While installing gentoo on an amd64 platform, I got to the point to emerge grub, but then realised the hardened stage I used did not have multilib support (use +multilib)... Emerging grub told me to emerge gcc with multilib support, however this did not work properly (not hardened related). Eventually I decided to start from zero and enable multilib as in the default profile. I was reading through the profile and ran into "virtual/bootloader sys-boot/grub-static". This seems to be the way to go when you have a non-multilib amd64 system. (I have not actually tested it since I am remote to the system, but it emerges fine). I would like to ask to add a small paragraph to the related documentation (as pointed to by the above url). Stating that on a non-multilib amd64 system the user can use static-grub as an alternative. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. 2. 3.
This is hardened-specific and should be discussed in the hardened documentation.
I had same problem emerging GRUB on AMD 64 platform. didn't have multilib support enabled. Found in the forums to emerge grub-static instead of grub. Installation handbook for AMD 64 should be updated to reference grub-static.
I've just installed from "2004.3", and had problems with GRUB. First, the default gcc (from stage 2) didn't have "multilib" enabled (contrary to what is said in the link referred to in comment #1 of bug #60604), so I had to create the "package.use" file to continue the installation. Now GRUB compiled, but didn't work properly: no "TAB completion", which is rather painful when trying to figure out where the "grub root" partition is. So, either a newer version of grub doesn't exhibit that problem (I didn't try), and it should be in the "stable" branch, or the manual should say that "grub-static" *must* be used (i.e. not only if "multilib" isn't enabled).
For amd64 grub-static is needed and it seems to have problems with PAX. If I start grub it works fine and selecting the root partition through the command like "root (hd0,0) but as far as I enter the command "setup (hd0)" grub is killed. Isn't it possible to release a newer grub-static? Without hardened Gentoo without Pax and grsecurity I have no problems.
By the way grub works without multilib if the Kernel has IA32-support compiled in.
I know I ran into about the same issue of building a pure amd64 system (-multilib) that grub was hard masked. I did manage to fully get lilo instead to compile and work most of the way on amd64. Right now it is marked as unstable. The only problem on lilo that I encountered is that I couldn't get boot splash too work; but that issue is something else. I'll test out lilo some more, make sure it is pretty stable on amd64 before I sumbit a request for it stableized on amd64, and have it added to documentation.
Is this bug still current? Should it be assigned to hardened only vs the maintainer of the given doc? Can it be closed?
It's very real, as I just ran into it myself :-) An even easier solution that updating docs (and arguing over whether it should go in the hardened docs or the amd64 handbook) is to simply adjust the message in package.mask to suggest using grub-static if the user doesn't want to switch to a multilib profile.
This is really annoying if try to install gentoo with hardened profile and follow the amd64 install docs. You try to emerge grub but it is masked.. unmask grub.. emerge again.. emerge error.. until you might have luck and find the hint that you should emerge grub-static. You should mention it in the install docs + when printing the masked messages for grub .. ty
The package.mask message for grub on hardened/amd64 now suggests grub-static for non-multilib systems - this puts hardened non-multilib users in the same situation as non-hardened non-multilib users. When the package.mask messages are combined with the fact that grub-static is the default provider of virtual/bootloader on hardened/amd64 and default-linux/amd64/2006.1, you have a pretty good interim solution. The decision about modifying the handbook is now up to the docs and/or amd64 teams.
The masking entry now says that you should use grub-static instead, would be good to have it covered in the handbook though.
(In reply to comment #11) > The masking entry now says that you should use grub-static instead, would be > good to have it covered in the handbook though. > As others have hinted (including our former head SwifT, back in the day), this belongs in the Hardened handbooks, not in the main handbook, which doesn't cover hardened/selinux/rsbac/uberspecialsecure installs. Reassigning to Hardened; it's their docs in /proj/.
Reassigning per above.
No, it's a non-multilib problem. Hardened uses non-multilib, but that doesn't make it a hardened problem. We offer non-hardened users non-multilib profiles, so it should be covered in our handbook.
Added an <impo> for non-multilib users to install grub-static instead, and added an additional AMD64-specific example of switching to a no-multilib profile when installing the base system. So hardened/non-multilib users can rejoice in the handbook, as the bases are covered. Fixed in CVS.
