I need One stable distro alongside my Arch installation . I use arch as primary OS but I need some OLD distro to compile my C++ programs for college .
I had tried CentOS ,Fedora ,Debian and Xubutnu and they all mess up with Arch Linux grub bootloader and I don’t like it. So can I install OpenSUSE Leap without bootloader ? I want to use my arch boot loader . I am going for net-install for xfce.
You can install openSUSE bootloader on partition and chainload it from another master bootloader. I remember there were some plans to support no bootloader mode for installation, not sure whether this is supported by Leap 15.
Hi and welcome to the openSUSE forums!
I think that thread is still relevant. Anyway you have two options.
When at the “Installation Settings” screen of the installer, click on “Booting”.
There you may select the “Not Managed” entry in the “Boot Loader” drop down menu (and then ignore the warnings issued by the installer about not being able to boot the system) OR
uncheck the “Set active flag in partition table for Boot partition” AND “Write generic boot code to MBR” flags.
Afterwards you have to edit your Arch Grub configuration to be able to boot your openSUSE and redo that after each kernel update.
Also do I get lts kernel in OpenSUSE Leap ?
Do you mean “Long Term Support”? LEAP 42.3 is going to be supported till January 2019. The just released LEAP 15 should be supported for some 18 months, up to 3 yrs with planned updates: but expect a few updates and bugfixes in the next few weeks.
Is that what you are looking for?
All my PCs are multiboot, so since my bootloader choice is not an installation option anyway, it’s the only way I have installed (any FOSS OS) in recent years. I do also recommend you install bootloader to partition rather than not managed. This allows the chainloader method of having Arch start openSUSE, and having its boot stanzas properly configured at each kernel and initrd installation and update.
Also, you must deselect install generic code to MBR to preserve whatever Arch bootloader has configured that depends on not having generic code there.
I want to use my arch boot loader . I am going for net-install for xfce.
Net-install is my usual method. I actually start installation without downloading and burning any .iso by downloading linux and initrd from download.opensuse.org to a filesystem my master bootloader knows about, and have it start openSUSE installation.
Also do I get lts kernel in OpenSUSE Leap ?
Strictly speaking, no, but important features and drivers, as well as security fixes, from newer kernels are periodically incorporated in Leap’s kernel updates.
This is intended for containers that do not have or need bootloader at all. How are you going to manage addition and removal of kernels in external bootloader?
Good point, but the OP is an Arch user so likely able to trim the (Arch) GRUB config as needed and he explicitly asked for an install “without” a bootloader. Anyway, to the benefit of other readers, we have two main options.
Install the openSUSE bootloader to the root partition (without generic bootloader code to the MBR if it is a legacy install and not changing the “active partition” flag) and chainload that openSUSE bootloader to the “main” bootloader (the Arch one in this case).
Install openSUSE with bootloader “not managed” and adjust the main bootloader accordingly.
For instance I usually install test or beta systems that way, then I have a “main” LEAP install whose bootloader is refreshed via YaST2-bootloader with the “Probe foreign OS” flag every time a new test distro or updated kernel is installed.
In this case you may lose advanced features like booting from read-only snapshots, for instance, which is allowed by option no. 1).
On 2018-05-31, SmitQtMan <SmitQtMan@no-mx.forums.microfocus.com> wrote:
> I need One stable distro alongside my Arch installation . I use arch as
> primary OS but I need some OLD distro to compile my C++ programs for
> college .
3 points.
Of course, you’re welcome to try the solutions listed by previous posters, but it would be worth confirming that
when openSUSE performs updates that update the kernel there are no side effects (I don’t know the answer).
If you are are using a desktop and don’t want to disrupt your Arch installation, I would strongly recommend an
additional hard drive for each GNU/Linux distribution to avoid bootloader headaches.
Why do you need a an old distro to compile your C++ programs? If you’re concerned about modern gcc versions
defaulting to C++11, bear in mind by default, openSUSE Leap comes with a very old gcc compiler that may work well with
your C++ programs.
It seems to me multibooters asking for help with booting are more abundant having multiple disks than those using one disk. The multiples also seem to have more trouble overcoming their trouble. All my >25 fully operational PCs are multiboot. 3 or 4 have >1 disk, and among those, 2 use their pair for RAID. Installed OS count for those without RAID average well above 12, several with >30, one with >40. 6 or 8 single disk PCs include Windows, 2 Windows 10.
Don’t forget that you typically can consider virtualization as an alternative to multi-booting.
I’ve always been hesitant to subject myself to extra bootloading complexity and prefer deploying a virtual machine for such tasks as isolating my development environments and compiling.
There are relatively few instances where a compiler might need access to real mode hardware, and even in those scenarios there is usually a configuration.