multiboot

[sskraju]

I'm completely linux newbie. I got a PC(32 bit) from my friend that has Fedora & Ubuntu on single HDD.Now I need to install Suse on the same HDD without destroying other distros.Please let me know what are the prerequisites for this? & how to do this step by step.

I'm not sure how the before installation is done?? I'm not sure about grub editing/tweaking.Plz guide me clearly.If you need any additional information plz let me know.At present installation of SUSE is very important.

Ubuntu 10.04
Fedora 13
OpenSuse 11.3


Thanks in advance
Raju

[stoat]

Originally Posted by sskraju

Please let me know what are the prerequisites for this?

The only requirements that I can think of are 1) the hard drive must have room for a new partition and 2) the existing partition layout must allow another partition to be created.

Originally Posted by sskraju

& how to do this step by step.

Step 1. Decide the boot loader arrangement that you want. You can keep the existing boot loader arrangement and add Fedora to the existing boot menu, or you can allow the Fedora installer (aka Anaconda) to install Fedora's GRUB boot loader in the master boot record and take over the boot loader chores. I always recommend the former option when adding additional Linux systems. If you decide to do that when you install Fedora, then choose the option to install Fedora's GRUB in the first sector of its own boot sector (watch for and click the "Change device" button). After the installation you will add Fedora to the existing GRUB's boot menu. Of course choose the other option if that is what you prefer. It is the default and will happen unless you interfere with it.

Step 2. Create space for the new system's partition(s). Anaconda can shrink an existing partition, but I have never made use of that feature in it. Anaconda also can delete or reformat a no-longer-needed partition to use for Fedora. You also can use your favorite partition manager to shrink or delete an existing partition in advance of the installation.

Step 3. Install the new system.

Step 4. Adjust the boot loader situation. Fedora 13 still uses legacy GRUB. So does OpenSUSE 11.3 according to a review that I just read. Ubuntu 10.4 uses GRUB 2 by default. If your main boot loader (the one that boots all of the systems) is GRUB 2, there is a good chance that the update-grub command will add an entry for the new system for you. But if your main boot loader is legacy GRUB, then plan on having to manually add a boot menu entry for a newly installed system. One example of what to enter in grub.conf or menu.lst of legacy GRUB when the target system has its own GRUB installed in the first sector of its boot partition...

title Whatever Here
configfile (hdx,y)/grub/menu.lst

You change x & y to the drive & partition of the boot partition. If the target system does not have a separate boot partition, then you must add /boot to the path of the configfile command.

How's that?

[132811]

Since you say you have installed Fedora and Ubuntu,you must already have grub installed now.So you don't need to installl the grub again when installing your Centos.
Do as Stoat says
(You have to check whether your grub is legacy or grub2,(Note that the kernel load command is not "linux" but "kernel " in grub2.),eg:
IN Grub2:

menuentry 'fedora 13 i686 '{
root (hd0,5)
linux /boot/vmlinuz0 root=/dev/sda5 ro vga=791
initrd /boot/initrd0.img

IN Grub legacy:

title fedora 13 i686
root (hd0,4)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz0 root=/dev/sda5 ro vga=791
initrd /boot/initrd0.img

Good luck!