>A separate /boot partition of type "Linux extended boot" (XBOOTLDR) can be created to keep the kernel and initramfs separate from the ESP. This is particularly helpful to dual boot with Windows with an existing ESP that is too small.
I have no idea why it's not possible to just resize the ESP and move the partitions around. Maybe the Windows install doesn't like being moved? I don't use Windows so I don't know. On all my machines I have full freedom to make the ESP as big as I want and move partitions around as I want.
True. I don't use Windows either normally. I have one R&D system which has Windows installed, and of course installed first because I would never trust the Windows installer to leave a Linux installation untouched. It has a disturbingly small ESP. I could just fit 2 kernels + initramfs there. I did not even try to repartition it because I would not be surprised Windows either breaking or reverting some changes at next boot. For me that system is not important and I did not want to spend a single extra minute on it. But obviously someone had to spend a lot of time to cope with that unfriendly system.
I was just relaying what I've read about the reason that the concept of the XBOOTLDR partition was invented in the first place. Eg:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/systemd-boot#Installation_u...
>A separate /boot partition of type "Linux extended boot" (XBOOTLDR) can be created to keep the kernel and initramfs separate from the ESP. This is particularly helpful to dual boot with Windows with an existing ESP that is too small.
I have no idea why it's not possible to just resize the ESP and move the partitions around. Maybe the Windows install doesn't like being moved? I don't use Windows so I don't know. On all my machines I have full freedom to make the ESP as big as I want and move partitions around as I want.