multibooting linux

[Joel Rees]

On Jun 23, 2010, at 4:04 PM, Mats wrote:

> Thank you very much for all the answers. What I want to do is  
> installing
> fedora 13 and ubuntu 10.04 on the same hd (Maybe also debian 5.04, but
> that I can have on the other ide-disk).

No problem with any of that.

> I thought that the easiest way
> would be to use primary partitions, and that I then will be forced to
> use only four (and no logical volumes). Two swaps and two mains.

Sure, and there used to even be those who thought that was the way of  
the future. (And the install discs from Fedora 7 to 10 reflected  
it.  :-/  )

> Maybe
> my thinking is a little bit old because my deeper experince of  
> linux is
> most from before year 2000.

LVM is MUCH easier to use now. No, really. Trust me. ;-)

Actually, it is, but you may want to try the primary partitions idea  
first, for practice, wipe, and then do it right.

> I have used BSD-unix a lot and feel it's
> easier with their system, just setting up a primary partition and then
> slice it and the bios just sees it as a primary partition.

No argument from me on that.

(I'm not sure whether I'm going to learn to compile the Linux kernel  
and make my own distribution when Fedora 12 on my Mac PPC goes off  
support or just switch back to openBSD. I've been getting lazy,  
playing with Linux. 8-))

> I will look through your tips more deeply and see what I come up with.
>
> /Mats

Just grab an install CD or DVD and wing it. Watch the prompts as you  
go, you can probably work it out. It steps you through the  
partitioning, so, if you want, you can just go ahead and cut lvm  
partitions when you get there.

One thing to be cautious of, it used to be that lvm got confused when  
it was trying to manage more than one drive in a multi-boot  
configuration, where it could boot from different drives. For that  
reason, my emergency boot on the other drive is monolithic.  Do be a  
little careful if you want to try lvm on more than one drive, get on  
the lvm users list, at least.

One more thought, you know how the designation of drive C and D gets  
a little weird? For that and other reasons, install grub separately  
in each OS install and chain. Don't try to have one GRUB to rule them  
all. (You'll see why the first time you yum update your kernel.)

Joel Rees