3 separate f9 installations in 3 partitions?

[G.Wolfe Woodbury]

PH mooraa wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I want to have 3 separate installations of fedora 9 running in 3
> partitions of single hard drive. The first one is stable f9 image which
> is "fail safe". While other twos are going to be experimental (modified
> f9) and in case they fail, machine should boot to 1st image.
> 
> My hard drive is 30 GB and again I want three clean separate f9
> installations. While installing the 1st image, I created three partitions
> 
> 1) /dev/sda1 - /boot (200 MB)
> 2) /dev/sda2 - swp (2 GB)
> 3) /dev/sda3 - / (8 GB)
> 4) Free unused (20 GB)
> 
> once this installation booted properly, I try to create 2 new partitions
> in unused space using fdisk. Here is where the issues get in -
> 
> 1) while creating /sda4 and /sda5 10 GB each, if I choose /sda4 to be
> primary, it creates /sda4 fine but does not let me create /sda5 saying
> 'there can be only 4 primary partitions'
> 2) if I choose /sda4 to be extended, it is created fine but /sda5 now
> uses the same start and end cylinder (I don't know why)

The "extended partion 4" should be made the remaining size of the disk
It is a "container" for extended partitions 5-15.

/dev/sda1  primary   200MB     [/boot]
/dev/sda2  primary     2GB     [<swap>]
/dev/sda3  primary     8GB     [1st system root]
/dev/sda4  extended   20GB
/dev/sda5  "logical"  10GB     [2nd system root]
/dev/sda6  "logical"  10GB     [3rd system root]


> 
> If I use LVM for /sda2 (which has swp and /) then I have two primary
> partitions left and can create other 2 partitions properly. I mount them
> to /disk2 and /disk3.
> 
> except the above partitioning problem, I don't know how to install f9 in
> other two partitions. How do I create separate /root for each of the
> other two installations? Do I have to create another /boot? How can make
> swap to be shared?

Use a shared boot, and write stanzas in /boot/grub/grub.conf for the
three systems.

   title Fedora9-main
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinux-main  ro root=/dev/sda3  . . .
        initrd /initrd-main
   title Fedora9-2nd system
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinux-2nd  ro root=/dev/sda5 . . .
        initrd /initrd-2nd
   title Fedora9-3rd
        root (hd0,0)
        kernel /vmlinux-3rd  ro root=/dev/sda6 . . .
        initrd /initrd-3rd

This is one way to do it, put the kernels from the 2nd and 3rd systems
in the common boot area.

Another way to do it is to use the chainloader functions or something like:

	title Fedora9-main
		root (hd0,0)
		kernel /vmlinuz-main ro root=/dev/sda3 . . .
		initrd /initrd-main
	title Fedora9-2nd
		root (hd0,5)
		kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2nd ro root=/dev/sda5 . . .
		initrd /boot/initrd-2nd
	title Fedora-3rd
		root (hd0,6)
		kernel /boot/vmlinuz-3rd ro root=/dev/sda6
		initrd /boot/initrd-3rd

[I hope this is workable, I think grub will be able to work with the
extended partitions. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.]

Use just the one swap for all three systems.  You'll need to edit the
/etc/fstab file in each system to use the one shared swap partition.


At install time, for the 2md and 3rd system, select to NOT install a
boot loader on the system, and customize /boot/grub/grub.conf to select
the correct root partition.   Also  during partitioning,  select the
proper /boot  <swap> and root partitions.
> 
> Any help would be really appreciated. I am not able to find a straight
> fwd howto for such installations.

IT isn't totally obvious :-)
One has to understand the features/limits of the M$-DOG partitioning
schema, and understand that the "extended" partion 4 is a container for
the 5th through 15th partions that are allowed under that schema.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> phm
> 

[This is pretty sketchy, but should point you in the right direction.]

-- 
G.Wolfe Woodbury  [RHCT expired]