Grub and logical partitions

[Frantisek Hanzlik]

Frantisek Hanzlik wrote:
> Timothy Murphy wrote:
>> Can grub boot from a logical partition?
>>
>> It seems from my reading that it cannot.
>>
>> But I found that I could in fact boot from /dev/sda5
>> if I used grub interactively, starting with
>>     root (hd0,4)
>> then using tab to look for kernel and initrd
>> and finally booting.
>>
>> However, if I put exactly the same commands in grub.conf
>> the boot failed, with "File not found ...".
>>
>> (Nb I am not using LVM, sda5 is a logical partition
>> within the extended partition sda4.)
>>
>> Can some guru explain this to me please.
>
> I'm using legacy grub1 for booting from logical partitions (ext2/ext3
> and now ext4) routinely long since early Fedora (maybe Redhat 7.x/8/9)
> versions, already without problems.
>
> But just now on F13 i686 I run across other, maybe similar problem:
> I install it on /dev/sda8 (sda is 200GB SATA drive, DOS type partition
> table, grub installed in MBR), installation passed OK. But when booting,
> grub not print any error, but display stage2 message:
>
>       GNU GRUB  version 0.97  (639K lower / 1047488K upper memory)
>
>    [ Minimal BASH-like line editing is supported.  For the first word, TAB
> lists possible command completions.  Anywhere else TAB lists the possible
> completions of a device/filename.
>
>
> It seems to me as if it could not find configfile. But, when I type
> "root (hd0,7)" and "configfile /boot/grub/grub.conf" (or "configfile
> /boot/grub/menu.lst"), then normally appears f13 grub splash screen with
> menu items and after selecting one grub correctly boot it.
>
> - reinstalling grub ( "root (hd0,7)" and then "setup [--force-lba]
> (hd0)" does not help.
>
> - when I restore grub for Fedora 12, which is installed on /dev/sda7 (in
> same manner: "root (hd0,7)" and then "setup (hd0)" ), then grub works fine.
>
> - only thing which hit me is about accessing files beyond 137 GB (28 bit
> LBA limit), as sda8 partition lies at<117GB,144GB>. But - on other i686
> PC I have F12 on /dev/sda10 (sda10 partition start on 128GB and ends at
> 148GB) and F13 on /dev/sda9, and both are bootable via grub1 without
> problems. Moreover, I think, when there would be 28-bit addressing
> problem, then nor handy specification should be successfull.
>
> Some grub1 guru should be likely in Fedora/Redhat suite, as grub1 is
> stated as legacy and isn't supported :) ?
>
> Franta

I forgot to tell - all my above mentioned Fedora installations occupies 
one partition, I have no extra "/boot/" partitions.
Franta