Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!

Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!

Register Log in
  • Congratulations Chris Miller on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

grub

Status
Not open for further replies.
sedj

sedj

Programmer
Aug 6, 2002
5,610
My googling skills seem to have failed - I'm darned if I can work out how to tell grub to boot a certain kernel version.

I'm running kubuntu - which by default does not install a SMP kernel. So I installed one, and by pressing <Esc> at boot can choose my SMP kernel - but I want to boot it by default.

Anybody any idea how I tell grub to boot my kernel of choice by default ?

My /boot/grub/menu.lst is below.

Code: 
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default		0

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout		3

## hiddenmenu
# Hides the menu by default (press ESC to see the menu)
hiddenmenu

# Pretty colours
#color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line)  and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
#      password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title		Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root		(hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader	+1
#
# title		Linux
# root		(hd0,1)
# kernel	/vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
##      kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd0,0)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
##      alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
##      lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## should update-grub lock old automagic boot options
## e.g. lockold=false
##      lockold=true
# lockold=false

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
##      altoptions=(recovery) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
##      howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
##      memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## should update-grub adjust the value of the default booted system
## can be true or false
# updatedefaultentry=false

## ## End Default Options ##

title		Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-11-386
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-11-386 root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro quiet splash
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-11-386
savedefault
boot

title		Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-11-386 (recovery mode)
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-11-386 root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-11-386
boot

title		Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-386
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-10-386 root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro quiet splash
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-10-386
savedefault
boot

title		Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.17-10-386 (recovery mode)
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.17-10-386 root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.17-10-386
boot

title		Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-23-686
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-686 root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro quiet splash
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-686
savedefault
boot

title		Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-23-686 (recovery mode)
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-686 root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-686
boot

title		Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-23-386
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386 root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro quiet splash
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386
savedefault
boot

title		Ubuntu, kernel 2.6.15-23-386 (recovery mode)
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-386 root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro single
initrd		/boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-386
boot

title		Ubuntu, memtest86+
root		(hd0,0)
kernel		/boot/memtest86+.bin
boot

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

--------------------------------------------------
Free Java/J2EE Database Connection Pooling Software
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
#
# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry
# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.
# WARNING: If you are using dmraid do not change this entry to 'saved' or your
# array will desync and will not let you boot your system.
default 0
Click to expand...

Do you see the last line where is says 'default 0'? Change the 0 to the one you want to be the default. Note all the blocks at the bottom that start with 'title'? These blocks are numbered 0, 1, 2, 3, and so on. So if you want the third one down on the list to be the default, you would use 'default 2'.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
In addition.

You could also unhide the menu by commenting out:
hiddenmenu

To add the kernel to your file, add after the comment about being the end of autogenerated Debian kernels
Code: 
title        My SMP Kernel
root        (hd0,0)
kernel        [red]your/path/to/kernel/here[/red] root=UUID=1fe6b1ca-18b8-4f79-ae4f-e4d3b6922c2b ro quiet splash
initrd        [red]your/path/to/initrd/image/here[/red]

These would match the same things you type at the grub console.

Remeber that grub is 0 indexed, because all real programers start counting at zero.

[plug=shameless]
[/plug]
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
thanks chaps, changed the the default to 4, and its working now.

--------------------------------------------------
Free Java/J2EE Database Connection Pooling Software
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

TSch
  • Locked
  • Question
Make Grub boot Windows partition
Replies
3
Views
88
TSch
TSch
handle789
  • Locked
  • Question
Grub is corrupted
Replies
1
Views
83
BadBigBen
BadBigBen
Shaz444
  • Locked
  • Question
What happened to boot loader? Grub?
Replies
1
Views
58
flyboytim
flyboytim
forrie
  • Locked
  • Question
New RHEL 5 installation, grub timer not running
Replies
7
Views
86
forrie
forrie
Grub3r
  • Locked
  • Question
Grub hangs Fedora 7 1
Replies
7
Views
93
DrD123
DrD123

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor

Back
Top