[CLUE-Talk] Question about FIPS

[Grant Johnson]

>When I say 'installing Lilo' I mean where the Lilo first stage boot loader
>goes, not the actual /sbin/lilo program (i.e., 'boot=' in lilo.conf)
>
>To state again, Lilo 21.6.1 installed as in the first block of the bootable
>partition (linux in /dev/hda2, starting at a cylinder past 1024) did not
>work for me.  I didn't try installing Lilo 21.6.1 in the MBR.
>
>Based on your comments, it would seem that Lilo 21.6.1 does boot in lba32 
>mode,
>but only if the Lilo boot block is installed in the MBR, no?


LBA 32 is unrelated to where you put it.  If you put it in the first block 
of the bootable partition, it will boot only if a 3rd party boot loader 
invokes it.

When the machine boots, it goes to the MBR.  If Windows is installed, and 
LILO is not there, it boots Windows.  I assume that there is some Windows 
related boot stuff there, as their FDISK program allows you to rebuild the 
MBR to their liking.

This means that if your LILO is installed in /dev/hda2 (second partition, 
first drive) it will never bother to look for it.  Why should it care?  It 
has a bootable partition, and is moving forward.

If you notice, on my dual boot machine, the LILO is installed in the 
MBR.  This has nothing to do with LBA 32.  It then points to a kernel image 
and a root directory, or points to the windows partition.

The only LBA 32 issue is whether the kernel whose image you are using can 
be past cylinder 1023.  This applies to the kernel image, not LILO.

In the old one it could not.  In the new one, it can be.  The windows 
partition must start below 1023 becuase of limitations of windows.  Either 
way, there must be something in the MBR (either LILO or something like Boot 
Magic or System Commander) to tell it what to load.  Otherwise, it goes 
with what is in the MBR, which is pass the partition info on, and boot the 
active partition.