Distribution kernel notes

[rvl]

In the file docs/tools-reference/custom-kernels-distros/run-a-distribution-supplied-kernel-with-kvm.md, I think 2 things should be clarified:

1. There are two options for running a distribution supplied kernel.
   The "GRUB 2" boot option. Using this requires the root image to have a filesystem but no partitions. The grub2 setup seems to be hardwired to set root=(hd0) and prefix=(hd0)/boot/grub. This setup needs you to run update-grub to refresh the files in /boot/grub, but grub-install is not necessary.

   The "Direct boot" option. If your disk image has a partition table and filesystems on those partitions (e.g. a separate /boot) -- as is commonly done by many distro installers. In this case, grub-install must be run to install grub into the MBR of the virtual disk device.

2. When running such a BYO kernel configuration, Linode are limited in terms of the support they are able to offer.

[cwlinode]

Thank you for bringing this up. We've given this guide a makeover and the GRUB 2 boot option now boots the distro-supplied kernel for all of our Recommended distributions. There's no need to reinstall the kernel or mess with Grub anymore. The guide updates will be published shortly. Closing.