Ubuntu
update-manager package

how to ensure update-manager interacts with several boot loaders

Asked by archis

This is a support request regarding breezy's update-manager and its interaction with a multi-boot system with more than a single boot loader.

User Alice has got a set up with two separate grub boot loaders, one each on an internal HD and a USB HD.

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For purposes of illustration, here's a diagram hosted on ubuntuforums.org:

http://tinyurl.com/l9vqv
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Alice normally uses the boot loader on the internal HD's Master Boot Record (/dev/hda) to boot into either one of the three systems available to her. Alternatively, she can change the boot order in the system's BIOS to use the boot loader on the USB HD (/dev/sda) for same set of choices. [Btw, both Linux partitions share a swap on the USB because Alice couldn’t add enough partitions to /dev/hda.]

Now Alice wants to get with the program and step up into the amazing new worlds of the Dapper Drake, invoking gksudo "update-manager -d". Alice assumes that the dist-upgrade will involve both new kernels and a new version of grub itself.

Q. How to make sure both grub boot loaders will get the upgrade?

How does update-manager interact with grub when several instances exist on the same machine? If Alice boots up as usual from the internal drive, will update-manager touch the second boot loader on /dev/sda2 or not? Will it touch both boot loaders no matter how Alice boots into the system or will it touch grub on /dev/sda2 only if she boots via /dev/sda?

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Sebastian Heinlein (glatzor) said : 		#1

You cannot handle all possible use cases in the default package installation process. Furthermore update-manager itself doesn't touch your mbr or grub settings. This is done by the grub package.

If you change the default configuration you also have to maintain it.

I assume that there is an Ubuntu system on /dev/hda4 and /dev/sda2.

As far as I know grub won't reinstall into the mbr or into the partitions' boot records during an update. It only changes the configuration file that is in the /boot/grub directory of the system that you upgrade.

Regards,

Sebastian

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