2 .\" @(#)lilo.conf.5 1.0 950728 aeb
3 .\" This page is based on the lilo docs, which carry the following
6 .\" LILO program code, documentation and auxiliary programs are
7 .\" Copyright 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger.
8 .\" Extensions to LILO, documentation and auxiliary programs are
9 .\" Copyright 1999-2005 John Coffman.
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19 .TH LILO.CONF 5 "April 2011"
21 lilo.conf \- configuration file for lilo
26 is read by the boot loader installer 'lilo' (see lilo(8)).
28 It might look as follows:
42 menu-title=" John's Computer "
44 ### bootable kernel images ###
45 image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.29-1-i386
47 initrd=/boot/initrd.img-2.6.29-1-i386
48 image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.33-1-i386
52 initrd=/tamu/initrd.img
56 ### other operating systems ###
59 boot-as=0x80 # must be C:
62 boot-as=0x80 # must be C:
69 This configuration file specifies that lilo uses the Master
70 Boot Record on /dev/hda. (For a discussion of the various ways
71 to use lilo, and the interaction with other operating systems,
72 see user.tex from the lilo documentation.)
74 When booting, the boot loader will issue its
76 prompt and wait for you to enter the label of the kernel (and any options)
77 which you wish to boot. At any time you may hit [Tab] to see
78 a list of kernel/other labels.
79 Alternately, if the \fBmenu\fP boot loader is installed,
80 a menu of boot options will be presented for your selection.
81 The title of this menu is overridden with the menu
82 title specification in this configuration file.
84 then the default kernel image, the first mentioned, (/boot/zImage-1.5.99)
85 will be booted after a timeout of 15 seconds (150 deciseconds).
86 There may be at least 16 images mentioned in lilo.conf. (The exact number depends
87 upon compilation options.)
89 As can be seen above, a configuration file starts with a number
90 of global options (the top 9 lines in the example),
91 followed by descriptions of the options for the various images.
92 An option in an image description will override a global option.
94 Comment lines may appear anywhere, and begin with the "#" character.
97 There are many possible keywords. The description below is
98 almost literally from user.tex (just slightly abbreviated).
100 .BI "backup=" <backup-file>
101 Specifies the location where a copy of any modified boot sector will be
102 saved in a file. 'backup=' may specify this location in one of three ways:
103 a directory where the default backup file 'boot.NNNN' will be created;
104 a file pathname template to which the '.NNNN' suffix will be added; or
105 the full file pathname, which must include the correct '.NNNN' suffix.
106 All RAID installations should use only the first two alternatives, as
107 multiple backups may be created. The '.NNNN' suffix is the hexadecimal
108 representation of the major and minor device numbers of the device or
109 partition. If this option is not specified, the default name of boot sector
110 backups is '/boot/boot.NNNN'. If a backup already exists, it will be
111 preserved, rather than overwritten. C.f., \fBforce-backup=\fP below.
113 .BI "bios-passes-dl=" <option>
114 The option is indicated as \fIyes\fP, \fIno\fP, or \fIunknown\fP. If not
115 specified, a value of "unknown" is assumed, unless additional information
116 is available to the boot installer. When "no" is specified, it indicates
117 that the BIOS is known not to pass the current boot device code to the boot
118 loader in the DL register. Its only function at this point is experimental,
119 as certain RAID installations may benefit from knowing that the
120 BIOS is 100% reliable. Its use should be considered experimental.
122 N.B.: This option may not be retained in releases beyond 22.5.1, and
123 may be specified on the command line with the '\-Z' switch: yes=1, no=0.
125 .BI "bitmap=" <bitmap-file>
126 Specifies use of a 640x480x16 (VGA BIOS) or 640x480x256 (VGA/VESA BIOS)
127 bitmap file as the background on which a boot
128 menu is displayed. May not be used if 'message=' is specified.
129 Use of this option will select a bitmap-capable boot
130 loader, unless overridden with "install=" (see below).
132 When a bitmap file is specified as a background screen during the boot
133 process, the color selection and layout of the text which overlays the
134 graphic image must be specified in one of two ways.
136 One way is the use of header information in the bitmap image (*.bmp) file:
137 From a text file with all the information about 'bmp-colors', 'bmp-table'
138 and 'bmp-timer' options together with the 'bitmap' option are stored in
139 the special LILO header of the bitmap image file by the
141 +command. Another way works without these special header information: All
142 +the information about 'bmp-colors', 'bmp-table' and 'bmp-timer' options
143 +together with the 'bitmap' option are stored in the configuration file.
144 +Any use of the 'bmp-' options within the configuration file overrides
145 +the options stored in the bitmap file header. If lilo cannot find any of
146 +the 'bmp-' options, then default values are used.
148 .BI "bmp-colors=" <fg>,<bg>,<sh>,<hfg>,<hbg>,<hsh>
149 Specifies the decimal values of the colors to be used for the menu display
150 on a 'bitmap=' background. The list consists of 6 entries, 3 for normal
151 text followed by 3 for highlighted text. The order of each triple is:
152 foreground color, background color, shadow color. If background color is
153 not specified, "transparent" is assumed. If shadow color is not specified,
154 then "none" is assumed. The list entries are separated by commas, with no
158 Option applies to all 'image=' and 'other=' sections.
159 (See COMMON OPTIONS, below.)
161 .BI "bmp-table=" <x>,<y>,<ncol>,<nrow>,<xsep>,<spill>
162 Specifies the location and layout of the menu table. <x>,<y> specify the
163 starting x- and y-position of the upper left corner of the table in
164 character coordinates: x in [1..80], y in [1..30]. <ncol> is the number of
165 columns in the menu (1..5); and <nrow> is the number of rows (entries)
167 If more than one column is specified, then <xsep> is the number of character
168 columns between the leftmost characters in each column: (18..40), and
169 <spill> is the number of entries in one column which must be filled before
170 entries spill into the next column. <spill> must be .le. <nrow>. If pixel
171 addressing is used, instead of character addressing, then any of <x>, <y>,
172 or <xsep> may be specified with a 'p' suffix on the decimal value.
174 .BI "bmp-timer=" <x>,<y>,<fg>,<bg>,<sh>
175 Optional specification of the 'timeout='
176 countdown timer. <x>,<y>
177 specifies the character (or pixel) coordinate of the location of the timer
178 the same as 'bmp-table='
179 above; and the color triple specifies the character color attributes
180 the same as 'bmp-colors=' above, with the exception that the background color
182 be specified. If used to override the timer specification in a bitmap file,
183 then the form 'bmp-timer = none' is acceptable. This will disable the timer
186 .BI "boot=" <boot-device>
187 Sets the name of the device (e.g. a hard disk partition) that contains
188 the boot sector. If this keyword is omitted, the boot sector is read
189 from (and possibly written to) the device that is currently mounted as root.
191 A raid installation is initiated by specifying a RAID1 device as the boot
192 device; e.g., "boot=/dev/md0". Note that LILO version 22.0 and later
193 operate differently from earlier versions with respect to the actual
194 location of the boot records.
196 On newer systems you need an unique ID for the boot device. If the boot
197 sector should write to a partition you can use its UUID in the same manner
198 is for the root options.
200 If your boot device is a hard disk you need a special ID, which is supported
201 by udev. You find the right ID in the directory /dev/disks/by-id, i. e.:
204 boot = /dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_SV1604N_S01FJ10X999999
208 Defines boot-time changes to partition type numbers (`hiding').
224 The above excerpt from a configuration file specifies that all default
226 are removed ("reset"), and the change-rules for three partition types
227 are specified. Without the \fIreset\fP, the three types specified would
228 have been added to the existing default change-rules. Normally, the default
229 rules are sufficient. The strings which define the partition types
232 section (see below), with the suffixes "_normal" or "_hidden" appended.
233 See section "Partition type change rules" of user.tex for more details.
236 Tries to merge read requests for adjacent sectors into a single
237 read request. This drastically reduces load time and keeps the map file
238 smaller. Using `compact' is especially recommended when booting
239 using a map file on a floppy disk.
241 .BI "default=" <name>
242 Uses the specified image as the default boot image. If `default' is omitted,
243 the image appearing first in the configuration file is used. See also,
248 Specifies the number of tenths of a second the boot loader should
249 wait before automatically booting a locked command line,
250 a command line pre-stored by
251 "lilo \-R", or the default `image=' or `other='.
252 When `delay' is non-zero, the boot loader will wait for an interrupt for the
253 specified interval. If an interrupt is received, or
254 is already waiting, the \fBboot:\fP
255 prompt will be be issued, and no automatic boot will take place. The setting
256 of CAPS LOCK or SCROLL LOCK, or any of the
257 keys ALT, CTRL, or SHIFT, when held down, are taken as interrupts.
259 This action is modified by specifying `prompt' (see below).
261 .BI "disk=" <device-name>
262 Defines non-standard parameters for the specified disk.
263 See section "Disk geometry" of user.tex for details.
264 For versions of LILO prior to 22.5, the `bios=' parameter
265 is quite useful for specifying how the BIOS has assigned
266 device codes to your disks.
278 would say that your SCSI disk is the first BIOS disk (0x80),
279 that your (primary master) IDE disk is the second BIOS disk (0x81),
280 and that your second SCSI disk (perhaps a USB device) receives no
281 device code, and is therefore inaccessible at boot time.
283 NOTE: Use of the 'bios=' option is largely obsolete beginning
284 with LILO version 22.5, as the boot loader now identifies disks
285 by 32-bit Volume-ID, and defers BIOS device code determination
288 Other options include the specification of disk geometry; e.g.,
297 probably only useful for floppy disks and loopback devices,
298 because for hard disks the
300 disk addressing option ignores disk geometry.
302 Developers who have implemented a disk driver for a new block storage
303 device will have to indicate to LILO the maximum number of partitions
304 on the device. This is in addition to making all of the necessary
305 entries for the device in the "/dev" directory (with 'mknod'). The
306 maximum number of partitions must be one of 63 (like an IDE disk),
307 31 (uncommon), 15 (like SCSI disks -- most common value), or 7
308 (like one array controller). An example specification would be:
315 In cases where there is no
316 kernel partition information available, such as on loopback devices,
317 the 'disk=' specification may include paritition start information;
322 bios=0x80 # use this BIOS code
323 max-partitions=7 # declare partitionable
324 paritition=/dev/loop1
325 start=63 # offset from sector 0
326 paritition=/dev/loop2
327 start=102400 # offset from sector 0
331 .BI "disktab=" <disktab-file>
332 Specifies the name of the disk parameter table.
333 The map installer looks for
335 if `disktab' is omitted. The use of disktabs is discouraged.
337 .BI "el-torito-bootable-CD"
338 Flag second stage loader to terminate disk emulation when booting
339 from an El Torito Bootable CD. This option is used by the
340 \fBmkrescue\fP utility when the "\-\-iso" switch is specified.
343 This allows lilo to adjust 3D addresses in partition tables. Each
344 partition entry contains a 3D (cylinder/head/sector) and a linear
345 address of the first and the last sector of the partition. If a
346 partition is not track-aligned and if certain other operating systems
347 (e.g. PC/MS-DOS) are using the same disk, they may change the
348 3D address. lilo can store its boot sector only on partitions where
349 both address types correspond. lilo re-adjusts incorrect 3D start
350 addresses if `fix-table' is set.
352 WARNING: This does not guarantee that other operating systems may
353 not attempt to reset the address later. It is also possible that this
354 change has other, unexpected side-effects. The correct fix is to
355 re-partition the drive with a program that does align partitions to
356 tracks. Also, with some disks (e.g. some large EIDE disks with address
357 translation enabled), under some circumstances, it may even be
358 unavoidable to have conflicting partition table entries.
360 .BI "force-backup=" <backup-file>
361 Operation is identical to \fBbackup=\fP above, except an existing backup
362 file is unconditionally overwritten if it exists.
365 Force disk addressing which is compatible with older versions of LILO.
366 Geometric addressing uses cylinder/head/sector addresses, and is limited to
367 disk cylinders up to 1023. If inaccessible cylinders are referenced,
368 diagnostics will be issued at boot-install time, rather than boot-time.
369 With a newer BIOS, use of 'lba32' is recommended.
372 tells lilo to ignore corrupt partition tables.
374 .BI "install=" <user-interface>
375 Selects the user interface which will be seen at boot time. One of the
376 following three options may be specified: \fBtext\fP, \fBmenu\fP, or
377 \fBbmp\fP. The traditional LILO interface is `text'; but `menu' is now the
378 default, unless the configuration file contains the `bitmap='
379 specification. The \fItext\fP interface is strictly a command-line
380 interface as though the console were a dumb terminal. The \fImenu\fP
381 interface is a text-based screen of the boot choices, with the option to
382 enter additional command line parameters. And the \fIbmp\fP interface is a
383 menu presented against a graphic screen, specified as a 640x480 BitMaP file
384 of 16 or 256 colors. (See the 'lilo \-E' switch for editing options).
386 (Prior to LILO version 22.3, `install=' specified the user interface as
387 a file in the `/boot' directory.)
390 Normally any initial ramdisk (initrd) loaded with a kernel is loaded as
391 high in memory as possible, but never above 15Mb. This is due to a BIOS
392 limitation on older systems. On newer systems, this option enables using
393 memory above 15Mb (up to a kernel imposed limit, around 768Mb) for
394 passing the initrd to the kernel. The presence of this option merely
395 indicates that your system does not have the old BIOS limitation.
397 This switch (or its absence) is not passed to the kernel, and does not
398 in any way affect the
399 amount of physical memory which it will use. (See the
400 kernel documentation for the kernel command line parameter
401 "mem=" for limiting the memory used by the kernel.)
404 Generate 32-bit Logical Block Addresses instead of cylinder/head/sector
405 addresses. If the BIOS supports packet addressing, then packet calls will be
406 used to access the disk. This allows booting from any partition on disks
407 with more than 1024 cylinders.
408 If the BIOS does not support packet addressing, then 'lba32' addresses are
409 translated to cylinder/head/sector ('geometric'), just as for 'linear'.
411 references are retained in C:H:S form. Use of 'lba32' is recommended on
412 all post-1998 systems. Beginning with LILO version 22, 'lba32' is the
413 default disk addressing scheme.
416 Generate 24-bit linear sector addresses instead of cylinder/head/sector
417 (geometric) addresses. Linear addresses are translated at run time to
418 geometric addresses, and are limited to cylinders <= 1023. When using
419 `linear' with large disks,
421 may generate references to inaccessible disk cylinders. 'lba32' avoids
422 many of these pitfalls with its use of packet addressing, but requires a
423 recent BIOS (post-1998). The 'linear' option is considered obsolete,
424 and its use is strongly discouraged.
427 Enables automatic recording of boot command lines as the defaults
428 for the following boots. This way, lilo "locks" on a choice until it is
432 The per-image password option `mandatory' (see below) applies to all images.
434 .BI "map=" <map-file>
435 Specifies the location of the map file. If `map' is omitted, the file
439 On machines with a pre-1998 BIOS, the EDD bios extensions which are required
440 to support "lba32" disk sector addressing may not be present. In this case,
441 the boot-loader will fall back automatically to "geometric" addressing; this
442 fall back situation, or the specific use of "geometric" or "linear"
443 addressing, will require the map file to be located within the first 1024
444 cylinders of the disk drive. This BIOS limitation is not present on
445 post-1998 systems, most of which support the newer EDD disk BIOS calls.
447 .BI "menu-title=" <title-string>
448 Specifies the title line (up to 37 characters) for the boot menu. This
449 title replaces the default "LILO Boot Menu" title string. If
451 is not installed as the boot loader (see
453 option), then this line has no effect.
455 .BI "menu-scheme=" <color-scheme>
456 The default color scheme of the boot menu may be overridden on VGA displays
457 using this option. (The color scheme of MDA displays is fixed.)
460 string is of the form:
463 <text>:<highlight>:<border>:<title>
466 where each entry is two characters which specify a
467 foreground color and a background color. Only the first entry is
468 required. The default highlight is the reverse of the text color; and the
469 default border and title colors are the text color.
470 Colors are specified using the characters \fBkbgcrmyw\fP, for blac\fBK\fP,
471 \fBB\fPlue, \fBG\fPreen, \fBC\fPyan, \fBR\fPed,
472 \fBM\fPagenta, \fBY\fPellow, and \fBW\fPhite: upper case for
473 intense (fg only), lower case for dim.
474 Legal color-scheme strings would be
477 menu-scheme=Wm intense white on magenta
478 menu-scheme=wr:bw:wr:Yr the LILO default
479 menu-scheme=Yk:kw bright yellow on black
484 is not installed as the boot loader, then this line has no effect.
486 .BI "message=" <message-file>
487 specifies a file containing a message that is displayed before
488 the boot prompt. No message is displayed while waiting
489 for a shifting key after printing "LILO ". In the message, the FF
490 character ([Ctrl L]) clears the local screen. This is undesirable when
491 the \fImenu\fP boot loader is installed.
492 The size of the message
493 file is limited to 65535 bytes. The map file has to be rebuilt if the
494 message file is changed or moved. 'message=' and 'bitmap=' are mutually
499 Disables pre-loading of the internal device cache. May be needed for
500 Linux distributions which use non-standard device naming conventions;
501 e.g., when the first IDE disk is not `/dev/hda'.
503 .BI "nokbdefault=" <name>
505 The named descriptor is taken to be the default boot image
506 if no IBM-PC keyboard is
507 present. If no serial interface ("serial=") is in use, then any "prompt"
508 keyword and "timeout" value are bypassed, and default booting occurs as
509 specified by "delay=".
510 The keyboard detection codes cannot detect the presence or absence of
511 a newer USB keyboard.
514 Disables the automatic marking of disk volumes which are components of
515 RAID arrays as \fBinaccessible\fP. This allows the user to edit the \fBdisk=\fP
516 / \fBinaccessible\fP declarations into the configuration file himself. Without
517 such declarations, duplicate Volume IDs will be overwritten, leading to
518 confusing situations at boot-time, and possible failure to boot. The use
519 of this keyword is generally not necessary.
522 Disables warnings about possible future dangers.
525 The per-image option `optional' (see below) applies to all images.
527 .BI "password=" <password>
528 The per-image option `password=...' (see below) applies to all images. This
529 option may prevent unattended booting, if the default image is `password='
530 protected at the default level `mandatory', which is a level higher than
534 Automatic booting (see `delay' above) will not take place unless a locked or
535 pre-stored ("lilo \-R") command line is present. Instead, the boot
536 loader will issue the
538 prompt and wait for user input before proceeding (see
541 Unattended default image reboots are impossible if `prompt' is set
542 and `timeout' is not, or the default image is password protected at a higher
543 level than `restricted'.
545 .BI "raid-extra-boot=" <option>
546 This option only has meaning for RAID1 installations.
547 The <option> may be specified as \fInone\fP, \fIauto\fP, \fImbr\fP,
549 or a comma-separated list of devices; e.g., "/dev/hda,/dev/hdc6". Starting
550 with LILO version 22.0, the boot record is normally written to the first
551 sector of the RAID1 partition. On PARALLEL raid sets, no other boot records
553 default action is \fIauto\fP, meaning, automatically generate auxiliary boot
554 records as needed on SKEWED raid sets. \fInone\fP means
555 suppress generation of all auxiliary boot records.
556 \fImbr-only\fP suppresses generation of a boot record on the raid device,
557 and forces compatibility with versions of LILO earlier than version 22.0
558 by writing boot records to all Master Boot Records (MBRs) of all disks which
559 have partitions in the raid set. \fImbr\fP is like \fImbr-only\fP except the
560 boot record on the RAID partition is not suppressed.
561 Use of an explicit list of devices, forces writing of auxiliary boot records
562 only on those devices enumerated, in addition to the boot record on the RAID1
563 device. Since the version 22 RAID1 codes will never automatically write a boot
564 record on the MBR of device 0x80, if such a boot record is desired, this is
565 one way to have it written. Use of \fImbr\fP is the other way to force
566 writing to the MBR of device 0x80.
569 The per-image password option `restricted' (see below) applies to all images.
571 .BI "serial=" <parameters>
572 enables control from a serial line. The specified serial port is
573 initialized and the boot loader is accepting input from it and from
574 the PC's keyboard. Sending a break on the serial line corresponds to
575 pressing a shift key on the console in order to get the boot loader's
577 All boot images should be password-protected if the serial access is
578 less secure than access to the console, e.g. if the line is connected
579 to a modem. The parameter string has the following syntax:
582 <port>[,<bps>[<parity>[<bits>]]]
585 <port>: the number of the serial port, zero-based. 0 corresponds to
586 COM1 alias /dev/ttyS0, etc. All four ports can be used (if present).
588 <bps>: the baud rate of the serial port. The following baud rates are
589 supported: 110, 150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400(default), 4800, 9600, plus the
590 extended rates 19200, 38400, and 57600(56000). 115200 is allowed, but may
591 not work with all COMx port hardware.
593 <parity>: the parity used on the serial line. The boot loader ignores input
594 parity and strips the 8th bit. The following (upper or lower case)
595 characters are used to describe the parity: "n" for no parity, "e"
596 for even parity and "o" for odd parity.
598 <bits>: the number of bits in a character. Only 7 and 8 bits are
599 supported. Default is 8 if parity is "none", 7 if parity is "even"
602 If `serial' is set, the value of `delay' is automatically raised to 20.
604 Example: "serial=0,2400n8" initializes COM1 with the default parameters.
607 This option specifies that boot images or 'other's are to be selected and
608 launched with a single keystroke. Selection is based upon the first
609 character of each name, which must be unique. This option should not be
610 used with the menu or bitmap user interface ("install=").
612 .BI "static-BIOS-codes"
613 Causes the operation of the boot installer and boot loader to bypass the
614 use of Volume-ID information, and to revert to a mode of operation of
615 versions of LILO from 22.4 backward. With Volume-ID booting (22.5 and later),
617 of disks are determined at boot time, not install time; hence they may
618 be switched around, either by adding or removing disk(s) from the hardware
619 configuration, or by using a BIOS menu to select the boot device.
622 this option, BIOS codes of disks MUST be correctly specified at install
623 time; either guessed correctly by LILO (which often fails on
624 mixed IDE/SCSI systems), or explicitly specified with 'disk=/dev/XXX
625 bios=0xYY' statements. The use of this option precludes
626 any activity which may switch around the BIOS codes assigned to particular
627 disk devices, as noted above.
629 In general, this option should
630 never be used, except as a bug workaround.
632 .BI "suppress-boot-time-BIOS-data"
633 This global option suppresses the boot-time real mode collection of BIOS data
634 on systems which hang on certain BIOS calls. It is equivalent to using the
635 boot-time switch 'nobd'.
637 This option defeats the disk volume recognition and BIOS device code
638 detection features of LILO on systems with more than one disk. Thus the use
639 of this option will produce a strong cautionary message,
640 which cannot be suppressed.
642 .BI "timeout=" <tsecs>
643 sets a timeout (in tenths of a second) for keyboard input at the
645 prompt. "timeout" only has meaning if "prompt" is mentioned.
646 If no key is pressed for the specified time, the default image is
647 automatically booted. The default timeout is infinite.
650 (22.6) Alters the operation of the "timeout" parameter in a manner which
652 noisy serial lines. Each typed (or noise) character restarts the "timeout"
653 timer and a timeout will always boot the default descriptor, even if noise
654 characters have appeared on the input line.
656 .BI "verbose=" <number>
657 Turns on lots of progress reporting. Higher numbers give more verbose
658 output. If \-v is additionally specified on the lilo command line,
659 the level is increased accordingly. The maximum verbosity level is 5.
661 .BI "vmdefault=" <name>
662 The named boot image is used as the default boot if booting in "virtual"
663 mode with a virtual monitor, such as VMware(tm). Thus a real mode boot and
664 a virtual mode boot can be made to have different default boot images.
668 Additionally, the kernel configuration parameters
669 .BR append ", " ramdisk ", " read-only ", " read-write ", " root
672 can be set in the global options section. They are used as defaults
673 if they aren't specified in the configuration sections of the
674 respective kernel images.
676 .SH "PER-IMAGE SECTION"
677 A per-image section starts with either a line
680 \fBimage=\fP\fI<pathname>\fP
683 to indicate a file or device containing the boot image of a Linux
687 \fBother=\fP\fI<device>\fP
690 to indicate an arbitrary system to boot.
693 In the former case, if an \fBimage\fP line specifies booting
694 from a device, then one has to indicate the range of sectors to be mapped
698 \fBrange=\fP\fI<start>-<end>\fP
699 \fBrange=\fP\fI<start>+<nsec>\fP
700 \fBrange=\fP\fI<sector>\fP
703 In the third case, 'nsec=1' is assumed.
705 .SH "KERNEL OPTIONS (image=)"
706 If the booted image is a Linux kernel, then one may pass
707 command line parameters to this kernel.
709 .BI "addappend=" <string>
710 (22.6) The kernel parameters from the specified string, are concatenated to the
713 specification (see below).
714 The string must be enclosed within double quotes. Usually, the previous
716 will specify parameters common to all kernels by appearing in the top,
717 or global, section of the configuration file and
719 will be used to add local parameter(s) to an individual image.
720 Addappend= may be used only once per "image=" section.
722 .BI "append=" <string>
723 Appends the options specified to the parameter line passed to the kernel.
724 This is typically used to specify hardware parameters that can't be
725 entirely auto-detected or for which probing may be dangerous. Multiple
726 kernel parameters are separated by a blank space, and the string must be
727 enclosed in double quotes. A local append= appearing withing an image=
728 section overrides any
729 global append= appearing in the top section of the configuration file.
730 Append= may be used only once per "image="
731 section. To concatenate parameter strings, use "addappend=". Example:
734 append="mem=96M hd=576,64,32 console=ttyS1,9600"
739 Specifies the initial ramdisk image to be loaded with the kernel. The
740 image will contain modules needed at boot time, such as network and scsi
741 drivers. See man pages for \fImkinitrd(8)\fP.
743 .BI "literal=" <string>
744 Like `append', but removes all other options (e.g. setting of the root
745 device). 'literal' overrides all 'append' and 'addappend' options.
746 Because vital options can be removed unintentionally with `literal',
747 this option cannot be set in the global options section.
749 .BI "ramdisk=" <size>
750 This specifies the size (e.g., "4096k") of the optional RAM disk. A value of
751 zero indicates that no RAM disk should be created. If this variable is
752 omitted, the RAM disk size configured into the boot image is used.
755 This specifies that the root file system should be mounted read-only.
756 It may be specified as a global option.
757 Typically, the system startup procedure re-mounts the root
758 file system read-write later (e.g. after fsck'ing it).
761 This specifies that the root file system should be mounted read-write.
762 It may be specified as a global option.
764 .BI "root=" <root-device>
765 This specifies the device that should be mounted as root.
766 It may be specified as a global option.
769 is used, the root device is set to the device on which the root file
770 system is currently mounted. If the root has been changed with \-r ,
771 the respective device is used. If the variable `root' is omitted,
772 the root device setting contained in the kernel image is used.
773 (And that is set at compile time using the ROOT_DEV variable in
774 the kernel Makefile, and can later be changed with the rdev(8) program.)
776 The root filesystem may also be specified by a
780 directive, as in '/etc/fstab'. In this case, the argument to
782 must be enclosed in quotation marks, to avoid a syntax error on the second
787 root="UUID=5472fd8e-9089-4256-bcaa-ceab4f01a439"
790 Note: The command line
792 parameter passed to the kernel will be: 'root=LABEL=MyDisk'; i.e., without
793 the quotation marks. If the
795 parameter is passed from the boot time
797 prompt, no quotes are used. The quotes are only there to satisfy the
798 requirements of the boot-installer parser, which treats an equal sign as
799 an operator. The kernel command line parser is very much simpler, and
800 must not see any quotation marks. Simply stated, only use the quotation
805 This specifies the VGA text mode that should be selected when
807 It may be specified as a global option.
808 The following values are recognized (case is ignored):
811 select normal 80x25 text mode.
813 .BR extended " (or " ext ):
814 select 80x50 text mode.
817 stop and ask for user input (at boot time).
819 <number>: use the corresponding text mode (can specify the number in decimal
820 or in hex with the usual '0x' convention). A list of available modes
821 can be obtained by booting with
823 and pressing [Enter].
825 If this variable is omitted, the VGA mode setting contained in the
826 kernel image is used. (And that is set at compile time using the
827 SVGA_MODE variable in the kernel Makefile, and can later be changed with
828 the rdev(8) program.)
830 .SH "ALTERNATE SYSTEM (other=)"
832 Used to load systems other than Linux. The `other = <device>' specifies
833 the boot sector of an alternate system contained on a device or disk
834 partition; e.g., DOS on, say, `/dev/hda2', or a floppy on `/dev/fd0'.
835 In the case of booting another system there are these options:
837 .BI "loader=" <chain-loader>
838 This specifies the chain loader that should be used. It may also be
839 specified as a global option.
842 is used. This chain loader passes partition and drive information in the
843 boot sector it loads only to DOS on FAT12 or FAT16, Windows on FAT16 or
848 .BI "table=" <device>
849 This specifies the device that contains the partition table.
850 The boot loader will pass default partition information to the booted
851 operating system if this variable is omitted. (Some operating systems
852 have other means to determine from which partition they have been booted.
853 E.g., MS-DOS usually stores the geometry of the boot disk or partition
855 Note that /sbin/lilo must be re-run if a partition table mapped referenced
856 with `table' is modified.
858 .BI "table=" <drive-letter>
859 This option is obsolete. It were used in the special case with the obsolete
864 This keyword starts a section which describes how primary partition IDs are
865 changed, and how primary partitions are activated and deactivated. If
867 is omitted, change rules are generated as though the
869 keyword were specified. The keyword
871 alone, without any rules following, will suppress automatic change-rules.
888 specifies that when primary partition /dev/hda2 is booted, automatic
889 change-rules will be in effect; plus, partition 1, a DOS12 partition, will
890 be set hidden, and deactivated. In addition, partition 2, will be set
891 normal, and activated. Activation sets the boot-flag in the partition
894 keyword may conflict with default change rules, so the
896 lines above may be redundant.
898 .BI "boot-as=" "<bios>"
899 This option (LILO version 22.5.1) indicates the BIOS device code which must
900 be assigned to the specified drive in order for the "other=" operating
901 system to boot. If the chain loader detects that another BIOS device code
902 is assigned to this disk, then it will dynamically swap the assigned device
903 code with the specified device code.
905 This option is easier to specify than "map-drive=" and more general than
906 "master-boot" in that any device code may be specified. Unlike
907 "map-drive=", the determination whether to swap device codes is made at boot
908 time, not install time. This is advantageous on systems where the BIOS
909 presents a boot menu of devices, and will map disks to devices in different
910 ways, depending upon the BIOS boot selection.
912 This option may be specified as a global option, in which case it applies to
913 all "other=" sections unless overridden with a specific "master-boot" option.
914 If one of "boot-as=" or "master-boot" is specified as a global option, it is
915 better to specify "master-boot" as the global option, as it will not
916 interfere with floppy disk BIOS device codes; "boot-as=" is then used as a
917 local option to override "master-boot" as necessary.
920 This flag (LILO version 22.5) indicates a DOS/Windows or other
921 system which will only boot from BIOS device 0x80, the "C:" drive, or BIOS
922 device 0, the A: drive. When this
923 flag is specified, if this drive is not assigned device code 0x80 or 0 by the
924 BIOS, then the chain loader will dynamically swap the device code actually
925 assigned with device code 0x80 or 0 to make this drive appear
926 to be the first hard or floppy drive, "C:" or "A:".
928 This flag is easier to use than "map-drive=" (see below), and is preferred,
929 if simple forcing of device code 0x80 is all that is required. It is also
930 more general, in that the necessity to swap BIOS device codes is determined
931 dynamically at boot-time, not at boot install-time, as with "map-drive=".
932 It is slightly more powerful than "boot-as=", in that the device code which
933 is assigned, 0 or 0x80, is determined dynamically.
935 This option may be specified as a global option, in which case it applies to
936 all "other=" sections unless overridden with a specific "boot-as=" option.
938 .BI "map-drive=" <num>
939 Maps BIOS calls for the specified drive to the device code specified on the
940 next line as \fBto=\fP<num>. This mapping is useful for booting operating
941 systems, such as DOS, from the second hard drive. The following, swaps the
951 This option is largely
952 rendered obsolete by "boot-as=", introduced with LILO version 22.5.
955 Do not access the boot sector at map creation time. This disables
956 some sanity checks, including a partition table check. If the boot
957 sector is on a fixed-format floppy disk device, using UNSAFE avoids the
958 need to put a readable disk into the drive when running the map
959 installer. If the boot sector is on a hard drive, the BIOS device code
960 of the drive will have to be specified explicitly with "disk=/dev/XXXX
961 bios=0x8X inaccessible" in the configuration file.
962 `unsafe' and `table' (explicit or implicit) are mutually incompatible.
964 .SH "COMMON DESCRIPTOR OPTIONS (image= & other=)"
967 .BR image= " and " other=
968 cases, the following options apply.
971 No password is required to boot this image. Used to indicate that the global
972 password does not apply to this `image=' or `other='. See 'password=' below.
975 The boot loader uses the main file name (without its path)
976 of each image specification to identify that image.
977 A different name can be used by setting the variable `label'.
980 A second name for the same entry can be used by specifying an alias.
983 The bitmap graphic (install=bmp) is retained when control is passed to the
984 loaded kernel image, or other= bootloader; i.e., the screen is not
985 blanked to alphanumeric mode before starting the kernel. This feature is
986 considered EXPERIMENTAL, for those users working with startup splash
989 .BI "fallback=" <command-line>
990 Specifies a string that is stored as the default
991 command line if the current image is booted. This is useful when
992 experimenting with kernels which may crash before allowing interaction
993 with the system. If using the
995 option, the next reboot (e.g.
996 triggered by a manual reset or by a watchdog timer) will load a
997 different (supposedly stable) kernel. The command line stored by the fallback
998 mechanism is cleared by removing or changing the default command line
1001 option, which should be a part of the boot startup scripts.
1007 Omit the image if it is not available at map creation time.
1008 It may be specified as a global option.
1009 This is useful to specify test kernels that are not always present.
1011 .BI "password=" <password>
1012 Protect the `image=' or `other=' with a password (or passphrase).
1013 It may be specified as a global option.
1014 The interpretation of the `password=' setting is modified by the words
1015 `mandatory', `restricted', and `bypass' (see below).
1017 The password may be specified in the config-file (less secure) or entered
1018 at the time the boot loader is installed. To request interactive entry of
1019 the password, it should be specified: \fBpassword=""\fP.
1020 Passwords entered interactively are not required to be entered again if the
1021 boot installer is re-run. They are cached, in hashed form, in a companion
1022 file to the config-file, default name: \fB/etc/lilo.conf.crc\fP. If the
1023 config-file is updated, a warning message
1024 will be issued telling you to re-run \fIlilo \-p\fP to force re-creation of the
1025 password cache file.
1028 A password is required to boot this image. This is the default. May be used
1029 on a single `image=' or `other=' to override a different global setting.
1033 The specified descriptor is not bootable if the IBM-PC keyboard is not present.
1034 This option is really only useful if the "serial=" boot terminal is in use.
1035 With no keyboard (and no serial terminal) attached, selecting a boot descriptor
1036 other than the default is impossible.
1042 A password is only required to boot the image if kernel parameters
1043 are specified on the command line (e.g. 'single'). May be used
1044 on a single `image=' or `other=' to override a different global setting.
1047 If booting under a virtual monitor such as VMware(tm), the image with this
1048 label will cause a cautionary warning to be issued at boot time, and user
1049 intervention will be required to continue or to abort the boot process.
1052 If booting under a virtual monitor, the image with this label will not be
1053 displayed as a boot option. The image is only bootable in real mode. See
1060 lilo(8), mkinitrd(8), mknod(1), mkrescue(8), rdev(8).
projects / rrq / maintain_lilo.git / blob