Simple Bootloader config with EXTLINUX aka SYSLINUX

Now here is an alternative to my “Bootloader legacy install” Thread.
I could just go with extlinux for my DUAL or MULTIBOOT System. (In case u don|t know it, its a simple, maybe outdated Bootloader, but funktional AND the standard of Alpine linux).

I tried, but in my config there seem to be some errors in it. Alpine boots, Windows not (last entry), Manjaro boots not. Do you see any errors? I would be glad for help!! :slight_smile:

Here"s my config (below); my hdd structure is:
sda
-sda1 /boot
-sda2 / for alpine
-sda3 is Windows 10 AME
-sda4 / for Manjaro

# Generated by update-extlinux 6.04_pre1-r6
#DEFAULT menu.c32

UI vesamenu.c32
PROMPT 0
MENU TITLE Alpine/Linux Boot Menu
#MENU HIDDEN
#MENU AUTOBOOT Alpine will be booted automatically in # seconds.
TIMEOUT 40

LABEL ALP
  MENU DEFAULT
  MENU LABEL Linux Alpine
  LINUX vmlinuz-lts
  INITRD initramfs-lts
  APPEND root=/dev/sda2 modules=sd-mod,usb-storage,ext4 nomodeset quiet rootfstype=ext4

LABEL JARO
  MENU LABEL Linux Manjaro KDE
  LINUX vmlinuz-5.9-x86_64 
  INITRD initramfs-5.9-x86_64.img
#  APPEND ro root=/dev/sda4 rootfstype=btrfs rootflags=subvol=@ quiet apparmor=1 security=apparmor udev.log_priority=3
  APPEND ro root=/dev/sda4 rootfstype=btrfs quiet apparmor=1 security=apparmor udev.log_priority=3

LABEL JARO
  MENU LABEL Manjaro - mod. INITRD
  LINUX vmlinuz-5.9-x86_64 
  INITRD intel-ucode.img
  APPEND ro root=/dev/sda4 rootfstype=btrfs quiet apparmor=1 security=apparmor udev.log_priority=3

# Windows CE/ME/NT, a very dense operating system.
 # Second partition (2) on the first hard disk (hd0);
 # Linux would *typically* call this /dev/hda2 or /dev/sda2.

LABEL WIN
  MENU LABEL Windoof 10
  KERNEL chain.c32
  APPEND hd0 3

# Windows CE/ME/NT, a very dense operating system.
 # Second partition (2) on the first hard disk (hd0);
 # Linux would *typically* call this /dev/hda2 or /dev/sda2.
# LABEL cement
#  KERNEL chain.c32
#  APPEND hd0 2

MENU SEPARATOR
  • some general questions:
    What’s this for? : udev.log_priority=3

Whats this .img file for that Manjaro standard installation produced?:
intel-ucode.img

concerning the options that Manjaro usually uses in the grub.cfg entry, I just copied and pasted them to extlinux… because of a loack of knowledge and documentation of the extlinux/szslinux wiki.

What’s this for? : udev.log_priority=3

The level of verbosity of certain warnings printed during the boot process - so it stays rather quiet overall.

Whats this .img file for that Manjaro standard installation produced?:
intel-ucode.img

That is the firmware (Intel specific, there is also one for AMD-Processors)
for correcting bugs in the hardware of the CPU

AFAIK
It could work without it - but it might not, or in a flawed manner.
… that is how I understood it …
research if you want to know better/more in depth

Syslinux bootloader setup, install and update is not as automated as it is for Grub.

You’ll probably have to maintain it all by yourself
(on any kernel change/update).
Manjaro (or Arch) won’t do it for you.

AFAIK

Yes. In the grub.cfg there is also a APPEND or INITRD part. How do I activate BOTH intel-ucode.img and initramfs-5.9-x86_64.img ? Because Manjaro’s grub installation gives options with either one. Or how is it best?

Thx…

I have no experience in setting up or using syslinux.
Can only refer you to the Arch Wiki:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/syslinux
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Microcode#Syslinux

yes of course. I will go look somewhere else. But this was meant for the grub cfg:
:slight_smile:

. In the grub.cfg there is also a APPEND or INITRD part. How do I activate BOTH intel-ucode.img and initramfs-5.9-x86_64.img ? Because Manjaro’s grub installation gives options with either one. Or how is it best?

I don’t really know.
Sorry.
From looking at the script /usr/bin/update-grub
which calls /usr/bin/grub-mkconfig
any microcode image with these names
intel-uc.img intel-ucode.img amd-uc.img amd-ucode.img early_ucode.cpio microcode.cpio
that are present in the /boot directory
will be included in the initrd that is generated
… I have only the intel-ucode.img there since I have no need for the amd-ucode.img or any others.