Re: boot from cdrom with grub

[Thierry Laronde]

Hello,

On Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 04:55:36PM -0200, Pedro Zorzenon Neto wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 07:37:24PM +0100, Thierry Laronde wrote:
> > On Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 04:07:52PM -0200, Pedro Zorzenon Neto wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > > 
> > >   This is not a bug, it could be classified as a "wish".
> > > 
> > >   There are some computers that don't boot from cdrom.
> > >   Then, I'd like to insert a grub floppy in the computer and tell grub
> > > to boot from cdrom. Is this possible?
> > 
> > If the BIOS doesn't allow booting from CDROM this means that it doesn't
> > provide the El Torito INT 13h extensions. Thus, trying to boot from the
> > CD will mean that GRUB use proprietary drivers for each CD reader type.
> > So the answer is : no ;) unless somebody is brave enough to do this. But
> > since you will need a floppy to boot the cdrom it's simpler to put a
> > whole OS on the floppy to access the CD.
> > 
> 
> Hi Thierry,
> 
>   I didn't know about that. I wouldn't like grub to use proprietary
> drivers! 

Well, my english is approximate and one has to replace "proprietary" by
"particular" or "custom-made" drivers i.e. one driver for each type of
reader --- unless someone finds the specifications used by the El Torito
compliant BIOSes to achieve a basic access to the CD drives; since,
AFAIK, the only BIOS whose source is available is the IBM original one, 
it will be probably difficult...

>I don't understand anything about boot loaders and I tought it
> was easy to to it...
>   The idea was to put Debian CD in the cdrom and start a instalation with
> grub. Better write rescue disk and root disk into 2 floppies and use
> them.

Yep : it's simpler to use... the "correct" rescue and root disk from the
Debian boot-floppies ;)

Cheers,
-- 
Thierry Laronde (Alceste) <address@hidden>
Key fingerprint = 0FF7 E906 FBAF FE95 FD89  250D 52B1 AE95 6006 F40C