Hi,
I'm installing Fedora 31 with a kickstart file that contains
bootloader --location=mbr #Same when omitting location parameter, mbr is default zerombr clearpart --all part /boot/efi --fstype=efi --size=200 --ondisk=sda part / --fstype=ext4 --size=1 --ondisk=sda --grow
According to the documentation (https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora/f31/install-guide/appendixes/Kic...) this should install the bootloader to a BIOS boot partition:
"On a GPT-formatted disk, this option will install stage 1.5 of the boot loader into the BIOS boot partition."
clearpart seems to create a gpt on a UEFI machine and an mbr on a legacy BIOS machine per default, i.e. when no explicit disklabel parameter is specified. And indeed:
# parted /dev/sda print Model: VMware, VMware Virtual S (scsi) Disk /dev/sda: 8590MB Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B Partition Table: gpt Disk Flags:
Number Start End Size File system Name Flags 1 1049kB 211MB 210MB fat16 EFI System Partition boot, esp 2 211MB 8589MB 8378MB ext4
However, I've not specified a BIOS boot partition in the kickstart file, nor is one created automatically. Does anyone know where the bootloader is installed in this case? Or am I just reading the documentation wrong?
Cheers!
To answer the question in the subject: The bootloader is installed on the /boot/efi filesystem, and referenced by path in NVRAM (See the "efibootmgr" command).
On 4/7/20 10:44 PM, spike wrote:
I'm installing Fedora 31 with a kickstart file that contains
bootloader --location=mbr #Same when omitting location parameter, mbr is default ... According to the documentation (https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora/f31/install-guide/appendixes/Kic...) this should install the bootloader to a BIOS boot partition:
I'm not 100%, but that might apply only to BIOS systems. The documentation also says that option doesn't need to be specified on most systems, and it might not even be used on UEFI systems. So, just leave it off, I'd think.
Hi Gordon,
On 12.04.20 09:07, Gordon Messmer wrote:
To answer the question in the subject: The bootloader is installed on the /boot/efi filesystem, and referenced by path in NVRAM (See the "efibootmgr" command).
Thanks! Didn't know about efibootmgr. And you're absolutely correct, of course:
# efibootmgr -v BootCurrent: 0004 BootOrder: 0004,0000,0001,0002,0003 Boot0000* EFI VMware Virtual SCSI Hard Drive (0.0) PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x10,0x0)/SCSI(0,0) Boot0001* EFI VMware Virtual IDE CDROM Drive (IDE 1:0) PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x7,0x1)/Ata(1,0,0) Boot0002* EFI Network PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x11,0x0)/Pci(0x1,0x0)/MAC(000c2903c052,1) Boot0003* EFI Internal Shell (Unsupported option) MemoryMapped(11,0xefcf010,0xf42100f)/FvFile(c57ad6b7-0515-40a8-9d21-551652854e37) Boot0004* Fedora HD(1,GPT,e5d13368-bb01-41fb-9bd3-d6af75e47900,0x800,0x64000)/File(\EFI\fedora\shimx64.efi)
On 4/7/20 10:44 PM, spike wrote:
I'm installing Fedora 31 with a kickstart file that contains
bootloader --location=mbr #Same when omitting location parameter, mbr is default ... According to the documentation (https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora/f31/install-guide/appendixes/Kic...) this should install the bootloader to a BIOS boot partition:
I'm not 100%, but that might apply only to BIOS systems. The documentation also says that option doesn't need to be specified on most systems, and it might not even be used on UEFI systems. So, just leave it off, I'd think.
Always left it off and it works fine on BIOS/MBR, BIOS/GPT and UEFI/GPT systems. I was just wondering since the documentation explicitly says "will install stage 1.5 of the boot loader into the BIOS boot partition" on GPT formatted disks without distinguishing between BIOS and UEFI systems. I guess it's just assumed people know?
Cheers!
On Wed, Apr 8, 2020 at 12:45 AM spike spike@fedoraproject.org wrote:
Hi,
I'm installing Fedora 31 with a kickstart file that contains
bootloader --location=mbr #Same when omitting location parameter, mbr is default zerombr clearpart --all part /boot/efi --fstype=efi --size=200 --ondisk=sda part / --fstype=ext4 --size=1 --ondisk=sda --grow
According to the documentation ( https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora/f31/install-guide/appendixes/Kic...) this should install the bootloader to a BIOS boot partition:
"On a GPT-formatted disk, this option will install stage 1.5 of the boot loader into the BIOS boot partition."
Yes, you don't have a MBR with GPT, you should be booting with UEFI, however, if you need to BIOS boot a GPT partitioned disk, it's telling you what you need, just could use some more details.
You literally need like a 2MB (yes megabyte, not GB) BIOS_BOOT partition. I don't know how to do that in kickstart as it doesn't need a mount point, just the correct partition identifier but hope this helps anyway.
I actually do this on one of my older computers that doesn't have EFI:
Model: ATA MKNSSDRE256GB (scsi) Disk /dev/sdc: 256GB Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B Partition Table: gpt Disk Flags:
Number Start End Size File system Name Flags 1 1049kB 3146kB 2097kB BIOS_GRUB bios_grub 2 3146kB 1052MB 1049MB ext4 boot, esp 3 1052MB 256GB 255GB lvm
Parted calls it "bios_grub", not sure if that's universal or not.
Thanks, Richard
Hi Richard
On 12.04.20 14:43, Richard Shaw wrote:
Yes, you don't have a MBR with GPT, you should be booting with UEFI, however, if you need to BIOS boot a GPT partitioned disk, it's telling you what you need, just could use some more details.
Yes, I think so, too. Especially since the the documentation also says that:
You literally need like a 2MB (yes megabyte, not GB) BIOS_BOOT partition. I don't know how to do that in kickstart as it doesn't need a mount point, just the correct partition identifier but hope this helps anyway.
That's actually fairly well documented here: https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora/f31/install-guide/appendixes/Kic...
biosboot The partition will be used for a BIOS Boot partition. A 1 MB BIOS boot partition is necessary on BIOS-based systems using a GUID Partition Table (GPT); the boot loader will be installed into it. It is not necessary on UEFI systems
Just added a bit to the confusion since this clearly says, a biosboot partition is not necessary for UEFI systems (which I am using here) but then the documentation for the "location" parameter says, that's where stage 1.5 of the bootloader is going to be installed. There also doesn't seem to be a stage 1.5 any more these days: https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/grub/grub.html#Images
Thanks for your help though.
Cheers!
-
Gordon Messmer -
Richard Shaw -
spike