Syslinux - Mar 2015 - Fail to set up UEFI syslinux on ArchLinux USB Flash Drive

On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 4:16 AM, Ferenc Wagner <wferi at niif.hu> wrote:
> alex lupu via Syslinux <syslinux at zytor.com> writes:
>
> ?>?
>   Obviously it would work IF I moved the vmlinuz
> > and initramfs ?files from /dev/sdd2 to /dev/sdd1.
> >
> > I figured that would probably be considered non-standard Arch
> ? ...?
>
> The standard solution is to have your boot partition (sdd1) mounted as
> /boot in your Linux system, and then your kernel and initramfs files are
> automatically put (and updated) on the right partition.  Then you can
> refer to them as /vmlinuz and /initramfs from the Syslinux config (where
> sdd1 is "mounted" at /)

 Hi Fer
?i?
,

Your recommendation sound
?s?
very good
? (and intriguing)?
.

I haven't done _any_ Arch-meaningful work so far.
I was so happy to finally
?admire ?
the highly anticipated syslinux menu and
then
?,?
after hitting the "Arch" entry
?,
 see the Arch system booting
?all the way?
that I
?immediately ?
dropped the project for the time being waiting for my spinning head
? ?
to finally come to a standstill.

So before I resume this pursuit, a _preliminary_ (silly?) question, if I
may.

My '/etc/fstab' has looked like this

# <file system> <dir>           <type>  <options>      
<dump>  <pass>
/dev/sdd1       /boot/efi       vfat    defaults        0       1
/dev/sdd2       /               ext2    rw,relatime     0       1
/dev/sdd3       none            swap    defaults        0       0

Do you actually suggest
1. I change /dev/sdd1's mounting point from "/boot/efi" to
"/boot"?
2. Leave vmlinuz and initram files in their standard, normal place, /boot/
of /dev/sdd2 (with syslinux menu tweaked as you mentioned)?

Thanks,
-- Alex

alex lupu <alupu01 at gmail.com> writes:
> On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 4:16 AM, Ferenc Wagner <wferi at niif.hu>
wrote:
>
>> alex lupu via Syslinux <syslinux at zytor.com> writes:
>>
>>?>? Obviously it would work IF I moved the vmlinuz
>>> and initramfs ?files from /dev/sdd2 to /dev/sdd1.
>>>
>>> I figured that would probably be considered non-standard Arch
>>
>> The standard solution is to have your boot partition (sdd1) mounted as
>> /boot in your Linux system, and then your kernel and initramfs files
are
>> automatically put (and updated) on the right partition.  Then you can
>> refer to them as /vmlinuz and /initramfs from the Syslinux config
(where
>> sdd1 is "mounted" at /)
>
> My '/etc/fstab' has looked like this
>
> # <file system> <dir>           <type>  <options>  
<dump>  <pass>
> /dev/sdd1       /boot/efi       vfat    defaults        0       1
> /dev/sdd2       /               ext2    rw,relatime     0       1
> /dev/sdd3       none            swap    defaults        0       0
>
> Do you actually suggest
> 1. I change /dev/sdd1's mounting point from "/boot/efi" to
"/boot"?
Yes, but only after handling the fallout, see below.
> 2. Leave vmlinuz and initram files in their standard, normal place, /boot/
> of /dev/sdd2 (with syslinux menu tweaked as you mentioned)?
No.  Move everything belonging to your OS (like vmlinuz*, initrd*,
config*, System.map* etc.) from your current /boot into your current
/boot/efi, so that after changing the mount point of sdd1 everything
will be in its usual place again.  Then change your Syslinux config:
drop /EFI from your LINUX and INITRD paths, so that they look like

LINUX /vmlinuz...
INITRD /vmlinuz...

as these files are now in the root of sdd1.  This way your OS and
Syslinux will find the same files via different paths.  Upgrading your
kernel will place all the files into the right place.  If your OS has
bootloader integration magic, it may even provide the corresponding
Syslinux config.  Or you can generate it at boot time via something like
automenu.lua in current Syslinux.
-- 
Good luck,
Feri.

On Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 8:06 AM, Ferenc Wagner <wferi at niif.hu> wrote:
> alex lupu <alupu01 at gmail.com> writes:
>
> > On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 4:16 AM, Ferenc Wagner <wferi at
niif.hu> wrote:
> >> alex lupu via Syslinux <syslinux at zytor.com> writes:
> >>?>? Obviously it would work IF I moved the vmlinuz
> >>> and initramfs ?files from /dev/sdd2 to /dev/sdd1.
> >>> I figured that would probably be considered non-standard Arch
> >>
> >> The standard solution is to have your boot partition (sdd1)
mounted as
> >> /boot in your Linux system, and then your kernel and initramfs
files are
> >> automatically put (and updated) on the right partition.  Then you
can
> >> refer to them as /vmlinuz and /initramfs from the Syslinux config
(where
> >> sdd1 is "mounted" at /)
> >
>
> Move everything belonging to your OS (like vmlinuz*, initrd*,
> config*, System.map* etc.) from your current /boot into your current
> /boot/efi, so that after changing the mount point of sdd1 everything
> will be in its usual place again.  Then change your Syslinux config:
> drop /EFI from your LINUX and INITRD paths, so that they look like
>
> LINUX /vmlinuz...
> INITRD /vmlinuz...
>
> as these files are now in the root of sdd1.

?Hi Feri,?

That's exactly what I've had all along (and working fine as I said)
i.e., vmlinuz and initram on _sdd1_ in
?the ?
/EFI/ directory.

BTW, credit goes to Ady who said in a previous post,
"... So, your "root" can still be pointing to sdd2; as long as
the
"vmlinuz-linux" and "initramfs-linux.img" files are located
in sdd1
directly under the "EFI" directory."

Except, you're suggesting I move'em up (so to speak)
?to?
 / of sdd1
? from /EFI/?
(and changing the 'syslinux.cfg' to reflect
?your?
 new file placement).

I suppose you favor this overall change so that
> ?t?
> his way your OS and
> Syslinux will find the same files via different paths.  Upgrading your
> kernel will place all the files into the right place.  If your OS has
> bootloader integration magic, it may even provide the corresponding
> Syslinux config.  Or you can generate it at boot time via something like
> automenu.lua in current Syslinux.
>
I'm for simplicity
?in getting my feet wet in Arch ?
(I don't aim that high in life, like using 'automenu.lua'
?, etc.
).
?Unfortunately?
, your way or mine do not change the basic law of
?t?
hermodynamics
? ?
?which states ?
that currently Syslinux can only handle one partition (sdd1 in our case),
?
as I
?was lamenting?
 in a previous post.

?Thanks and best wishes,
-- Alex?