Auto-install EFI / BIOS bootloader

[Pierre Neidhardt]

The manual suggests the following:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
     Note: Unsure whether to use EFI- or BIOS-based GRUB? If the
     directory ‘/sys/firmware/efi’ exists in the installation image,
     then you should probably perform an EFI installation, using
     ‘grub-efi-bootloader’.  Otherwise you should use the BIOS-based
     GRUB, known as ‘grub-bootloader’.  *Note Bootloader
     Configuration::, for more info on bootloaders.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

From there, why wouldn't Guix do that automatically for use?

For instance, would could have the following:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
    (bootloader (bootloader-configuration
                 (bootloader grub-auto-bootloader)
                 (target "/dev/sdX))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

The "target" can be used as follows:

- If in BIOS mode, use /dev/sdX directly.
- If in EFI mode, pick the partition with the ESP flag and look up the
mount-point in the (file-systems ...).

What do you think?


Side question: I just tried installing GuixSD on a brandnew workstation
and the motherboard (Asus PRIME B450M-K) displays "UEFI" when I press F2
on start.  Now when I boot the Guix image, /sys/firmware/efi does not
exist, and indeed the Grub EFI installation fails (the BIOS one works).
I tried with another distribution, same thing.  The error is something
like:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
/gnu/store/...-grub-.../.../modinfo.sh doesn't exist, please specify
--target or --directory.
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

Is it possible that Linux fails to detect the UEFI?

--
Pierre Neidhardt
https://ambrevar.xyz/

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