For those that multi-boot Linux distros......why?

They write about it here. https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=223909 https://www.reddit.com/r/archlinux/comments/3k4lq3/help_switching_from_grub_to_systemdboot/

It will be a bit more complicated than that because EOS has the efi partition mounted at /boot/efi. If anyone is actually interested in converting I can write a tutorial that is tested with EOS.

The main advantage is simplicity. However, that simplicity comes at the cost of functionality so it probably isn’t something everyone will want.

2 Likes

the fat32 of efi by calamares was set to MSdata smething i changed to EF00 and remounted the /boot to /boot/efi if i entered boot i see /boot/EFI

i also put alll the images in :slight_smile:

Thank you for your reply. There will surely be some who will be interested in this.

The pursuit of simplicity is quite common today, it seems to be in the Linux world as well. Is systemd-boot good for the average user at all? What functions are missing in systemd-boot that are in grub? I’m thinking of starting Windows, for example.

Sure, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be.

Cons

  • systemd-boot requires the kernels/initrds to be in the EFI partition, grub doesn’t
    • The side effect of that, it it makes it tricky to do something like dual-boot two copies of eos because the kernels would collide unles you did something special
    • It also means that the efi partition has to be larger. If you have 100MB efi partition that probably isn’t going to work
  • It is UEFI only, there is no support for legacy boot
  • Grub has a fleet of options for graphical customizations of the menu

Neutral

  • systemd-boot can boot windows without issue.
  • It can also multi-boot linux distros as long as the kernels don’t collide. For example, I am booting Windows/Arch/Manjaro/Nixos/Fedora at the moment on my main workstation

Pros

  • Almost everything “just works” without any configuration, encryption/btrfs/zfs/etc
  • Nothing has to be rebuilt. If you need to change something you edit the entry file. In most cases that isn’t even needed.
  • Because the config is simple, it is also easy to read

GRUB also has abundant documentation, is very often used as the default boot-loader and it doesn’t require systemd…

Given how complicated it is, it needs it :wink:

2 Likes

Well grub is quite complicated for the average user, it is often a challenge even for an experienced user. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I hate grub (I believe it hates me too :sweat:). Luckily I don’t multi-boot (much)

So if I understand correctly, it is enough to edit the entry file in systemd, in grub it is more difficult to configure. Systemd-boot was developed by Arch, but can it be used in any distribution that uses systemd?

I am pretty sure it was developed by the systemd devs but I guess I never investigated the history.

Yes, it should be able to.

Then I wonder if you don’t even use any bootloaders? :slight_smile:

I do, the default one. I just prefer not to touch anything if it boots :sweat_smile:

1 Like

Thanks. All my appreciation, you are an expert on systemd (too) :slight_smile:

1 Like

Just wondering how it handles microcode, resume, quiet etc. Am I doomed to a visit to the Archwiki? :grin: Just for interest’s sake, of course - I’ll stick to rEFInd for the foreseeable…

I already thought you invented Linux without a bootloader. :slight_smile:

There are a few alternatives. https://www.ubuntupit.com/best-linux-bootloader-for-home-and-embedded-systems/

Well, technically speaking systemd-boot is not a boot-loader, but a boot manager :nerd_face:. I didn’t invent it though, and don’t ask me what’s the difference :sweat_smile:

edit: apparently it uses EFI Stub Loader as the bootloader

1 Like

I think the easiest way to answer that would be to show you one of my entries:

title   Arch Linux LTS
linux   /vmlinuz-linux-lts
initrd  /amd-ucode.img
initrd  /initramfs-linux-lts.img
options zfs=zproot/ROOT/arch/root rw amd_iommu=on iommu=pt vfio-pci.ids=10de:1b80,10de:10f0

The options section is for the kernel options like resume/quite/etc. I have quite a few because I am doing PCI-passthrough and using zfs.

PS. That is isn’t a snippet. That is the entire config.

1 Like

So very similar to the refind_linux.conf next to each bootable from rEFInd then. It certainly cuts down on the ‘updates after the updates’ problem! Having them boot from the esp is the only problem then, it seems. I have too many Arch-based systems at once to even contemplate it!