seeing the tight-coupling that is happening.

Grub-Legacy had files stored in this manner (the internal code may have been tightly-coupled, but the program functionality was not).

1.  grub-mkconfig (userspace program)
2.  configuration files (boot partition)
3.  grub runtime (mbr table)

What is happening now is the configuration files are being tightly coupled with grub-mkconfig (from a usability perspective, not coding), by being on the same partition as grub-mkconfig.

Applying grub configuration effects all partitions.  Why would the configuration be located outside of the boot partition?

--------------------------------------------------------------

If a root partition was being booted from (/boot directory located in /), the same per-root-partition configuration would be available.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I don't like to ask questions within issues...But can you re-generate the configuration files (including customization) from grub runtime if the configuration files are lost?

This is a feature request (which understandably, not all features make it into applications).

Tamus Royce <tamusjroyce>
Wed 18 Apr 2012 09:06:32 PM UTC, comment #3: 

Looks like you don't understand the difference between grub-mkconfig and GRUB runtime, the role of grub-mkconfig and how to use source. For multiple distros I recommend following config:
- Designated GRUB either from one of OS or independent which sources all other grub.cfg
- one grub-mkconfig per distro so it creates grub.cfg just for this distro.

Vladimir Serbinenko <phcoder>
Group administrator
Mon 16 Apr 2012 12:28:48 AM UTC, comment #2: 

Another issue I am having:

When using multiple linux distributions on the same hard drive, it is difficult to syncrhonize /etc/grub2 between different root / partitions.

Grub's scope is dependent on a single boot partiton.  So all configuration information should be shared inside of that single boot partition.

1.  Have partition 1 as the boot partition.
    a.  linux (hd0,gpt1)/kernel-gentoo root=/dev/sda2    #server
    b.  linux (hd0,gpt1)/kernel-sabayon root=/dev/sda3   #desktop
    c.  linux (hd0,gpt1)/kernel-tiny-core root=/dev/sda4 #family

2.  Have partition 2 as Gentoo root partition.
3.  Have partition 3 as Sabayon root partition.
4.  Have partition 4 as TinyCore root partition.
5.  Have partition 5 as swap space.

Modifying customization on Gentoo and applying it wipes out Sabayons customization.

I guess this is a future feature, because work-arounds are possible in this scenario.

The except to this is TinyCore, which has Read-Only issues and stores configuration directories in a non-standard location.  It may be a distributition specific issue.

Unless other live-dvd Linux distros suffer from this issue (which are used to modify systems, but not allow modifications to themselves...e.g. Linux LiveCD/DVD recovery disks).

I also like the idea of the configuration persisting after the loss of the root partition which it was installed to.

NOTE:  I would not work on this until after other more important issues are resolved!

Tamus Royce <tamusjroyce>
Wed 11 Apr 2012 01:01:00 PM UTC, comment #1: 

/etc isn't used at boot time. It's used only by grub-mkconfig and I don't see how grub-mkconfig using /etc is more of a problem that any other program.

Vladimir Serbinenko <phcoder>
Group administrator
Mon 09 Apr 2012 02:03:08 AM UTC, original submission:  

Originally, Grub (now Grub-Legacy) did not require configuration files to reside outside of /boot.

1.  The default installation location of configuration files should be in /boot/grub2 (like Grub-Legacy using /boot/grub).

2.  It should use the current /etc/grub2 if /boot/grub2 is not found for backwards compatibility.

3.  On installation, /etc/grub2/... should be copied over to /boot/grub2 if it exists (or until /etc/grub2 is depricated, if that happens).

This makes distributions which use read-only file systems, such as TinyCore, possible to use grub2.

NOTE:  This issue is only trying to introduce compatibility where Grub-Legacy works and Grub2 is incompatible.

Tamus Royce <tamusjroyce>

 

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    Follow 3 latest changes.

    Date Changed by Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced by
    2013-10-14 phcoder StatusNone Wont Fix
        Open/ClosedOpen Closed
    2012-04-20 ridikulus_rat Carbon-Copy- Added ridikulus_rat

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