Re: [RFC] Allow separate boot block and core.img location?

[joe faith]

May I also suggest that "--core-img-location" parameter accept a block-list in some format, in addition to the device identifier?

grub-install --boot-block-location=/dev/sda --core-img-location=/dev/sda[63+1985] 

=> embed core image in the 1985 sectors starting at LBA 63 on /dev/sda 

This would be helpful in dealing with certain software that tend to use the MBR area to store their configuration. 
For example, TrueCrypt disk encryption software uses LBA 62 (0x3E) to store the volume header of the system volume. 
I know that the use of the MBR area by any such software is not approriate, however, some extra flexibility in the grub-installer will certainly address some of these issues. 

Cheers!
 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Andrey Borzenkov

Sent: 12/16/13 02:36 PM

To: address@hidden

Subject: [RFC] Allow separate boot block and core.img location?

 

There are many users using dual boot with Windows and Linux. In this 
configuration installing grub in MBR unfortunately breaks at least some 
updates of Windows 8 (update fails). And installing grub in partition 
has all sort of known problems with blocklists. 

What about allowing separate locations for boot block and core.img? 
I.e. something like 

grub-install --boot-block-location=/dev/sda1 
--core-img-location=/dev/sda 

This has all advantages of embedding core.img while allowing leaving 
MBR alone. Actually we could assume default --core-img-location, meaning 
that for 

grub-install --boot-block-location=/dev/sda1 

we assume that core.img has to be embedded in /dev/sda unless proved 
otherwise :) 

_______________________________________________ 
Grub-devel mailing list 
address@hidden 
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/grub-devel