Re: search and boot using GPT GUID values

[Simon Kitching]

On Tue, 2010-04-06 at 13:58 -0400, Isaac Dupree wrote:
> On 04/06/10 04:22, Simon Kitching wrote:
> > So what do you think about
> >    (a) adding root=GUID as a kernel option
> 
> That's something you need to ask Linux folks, not GRUB folks.  For 
> non-initrd usage, it sounds plausible to me that you'd have a chance of 
> achieving some linux-kernel-change (as long as you restrict the 
> code-bloat to when GPT or a similar partition-table-format-with-uuids is 
> enabled in the kernel-config).  But it ought to work in common initrds 
> too, not just non-initrd mode! (Distributors, such as Debian, I think 
> are the people who arrange initrds currently...)  So you have a few 
> people to chase down, and ask, and possibly follow up by sending patches 
> to, etc... good luck! Be ingenious in response to flames!

Yes, I'm willing to have a go at the linux side of this (and have my
flame-proof underwear ready). I just wanted to see if anyone here was
going to tell me this (or some equivalent functionality) already exists,
or it was a stupid idea for other reasons.

Good point about having to fix with-initrd case as well as
without-initrd; it certainly would be inconsistent otherwise.

I don't expect to make *rapid* progress on this, but IMO it's worth a
try.

> 
> >    (b) optionally using the search command from (1) above
> > so that something like the following can be done:
> 
> gpt-guid has been discussed on this GRUB list quite recently -- did you 
> see Vladmir's post?
> http://www.mail-archive.com/address@hidden/msg15345.html
> 

Thanks for the link; I just subscribed recently and had missed that
thread. That is exactly the functionality I was looking for, and I'm
glad the general concept seems to meet with support (although there were
some concerns about the details of the proposed patch). I'll test George
Buranov's patch and add feedback on that thread.

Regards,
Simon