2.3. Installing GRUB

If GRUB was not installed during the installation process, it can be installed afterward. Once installed, it automatically becomes the default boot loader.

Before installing GRUB, make sure to use the latest GRUB package available or use the GRUB package from the installation CD-ROMs. For instructions on installing packages, refer to the chapter titled Package Management with RPM in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administration Guide.

Once the GRUB package is installed, open a root shell prompt and run the command /sbin/grub-install <location>, where <location> is the location that the GRUB Stage 1 boot loader should be installed. For example, the following command installs GRUB to the MBR of the master IDE device on the primary IDE bus:

/sbin/grub-install /dev/hda

The next time the system boots, the GRUB graphical boot loader menu appears before the kernel loads into memory.

ImportantImportant
 

If GRUB is installed on a RAID 1 array, the system may become unbootable in the event of disk failure. An unsupported workaround is provided online at the following URL:

http://www.dur.ac.uk/a.d.stribblehill/mirrored_grub.html