Re: [RFC] Allow separate boot block and core.img location?

[joe faith]

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Chris Murphy

Sent: 01/16/14 04:04 PM

To: The development of GNU GRUB

Subject: Re: [RFC] Allow separate boot block and core.img location?

 

Is there a good reason why we don't have a separate partition for core.img? It doesn't seem like it's an OK idea for anything to be using the unallocated MBR gap, it's essentially a free for all. So why not an 0xEA partition of 1MB that's the MBR equivalent of the GPT BIOS Boot partition? I don't know if it even necessarily requires use of a primary partition if the boot.img code in the MBR simply points to an LBA to load. If that's the case core.img could be in an extended partition. And once GRUB is running, it doesn't care about primary or extended partitions anyway, right? 

When using TrueCrypt whole disk encryption, for example, extended partitions are not supported (with WinXP anyway).
That leaves you with a maximum of 4 partitions - often not enough to spare one for grub (especially in multi-boot setups).