[Lancaster] 'Sharing' a /boot Partition - Possible?

[Martyn Welch]

Dave Smith wrote:
> Evening again folks.
> 
> Another bordering-on-dumb question here I fear.
> 
> Two Linux / Unix OS's. One hard drive. What happens if you make them 
> both mount the same /boot partition to store their grub config in?
> 

They both try to set the boot options and the last one to install the 
config there wins...

> I'm sure I remember Ken mentioning something in this area fairly 
> recently when he was talking about his own machines, but I can't 
> remember the details. Once again, search results seem sketchy. Perhaps I 
> need to go back and define my searches better...
> 
> For reference, I'm toying with Ubuntu in one spot, Debian Lenny in 
> another, both referring to the same /boot and swap for - I think, in 
> theory - ease.
> 
> Am I right? Wrong? In need of a good slap?

I'd suggest it's probably a bad idea, it is best to separate them.

I have a small partition with a custom install of grub with a config 
that neither installation touches. When I do an install I try to 
remember to install the distro's grub into the root's partition boot 
sector rather than the master boot record. The custom install then 
chainloads to the grub's installed by each distro. Works, but can be a 
bit of a pain, esp. when I forget where to install grub.

At work I tend to have a single distro installed now, if I want to try 
something else, I use virtualisation...

Martyn