Re: Using label for Grub root (*not* os root)

[Uwe Dippel]

Roger Binns wrote:

> I didn't actually want to use a different (although enhanced) bootloader
>  :-)   And I'd much rather use labels than sentinel files.

> This is going to be a big deal for Linux real soon.  The pata drivers
> are now all handled by the scsi subsystem which just numbers disks in
> the order it finds them.  Actually trying to work out what a partition
> will be named (sd?, hd?) in advance is a royal pain.

[Slightly OT]
I agree and disagree. The logic for hda / sda dies on me too often.
On the other hand, I wasted days of my life with labels; since the 'damn
box' wouldn't load (mount) what I actually thought it had mounted (you
can't read the label physically; on the drive; and it doesn't handle
duplicates properly).
It is an interesting research topic of how to overcome this, but, sorry
to say, for me labels are out. I rather use the old-fashion count like
on Solaris, which doesn't differentiate between hda and sda, but simply
counts controllers and drives and partitions incrementally, as you all
are aware of. This is no answer, since c2d1p3 is arcane. Though, at
least, unambiguous.
ZFS could in future lead to a better way of dealing with it, I find -
despite of its current shortcomings - the auto-discovery of pools quite
promising.
In the end, a DHCP-like system might evolve; scanning any plugged drive,
reading by all means your labels, and offer to mount the partitions /
drives.

It is also high time, to remove grub from the installs and give it a
place in an extended BIOS, a semi-permanent hard-drive (CF) or similar.
Then, at boot, it can likewise detect all available drives and allocate
/ dish out / retrieve the labels (partitions), and gobble together your
desired mount situation. Where you can store personal drive
configurations, as well.
:) Plus, we'd have the traffic on this list vastly reduced ! - No more
questions to 'I have deleted my Linux, and now I can't boot to Windows',
and likewise. We'd have grub being available as persistent boot
controller, irrespective of disk configuration.
[/ OT]

Uwe