Managing Multiple Operating Systems HOWTO

2. Purpose and goals:

The purpose of this HOWTO is to describe a methodology for managing multiple operating systems on a single computer system. It is intended for Linux users who have a basic familiarity with both Linux and LILO installations. Nothing here is terribly complex however, considering the amount of time it takes to install some operating systems it can be relatively time consuming.

It is different from other methods in that it doesn't require multiple operating systems on the boot disk. Instead it uses a fixed internal disk containing a single primary operating system and a selection of removable disks with one or more operating systems installed on each of them. If you absolutely have to have two, three, or four different operating systems on a single disk and are trying to get them to behave with each other, this HOWTO is not for you.

Its specific goals are:

* - A primary/operational disk that once configured and installed is rarely changed. This includes not having to repartition or otherwise modify the disk it resides on.

* - Easy selection of multiple alternative operating systems at boot time without having to go through more than one or two menu selections.

* - No need to modify the BIOS, LILO, or any other configuration to access an O/S once it is installed.

* - Easy addition/removal of operating systems depending on requirements at the moment.

* - Inexpensive and scalable to allow for an increasing number of operating systems and versions as time goes on.

I think I succeeded admirably in the first three of these requirements. You can form your own opinions on the last two.