[CLUE-Tech] Using LILO for multiple versions of Linux on same drive

[Lynn Danielson]

John Kottal wrote:
> How do I configure my system to allow selection of multiple versions of
> Linux on the same hard drive?

I would do this by copying the kernels from all of your different 
Linux installations to the /boot directory from which booting won't
be a problem. (Your Slackware partition looks like a good candidate.)
Rename them if necessary.  Add stanzas to your lilo.conf file for 
those other kernels and run lilo which should now know where to find
the kernels for each distribution.  The kernels themselves will 
presumably know which partition to mount as root.  You can use rdev 
to check/set this.

> I am currently trying to dual boot Slackware 7.1 and Debian 2.1 ...
> I would prefer Slackware to be the default boot, since it is using the
> newer version of  LILO that will read beyond block 1024.

Then it should be the first image stanza in your lilo.conf file.
 
> The hard disk is 3.6 MB, partitioned as follows:
>     130 MB swap disk on /hda1
>     2.0 MB Slackware 7.1 installation on /hda2
I suspect you mean 2.0GB?

>     1.5 Debian 2.1 installation on /hda3
1.5 GB?  Chances are you won't have trouble booting a kernel from either
of these partitions, but the Slackware partition's the safer of the two.
 
> What do I need in the lilo.conf file --- and in which one: do I need to
> place one for each distribution? If so, which one (or do both) writes to
> the MBR or do I write one to the MBR and the other to the boot
> directory?

You only need one lilo.conf file.  Choose which distribution you're going
to use to control the boot process and use lilo from there.

#Global section example
boot=/dev/hda
vga=normal
read-only
prompt
timeout=550
#
#Slackware stanza example
image = /boot/vmlinuz.slackware  # or whatever your kernel name is for slackware
  root = /dev/hda2
  label = Slackware
#
#Debian stanza example
image = /boot/bzImage.debian     # again, put whatever is appropriate here
  root = /dev/hda3
  label = Debian  

Lynn