silo.conf sample in install instructions is misleading

labrador · Guru Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 316

In the install instructions it is suggested that /boot be it's own
partition. If this is the case, you must copy silo.conf to /boot
and run silo -C /boot/silo.conf . There is a hint about that in
tiny type that I didn't parse mentally proper.

However, there is a mistake in the doc. It suggests we are using
a separate /boot partition and then says that the file will
be at /boot/vmlinux. That would be true if /boot was on the same
partition as /, but since it is not, that should be /vmlinux,
because it is relative to the /boot partition, not /

This is a common error I've also seen in the software RAID howto.
If RAID is compiled into the kernel, then it is the same deal for
a separate boot partition - you don't use /boot/vmlinux , but
rather /vmlinux in the silo.conf arguments.

As someone suggested, you can test what it should be, if you
have an error finding the image, by entering different things on
the silo line:

SILO: /vmlinux root=/dev/sda4
or
SILO: /boot/vmlinux root=/dev/sda4

I wonder how many of the "won't boot" reports in these forums are
related to these errors in the docs.

Even better would be two paths in the install docs. One for separate /boot
and one for /boot on same partition as / .

dougm · n00b Joined: 30 Sep 2003 Posts: 64 Location: France

I hate to tell you, but I'm using a seperate boot partition, and my silo.conf is root=/dev/hda4 and image=/boot/vmlinux, even though boot is /dev/hda1, and it's at the root of the partition.. The boot image IS relative to the root partition, but it reads the fstab from the root partition to find out which is the correct partition for the kernel...

ciaranm · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 1:40 am Post subject:

You should have a symlink in /boot/boot -> /boot .

labrador · Guru Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 316

I did find a sym link in /boot yesterday, and deleted it.

It looked like one of those dumb links that are left behind
when I get the target/source reversed with ln -s and I deleted it.

I thought I saw

boot -> boot

But based on what you say, it could have been

boot -> /boot

I find the order of ln args reverse to my expectations
so I'm in a habit of deleting stuff I find that looks like I've
goofed.

I'm surprised it is done this way (depending on a sym link).

I am correct that the path in my silo.conf is accurate,
it is just that everyone else using the /boot/vmlinux is
depending on that symlink.

I suppose there is a reason to do it that way, but I don't know of one.

ciaranm · Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 2:52 pm Post subject:

It's done that way to allow screwups to happen without breaking stuff.

novasoy · Posted: Tue May 11, 2004 3:41 am Post subject: OK, once more, with feeling

n00b here with some SILO related problems that I think this thread could fix. I just need some translation. I am trying to install on a SPARC Ultra10. The docs discourage the creation of a boot partition, so for me / and /boot are on the same partition. So what should my silo.conf look like?
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