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List:       gentoo-user
Subject:    Re: [gentoo-user] updating /boot directory EFI
From:       "Mitch D." <futurehypoon () gmail ! com>
Date:       2023-04-16 19:11:48
Message-ID: CAFp6V1gfk3ji=2Mh86-LE827wRnggWNGNE4MgtOrsm2179SwbA () mail ! gmail ! com
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There is a catch related to using EFI without a conventional bootloader. If
you want your boot menu to include details such as kernel versions, then it
would be necessary to run efibootmgr every time you update the kernel. I'm
not sure if the EFI variable storage is resilient to repeated writes, so
this could be dangerous. The alternative is to have a couple generic EFI
boot entries, such as "Gentoo" and "Gentoo (Old Kernel)", which point to
consistent paths, then you replace the kernel at those paths without
needing to update the boot entry each time.

A minimal EFI bootloader can show an updated menu for the new kernels
without needing to make regular writes to the EFI variable storage. I
didn't know Grub was deprecated, but there are other options. rEFInd is
pretty. Syslinux is flexible.

It's probably not a huge issue, but I doubt the EFI data chip on the
motherboard has been chosen for its write endurance.

On Sun, Apr 16, 2023, 14:31 Wol <antlists@youngman.org.uk> wrote:

> On 16/04/2023 18:43, thelma@sys-concept.com wrote:
> >
> > On 4/16/23 08:49, Lee K wrote:
> >> Also, learn how to boot a kernel from the grub cli, and keep a printed
> >> version of these instructions in a handy place. This has saved my butt
> >> countless times. :)
> >
> > Thanks Lee, that is really helpful hint.
> >
> Or, seeing as grub is deprecated with EFI, learn how to boot using EFI.
>
> Don't worry, I haven't really learned either :-) I just keep a Slack
> live-CD handy ...
>
> Cheers,
> Wol
>
>

[Attachment #3 (text/html)]

<div dir="auto"><div dir="auto">There is a catch related to using EFI without a \
conventional bootloader. If you want your boot menu to include details such as kernel \
versions, then it would be necessary to run efibootmgr every time you update the \
kernel. I&#39;m not sure if the EFI variable storage is resilient to repeated writes, \
so this could be dangerous. The alternative is to have a couple generic EFI boot \
entries, such as &quot;Gentoo&quot; and &quot;Gentoo (Old Kernel)&quot;, which point \
to consistent paths, then you replace the kernel at those paths without needing to \
update the boot entry each time.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">A \
minimal EFI bootloader can show an updated menu for the new kernels without needing \
to make regular writes to the EFI variable storage. I didn&#39;t know Grub was \
deprecated, but there are other options. rEFInd is pretty. Syslinux is \
flexible.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">It&#39;s probably not a huge \
issue, but I doubt the EFI data chip on the motherboard has been chosen for its write \
endurance.</div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" \
class="gmail_attr">On Sun, Apr 16, 2023, 14:31 Wol &lt;<a \
href="mailto:antlists@youngman.org.uk">antlists@youngman.org.uk</a>&gt; \
wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 \
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">On 16/04/2023 18:43, <a \
href="mailto:thelma@sys-concept.com" target="_blank" \
rel="noreferrer">thelma@sys-concept.com</a> wrote:<br> &gt; <br>
&gt; On 4/16/23 08:49, Lee K wrote:<br>
&gt;&gt; Also, learn how to boot a kernel from the grub cli, and keep a printed<br>
&gt;&gt; version of these instructions in a handy place. This has saved my butt<br>
&gt;&gt; countless times. :)<br>
&gt; <br>
&gt; Thanks Lee, that is really helpful hint.<br>
&gt; <br>
Or, seeing as grub is deprecated with EFI, learn how to boot using EFI.<br>
<br>
Don&#39;t worry, I haven&#39;t really learned either :-) I just keep a Slack <br>
live-CD handy ...<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Wol<br>
<br>
</blockquote></div>



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