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Alon Gubkin
Asked: 2010-07-08 10:26:54 +0800 CST

No Grub on VPS?

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I bought a new VPS running CentOS 5.5, and I'm trying to upgrade my kernel. I've downloaded, compiled and installed it sucessfully, and now I need to set it up in the grub settings. But there's no grub directory in /boot.

Where is, then, the /boot/grub/menu.lst or grub.conf file?

Edit: When I do rpm -ql grub it throws package grub is not installed. How can I know the boot loader and change its settings?

[root@server css]# find /boot -exec rpm -qf {} \;
filesystem-2.4.0-3.el5
file /boot/System.map-2.6.33.5-rt23.old is not owned by any package
file /boot/System.map-2.6.33.5-rt23 is not owned by any package
redhat-logos-4.9.99-11.el5.centos
file /boot/System.map is not owned by any package
file /boot/vmlinuz is not owned by any package
file /boot/grub is not owned by any package
redhat-logos-4.9.99-11.el5.centos
file /boot/initrd-2.6.33.5-rt23.img is not owned by any package
file /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.33.5-rt23 is not owned by any package
file /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.33.5-rt23.old is not owned by any package

[root@server css]# rpm -ql lilo
package lilo is not installed

[root@server css]# head -c 5000 /dev/xvda | strings
head: cannot open `/dev/xvda' for reading: No such file or directory
linux centos grub kernel virtuozzo

3 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    With Virtuozzo, you don't get the ability to choose your own kernel. If you need this functionality, you'll need to choose a Xen-based VPS provider that allows users to provide their own kernel. I know that Linode allows this via pv-grub, and I'm sure there are others that allow this as well.

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  2. Try:

    rpm -ql grub

    On a separate note: is there a reason you aren't using the stock kernel? Unless you have a compelling need for new features that haven't been backported, compiling your own kernel is somewhere between foolhardy and suicidal.

    As you've now updated your OP: perhaps you're using LILO?

    rpm -ql lilo

    Okay, how about:

    head -c 5000 /dev/xvda | strings

    Okay, it might not be named /dev/xvda exactly; take a look at the output of:

    df

    and grab the first bits (the part before the number(s)) for your root filesystem.

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  3. On OpenVZ containers or Virtuozzo containers there is no kernel and there is no way to ever have a kernel.

    The virtual machine is basically a chroot jail for the processes, whatever the host is using for a kernel is what your machine is powered by. Jails are great for extreme and very good reliability.

    If you need a VPS that has a custom kernel you will need to run some sort of full virtualization like Xen-HVM or Linux KVM, or even VMWare.

    Xen Para will offer limited ability to customize your kernel.

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