[bug #785] would like to change default for only next boot from running system

[nobody]

=================== BUG #785: LATEST MODIFICATIONS ==================
http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?func=detailbug&bug_id=785&group_id=68

Changes by: Wim Vinckier <address@hidden>
Date: Thu 10/23/2003 at 15:52 (GMT)

------------------ Additional Follow-up Comments ----------------------------
I was looking for the same option... lilo -R is quite handy to  test a new 
kernel on a server without a display and keyboard.



=================== BUG #785: FULL BUG SNAPSHOT ===================


Submitted by: jayberkenbilt           Project: GNU GRUB                     
Submitted on: Mon 07/01/2002 at 15:17
Category:  Configuration              Severity:  Major                      
Priority:  None                       Bug Group:  Feature Request           
Resolution:  None                     Assigned to:  None                    
Status:  Open                         Release:  0.91                        
Reproducibility:  None                Planned Release:                      

Summary:  would like to change default for only next boot from running system

Original Submission:  I have a grub menu with several items on it.  I almost 
always choose the same one.  Occasionally, I want to boot from a different item 
on the next boot, but then want to return to by default for subsequent boots.  
I would like to be able to override the menu item that will appear as the 
default on the next boot only and to be able to do this from my running system 
before rebooting.  This is different from using savedefault.



For example, once in a while, I boot into Windows instead of Linux.  I have a 
menu item called "dark" that does this.  I want to be able to run bootdark from 
Linux and have the system boot into windows the next time I boot.  Then, the 
time after that, I want it to go back to Linux again.



You could do this with lilo by using lilo -R.



Right now, I'm acheiving this goal by having a bunch of different grub 
configuration files that do various setups and installs, and I have a script 
that changes which grub configuration file is in use, but this is not clean.



It seems to me that savedefault must be writing something like this somewhere 
-- perhaps at the beginning of stage2 -- and that it wouldn't be a hard 
software change to support this request in a similar fashion.



The main reason for doing this is to be able to control booting remotely in a 
safe way.  I want to be able to control my next boot without having to be 
physically present at the machine.  For example, I can boot once into Windows, 
and then reboot from there using VNC.  I can't run grub from Linux, so the only 
way to get back once I've done that (short of messing with active partitions, 
etc.) is to have the default switch back upon the next boot.



Thanks for your consideration.



Follow-up Comments
*******************

-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu 10/23/2003 at 15:52       By: wimpunk
I was looking for the same option... lilo -R is quite handy to  test a new 
kernel on a server without a display and keyboard.

-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue 08/12/2003 at 22:25       By: None
An external tool wont be able to reset the default entry number, if the kernel 
panics. For remote booting of new kernels, there needs to be a 'one-shot' 
option, or better yet it detects a boot-loop, say more than 3 in 5 minutes and 
boots a fail-back image.

-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon 09/16/2002 at 15:44       By: jayberkenbilt
oops -- I made the last comment without logging in.  Anyway, the last comment 
was made by the original poster....

-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon 09/16/2002 at 15:42       By: None
Changing the default entry would be one step, but in order for  my suggestion 
to work, it would have to be changed in such a way that the default would 
revert back for the next time, even if the system is booted into an operating 
system from which GRUB can't be configured.  It would be sufficient to, in 
addition to being able to override the next default, to be able to set the 
default for the next boot in the grub configuration file.  (Right now, the only 
thing you can do is "safedefault".)  If I could, for example, say that my next 
boot it is default to the third entry and to set in my grub configuration item 
for the third entry that it should restore the default to the first entry, that 
would do the trick.

-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed 09/11/2002 at 16:18       By: hno
Writing a tool that changes the default entry should not be too hard..

The location where the saved default entry number is located is documented in 
the "Internals" section in the GRUB manual.


CC List
*******

CC Address                          | Comment
------------------------------------+-----------------------------
address@hidden                | It would also be nice for this to change the 
next boot over a power-cycle, like a lilo -R does.  But not strictly necessary 
if a memory-only change is easy but a HD change hard.



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