Install grub2 on UEFI GPT,create /boot partition and transfer clonezilla image

Question

I would like to do the following:

Given:

A Windows system on GPT and UEFI with unallocated space on which one wishes to deploy Ubuntu An ubuntu partition, and seperate partitions for /boot and swap

Deploy a clone of the ubuntu partition on said windows system.

In order to do that, one has to presumably:

Install grub2 on the MBR Create a /boot and swap partitions for the ubuntu Transfer the ubuntu clone to the new partition

Assuming the workflow specified is correct, the following questions arise:

1. Does one deploy a cloned boot partition?
2. What software does one use to create the /boot or modify it if necessary? (It would appear that from screenshots, BootRepair can create a seperate /boot for partition, however, the question arises, can BootRepair facilitate creation of a fresh /boot?)
3. What steps does one need to perform link the /boot to the cloned partition

4. What steps does one need to perform to add the newly cloned Ubuntu to grub2?

5. Is there an automated way to install grub2 to replace the windows bootloader, including performing the steps specified here: http://www.wensley.org.uk/gpt

6. Is there a script to perform the above in an automated way with presumably the input being (cloned /, /boot and unallocated space) and the output being as specified?

1. Is #6 reasonable doable as provided by the current APIs of BootRepair and clonezilla? Ie, perhaps I don't want to implement grub2 installation

The reason I ask #5 is because:

1. I installed Ubuntu (/boot, swap, os) on unallocated space on a UEFI GPT windows system. However, it did not (appear to) install grub and switching between OS is performed by specifying the boot order in BIOS.
2. It is specified as a general instruction in the wiki to run BootRepair to presumably facilitate a fix to this but it is not explicitly specified if that is the problem at which the instructions are aimed at (ie the language is, running BootRepair solves most issues)
3. So does BootRepair perform #5 in a complete manner?
4. It is further specified in various instructions to boot relevant live cds with UEFI. In my bios, the boot order is specified by simply hitting enter on the menu phrase "UEFI Boot". Presumably, media booted in said boot order is booted with UEFI. Please confirm this is what the instruction specifies.

Answer 1

I don't have a complete answer; however, before you proceed, I recommend you read up on EFI-mode booting. Some specific sites that should be of use to you include:

• https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UEFI
• http://www.rodsbooks.com/linux-uefi/
• http://www.rodsbooks.com/efi-bootloaders/

In brief, on an EFI-based system, you do not install anything in the MBR; instead, you install a Linux EFI boot loader or boot manager in the EFI System Partition (ESP) and set it as the EFI's default boot program using a tool such as efibootmgr (in Linux), bcfg (in an EFI shell), bcdedit (in Windows), or the EFI's own user interface. See the rEFInd documentation on manual installation for the basics of most of these methods; but you may need to modify some details for whatever boot program you choose to use. Normally an Ubuntu installer will handle this for you, but in your cloning case, you'll need to do it manually, or possibly use a tool like Boot Repair.

GRUB is likely to be a pain to set up manually. If Boot Repair can handle it automatically, then great; but if not, I strongly recommend using something else. (See the EFI boot loader page I referenced earlier for a rundown of what's available.) rEFInd is likely to be relatively easy to set up, but with a separate /boot partition, you'll need to manually create a /boot/refind_linux.conf file, as described toward the end of this page.

It's possible you'll need to generate a new initial RAM disk (initrd) file. I don't have any references on how to do this when cloning an Ubuntu system, unfortunately.