how can i choose GRUB2 as boot loader ?

SUSE Product Topics SLES Configure-Administer
1

Hi,

this is my first contact with UEFI, GRUB2 and GPT.
We have a HP ML 350 G9 on which i like to install SLES 11 SP4.
I wondered that yast choosed elilo as boot loader, which i never saw before. Wikipedia says it’s deprecated. I don’t like using something which is deprecated. So i thought i choose GRUB2, which seems to be up-to-date. But in yast i can just choose GRUB (i think this is the legacy one), but yast complains GRUB can’t operate with UEFI. I don’t have a possibility to choose GRUB2 in yast. Is this by-design ?
I’d like to use GRUB2, UEFI and GPT. Why ? GPT is much better than the old partition table in the MBR (more partitions).
And UEFI and GRUB2 ? Well, sooner or later, you can’t avoid. So i’d like to choose it now.
How can i use GRUB2 ? The package is already installed (automatically).

Bernd

2

Hi
No grub2 for SLE 11 SP4, elilo is for UEFI, grub for legacy booting.
Deprecated and still maintained by the folks at SUSE, elilo (AFAIK) is
signed so you can secure boot as well…

Else upgrade to SLE 12 SP1?

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° LFCS, SUSE Knowledge Partner (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1|GNOME 3.10.4|3.12.53-60.30-default
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3

[QUOTE=malcolmlewis;31983]Hi
No grub2 for SLE 11 SP4, elilo is for UEFI, grub for legacy booting.
Deprecated and still maintained by the folks at SUSE, elilo (AFAIK) is
signed so you can secure boot as well…

Else upgrade to SLE 12 SP1?
[/QUOTE]

Hi Malcom,

thanks for the quick answer.
i apprehended this already …
I switched the server to legacy BIOS, and then SLES booted (without any change) using GRUB legacy.
So yast configures two boot loader concurrently ? Oh my god what a mess !
If SLES 11 SP4 does not run with GRUB2, why are the packages included ?

Bernd

4

[QUOTE=berndgsflinux;31984]Hi Malcom,

thanks for the quick answer.
i apprehended this already …
I switched the server to legacy BIOS, and then SLES booted (without any change) using GRUB legacy.
So yast configures two boot loader concurrently ? Oh my god what a mess !
If SLES 11 SP4 does not run with GRUB2, why are the packages included ?

Bernd[/QUOTE]

Further question:
now i have GRUB legacy, GPT and legacy BIOS. Is that recommendable ?
What would be the advantage of UEFI ? secure boot ? network access on UEFI level (maybe create security problems) ?
What is the advantage of GRUB2 ? Is GRUB legacy still in development ?

Bernd

5

Hi
But no grub2-efi AFAIK (I don’t have a SLES 11 SP4 test system to
check), bigger disk and more partitions with GPT, sounds like it maybe
a hybrid boot now?

gdisk -l /dev/sdX

Both loaders will be maintained at a minimum for security fixes by SUSE
for the lifetime of the product, so you should have no worries if you
have an active subscription to updates etc.

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° LFCS, SUSE Knowledge Partner (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 SP1|GNOME 3.10.4|3.12.53-60.30-default
If you find this post helpful and are logged into the web interface,
please show your appreciation and click on the star below… Thanks!

6

[QUOTE=malcolmlewis;31987]Hi
But no grub2-efi AFAIK (I don’t have a SLES 11 SP4 test system to
check), bigger disk and more partitions with GPT, sounds like it maybe
a hybrid boot now?

gdisk -l /dev/sdX

Both loaders will be maintained at a minimum for security fixes by SUSE
for the lifetime of the product, so you should have no worries if you
have an active subscription to updates etc.

[/QUOTE]

Hi,

we have a subscription, so this should be no problem.
Concerning grub2-efi:

ml350g9:~ # zypper se -s grub Loading repository data... Reading installed packages... S | Name | Type | Version | Arch | Repository --+------------------+------------+----------------+--------+------------------------------------------------- i | grub | package | 0.97-162.172.1 | x86_64 | SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-Server-11-SP4 11.4.4-1.109 | grub | srcpackage | 0.97-162.172.1 | noarch | SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-Server-11-SP4 11.4.4-1.109 | grub2 | srcpackage | 2.00-0.50.34 | noarch | SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-Server-11-SP4 11.4.4-1.109 i | grub2-x86_64-efi | package | 2.00-0.50.34 | x86_64 | SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-Server-11-SP4 11.4.4-1.109 | grub2-x86_64-xen | package | 2.00-0.50.34 | x86_64 | SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-Server-11-SP4 11.4.4-1.109 | trustedgrub | package | 1.1.3-8.30 | x86_64 | SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-Server-11-SP4 11.4.4-1.109 | trustedgrub | srcpackage | 1.1.3-8.30 | noarch | SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-Server-11-SP4 11.4.4-1.109 ml350g9:~ #

It is installed.
I have GPT and will keep it.
I uninstalled elilo and will see if host still boots (it should).
I don’t need two bootloaders.

Bernd

7

[QUOTE=berndgsflinux;31997]

I have GPT and will keep it.
I uninstalled elilo and will see if host still boots (it should).
I don’t need two bootloaders.

Bernd[/QUOTE]

elilo is uninstalled and host boots now with GRUB legacy.

Bernd