how do I install multiple linux versions ?

This should be an easy question: How do I install multiple linux versions?

I currently have a dual boot with windoze and openSuSE. I would line to add another version and play with another distro.
Besides setting up the partitions, how do I do that and not mess up the existing boot loader?
Can they use the same /home, or do they each need their own?

thanks

Most of the major distros will sit happily alongside each other as long as they use the same version of Grub. The users in /home may be numbered from 500 or from 1000, as in the case of openSUSE. As long as they all start from the same number, you can in theory use the same /home. However, there may be conflicts among hidden files. For example, openSUSE stores KDE4 hidden files in .kde4 and KDE3 hidden files in .kde; so, if another distro stores KDE4 hidden files in .kde, you may run into problems.

On 2015-07-30 22:56, idee wrote:

> I currently have a dual boot with windoze and openSuSE. I would line
> to add another version and play with another distro.
> Besides setting up the partitions, how do I do that and not mess up the
> existing boot loader?

If using legacy bios, not uefi, then just tell the other Linux to
install the booter in the other Linux boot partition, and not to mess
with the MBR.

If using uefi and gpt partitions, wait for advice from somebody else :slight_smile:

> Can they use the same /home, or do they each need their own?

Better not.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)

Are you using MBR or GPT partitioning?
Do you want to add another version of openSuSE or a distro from another vendor (e.g. Mint)?

If you are using GPT partitioning and want to run a second openSuSE distro you will need to modify your “/boot/efi” partition since GPT specifications only anticipated 1 distro per vendor.

My practice is to mount my home partition as “/xhome” in all but my main system.

I then put is symbolic links for what I want to share between the two. For example:

ln -s ../../xhome/$USER/.gnupg  .gnupg

will share my gpg keyring.

I do it this way to avoid conflicts. The KDE settings in another distro might conflict with the KDE settings in opensuse (for example). Or the kde settings in opensuse 13.2 might conflict with those in opensuse 13.1.

Strictly speaking, that’s the wrong test. You actually can use GPT partitioning with a traditional legacy BIOS system. So the real issue is whether you are using UEFI firmware.

I’ve been using two opensuse versions on UEFI. I experimented with various ways of handling it. But what I have found to work the best, is to just use the one “opensuse” directory in the EFI partition. Then I create subdirectories for each installed system.

For example, if I install opensuse 13.2 first, I then do:


# cd /boot/efi/EFI/opensuse
# mkdir 13_2
# cp -p *.* 13_2

I name the directory “13_2” rather than “13.2” so that file with a “.” in their name are the real EFI boot files.

Here I have made a backup of those files to the 13_2 subdirectory.

If I then install tumbleweed, it will take over the booting. I now create a “tumbleweed” subdirectory and copy “.” to there. If I want 13.2 to be my main booting system, I just copy the files I had backed up in the 13_2 directory to the parent “opensuse” directory. That automatically switches booting back to 13.2, without any additional EFI magic incantation.

On Thu, 30 Jul 2015 20:56:02 +0000, idee wrote:

> This should be an easy question: How do I install multiple linux
> versions?
>
> I currently have a dual boot with windoze and openSuSE. I would line to
> add another version and play with another distro.
> Besides setting up the partitions, how do I do that and not mess up the
> existing boot loader?
> Can they use the same /home, or do they each need their own?
>
> thanks

I would use a virtual environment to play around with different distros.

That way, you don’t run the risk of an installer running roughshod all
over your partition scheme and/or breaking what’s currently working.

Jim


Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
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