lubuntu-desktop team mailing list archive

[Phill Whiteside <phillw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

As requested, the sender's details have been removed,

Any comments / Is it worth editing for the Advanced / Expert users section ?

Regards,

Phill.


Hi,
As requested an email summarising how to do it (as discussed with
bioterror).  If you decide to use any of this please respect my
anonymity.


Outline of Circumstances and Objectives.
Various older/low spec machines are in use here that are
at/approaching the end of their life.
Objective 1: Extend useful life.
Resolution - Move to a Linux distro specifically designed to require
few demands on system resources.

Machines are unable to satifactorily run current commercial OS's and apps.
Objective 2: Employ lightweight OSS OS and apps.
Resolution - Lubuntu

Users here are non-expert and do not want to understand "why", only to
know "how".
Objective 3: Users not to be exposed to technicalities.
Resolution - Inherrent in Lubuntu design.

Users are reluctant to move from what they know.
Objective 4: Employ familiar uncluttered GUI.
Resolution - Inherrent in Lubuntu design.
Objective 5: Offer similar/like-for-like apps.
Resolution - Extensive range of apps in Ubuntu repositories.
Objective 6: Reduce fear factor by demonstrating both old and new
side-by-side
Resolution - Enable multi-boot of new and existing OS/apps on current
machines.

Machines have differing abilities to boot from a range of devices/sources
Objective 7: Provide a common means of booting to enable the same
booting ability at each machine.
Resolution - Employ PLOP boot manager.


Outline of Setting-up Lubuntu and PLOP
PLOP is a boot manager that requires the presence of a bootloader
(GRUB) to load the OS.
In a multi-boot set-up GRUB is not to be placed in the MBR (ref PLOP web
site).
The following was found to produce a working multi-boot set-up.

1: When installing Lubuntu from the CD-ROM choose to manually partition the
disk
2: Create a small primary partition (250MB) and set its mount point as
"/boot"
3: Create an extended partition for Lubuntu (anything above 3.5GB) and
set its mount point to be "/"
4: On the same page is an option to choose the location of the
bootloader (GRUB).  Set this to point at "/dev/sdXX" i.e. "/boot"
5: The installation then continues as normal and when GRUB is
installed to "/boot" it also scans for other bootable OS's and adds
them to the list of boot options in the GRUB menu.

Currently, the test-rig PC is started with PLOP on a floppy disk.  It
offers to boot from various hard disk partitions.  Selecting the one
created as "/boot" displays the usual GRUB menu which includes all the
OS's on the hard disk.  The only step left now is to move PLOP from
floppy to the hard disk, however the proof of concept is complete.

Regards
SamK