[syslinux] Fail to set up UEFI syslinux on ArchLinux USB Flash Drive

[Ferenc Wagner]

alex lupu <alupu01 at gmail.com> writes:

> On Tue, Mar 17, 2015 at 4:16 AM, Ferenc Wagner <wferi at niif.hu> wrote:
>
>> alex lupu via Syslinux <syslinux at zytor.com> writes:
>>
>>​>​ Obviously it would work IF I moved the vmlinuz
>>> and initramfs ​files from /dev/sdd2 to /dev/sdd1.
>>>
>>> I figured that would probably be considered non-standard Arch
>>
>> The standard solution is to have your boot partition (sdd1) mounted as
>> /boot in your Linux system, and then your kernel and initramfs files are
>> automatically put (and updated) on the right partition.  Then you can
>> refer to them as /vmlinuz and /initramfs from the Syslinux config (where
>> sdd1 is "mounted" at /)
>
> My '/etc/fstab' has looked like this
>
> # <file system> <dir>           <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
> /dev/sdd1       /boot/efi       vfat    defaults        0       1
> /dev/sdd2       /               ext2    rw,relatime     0       1
> /dev/sdd3       none            swap    defaults        0       0
>
> Do you actually suggest
> 1. I change /dev/sdd1's mounting point from "/boot/efi" to "/boot"?

Yes, but only after handling the fallout, see below.

> 2. Leave vmlinuz and initram files in their standard, normal place, /boot/
> of /dev/sdd2 (with syslinux menu tweaked as you mentioned)?

No.  Move everything belonging to your OS (like vmlinuz*, initrd*,
config*, System.map* etc.) from your current /boot into your current
/boot/efi, so that after changing the mount point of sdd1 everything
will be in its usual place again.  Then change your Syslinux config:
drop /EFI from your LINUX and INITRD paths, so that they look like

LINUX /vmlinuz...
INITRD /vmlinuz...

as these files are now in the root of sdd1.  This way your OS and
Syslinux will find the same files via different paths.  Upgrading your
kernel will place all the files into the right place.  If your OS has
bootloader integration magic, it may even provide the corresponding
Syslinux config.  Or you can generate it at boot time via something like
automenu.lua in current Syslinux.
-- 
Good luck,
Feri.