Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2011 15:53:09 +0200
From: Natanael Copa <ncopa@alpinelinux.org>
To: alpine-devel@lists.alpinelinux.org
Subject: [alpine-devel] kernels and booting
Message-ID: <20110803155309.199dc67e@ncopa-desktop.nor.wtbts.net>
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Hi,

So now again the update-extlinux called from syslinux trigger script
has caused my box unbootable. Now I want fix this. The question is how?

The problems we want solve is:

* If you upgrade your kernel you should have a fallback alternative in
case new kernel is broken some how.

* Should be possible to pick from a menu.

* If you upgrade the extlinux.conf should pick the newest kernel by
  default.

Previously I have done, install 2 kernels, grsec and vserver. if grsec
kernel break i can always boot up the server one.

I had a onetime generated extlinux.conf. If i added a kernel I needed
to manually modify extlinux.conf.

The extlinux.conf used vmlinuz-grsec and initramfs-grsec which was
symlinks to latest kernel.

The problem here was that when installing a new kernel there was some
manual work to get it working. So update-extlinux showed up. It parses
the /boot and overwrites extlinux.conf, without taking any backup of
the current.

So if you multiboot, good bye to your custom ubuntu or fedora or windows
boot entry.

Now my laptop is also unbootable so I have disabled the syslinux trigger til 1) we
have figured out how it should be solved, 2) implemtened the solution
with all the factors in consideration (like multi OS booting), 3) have
tested it that it works in most cases.

Any ideas how this should ideally work? How do we provide backup kernel
if kernel upgrade break you box? How do we generate the boot menu and
keep it updated with newer kernels?

-nc


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