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diff --git a/slackbook/html/booting.html b/slackbook/html/booting.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..ca3b7871 --- /dev/null +++ b/slackbook/html/booting.html @@ -0,0 +1,202 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> +<meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org" /> +<title>Booting</title> +<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.7" /> +<link rel="HOME" title="Slackware Linux Essentials" href="index.html" /> +<link rel="PREVIOUS" title="xdm" href="x-window-system-xdm.html" /> +<link rel="NEXT" title="LOADLIN" href="booting-loadlin.html" /> +<link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="docbook.css" /> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> +</head> +<body class="CHAPTER" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" +alink="#0000FF"> +<div class="NAVHEADER"> +<table summary="Header navigation table" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" +cellspacing="0"> +<tr> +<th colspan="3" align="center">Slackware Linux Essentials</th> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td width="10%" align="left" valign="bottom"><a href="x-window-system-xdm.html" +accesskey="P">Prev</a></td> +<td width="80%" align="center" valign="bottom"></td> +<td width="10%" align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="booting-loadlin.html" +accesskey="N">Next</a></td> +</tr> +</table> + +<hr align="LEFT" width="100%" /> +</div> + +<div class="CHAPTER"> +<h1><a id="BOOTING" name="BOOTING"></a>Chapter 7 Booting</h1> + +<div class="TOC"> +<dl> +<dt><b>Table of Contents</b></dt> + +<dt>7.1 <a href="booting.html#BOOTING-LILO">LILO</a></dt> + +<dt>7.2 <a href="booting-loadlin.html">LOADLIN</a></dt> + +<dt>7.3 <a href="booting-dual.html">Dual Booting</a></dt> +</dl> +</div> + +<p>The process of booting your Linux system can sometimes be easy and sometimes be +difficult. Many users install Slackware on their computer and that's it. They just turn +it on and it's ready to use. Othertimes, simply booting the machine can be a chore. For +most users, LILO works best. Slackware includes LILO and Loadlin for booting Slackware +Linux. LILO will work from a hard drive partition, a hard drive's master boot record, or +a floppy disk, making it a very versatile tool. Loadlin works from a DOS command line, +killing DOS and invoking Linux.</p> + +<p>Another popular utility for booting Linux is GRUB. GRUB is not included or officially +supported by Slackware. Slackware holds to the “tried and true” standard for +what gets included inside the distribution. While GRUB works well and includes some +features that LILO does not, LILO handles all the essential tasks of a boot loader +reliably with a proven track record. Being younger, GRUB hasn't quite lived up to that +legacy yet. As it is not included with Slackware, we do not discuss it here. If you wish +to use GRUB (perhaps it came with another Linux OS and you want to use it to dual-boot) +consult GRUB's documentation.</p> + +<p>This section covers using LILO and Loadlin, the two booters included with Slackware. +It also explains some typical dual booting scenarios and how you could go about setting +it up.</p> + +<div class="SECT1"> +<h1 class="SECT1"><a id="BOOTING-LILO" name="BOOTING-LILO">7.1 LILO</a></h1> + +<p>The Linux Loader, or LILO, is the most popular booter in use on Linux systems. It is +quite configurable and can easily be used to boot other operating systems.</p> + +<p>Slackware Linux comes with a menu-driven configuration utility called <tt +class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt>. This program is first run during the setup process, but +you can invoke it later by typing <tt class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt> at the prompt.</p> + +<p>LILO reads its settings from the <tt class="COMMAND">/etc/lilo.conf</tt>(5) file. It +is not read each time you boot up, but instead is read each time you install LILO. LILO +must be reinstalled to the boot sector each time you make a configuration change. Many +LILO errors come from making changes to the <tt class="FILENAME">lilo.conf</tt> file, but +failing to re-run lilo to install these changes. <tt class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt> will +help you build the configuration file so that you can install LILO for your system. If +you prefer to edit <tt class="FILENAME">/etc/lilo.conf</tt> by hand, then reinstalling +LILO just involves typing <tt class="COMMAND">/sbin/lilo</tt> (as <tt +class="USERNAME">root</tt>) at the prompt.</p> + +<p>When you first invoke <tt class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt>, it will look like this:</p> + +<div class="FIGURE"><a id="BOOTING-SETUP-LILO" name="BOOTING-SETUP-LILO"></a> +<p><b>Figure 7-1. <tt class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt></b></p> + +<p><img src="booting/setup-lilo-w.png" /></p> +</div> + +<p>If this is your first time setting up LILO, you should pick simple. Otherwise, you +might find expert to be faster if you are familiar with LILO and Linux. Selecting simple +will begin the LILO configuration.</p> + +<p>If kernel frame buffer support is compiled into your kernel, <tt +class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt> will ask which video resolution you would like to use. +This is the resolution that is also used by the XFree86 frame buffer server. If you do +not want the console to run in a special video mode, selecting normal will keep the +standard 80x25 text mode in use.</p> + +<p>The next part of the LILO configuration is selecting where you want it installed. This +is probably the most important step. The list below explains the installation places:</p> + +<div class="VARIABLELIST"> +<dl> +<dt><var class="OPTION">Root</var></dt> + +<dd> +<p>This option installs LILO to the beginning of your Linux root partition. This is the +safest option if you have other operating systems on your computer. It ensures that any +other booters are not overwritten. The disadvantage is that LILO will only load from here +if your Linux drive is the first drive on your system. This is why many people chose to +create a very small <tt class="FILENAME">/boot</tt> partition as the first drive on their +system. This allows the kernel and LILO to be installed at the beginning of the drive +where LILO can find them. Previous versions of LILO contained an infamous flaw known as +the “1024 cylinder limit”. LILO was unable to boot kernels on partitions past +the 1024th cylinder. Recent editions of LILO have eliminated this problem.</p> +</dd> + +<dt><var class="OPTION">Floppy</var></dt> + +<dd> +<p>This method is even safer than the previous one. It creates a boot floppy that you can +use to boot your Linux system. This keeps the booter off the hard disk entirely, so you +only boot this floppy when you want to use Slackware. The flaws with this method are +obvious. Floppies are notoriously fickle, prone to failures. Secondly, the boot loader is +no longer self-contained within the computer. If you loose your floppy disk, you'll have +to make another to boot your system.</p> +</dd> + +<dt><var class="OPTION">MBR</var></dt> + +<dd> +<p>You will want to use this method if Slackware is the only operating system on your +computer, or if you will be using LILO to choose between multiple operating systems on +your computer. This is the most preferred method for installing LILO and will work with +almost any computer system.</p> + +<div class="WARNING"> +<table class="WARNING" width="90%" border="0"> +<tr> +<td width="25" align="CENTER" valign="TOP"><img src="./imagelib/admon/warning.png" +hspace="5" alt="Warning" /></td> +<td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"> +<p>This option will overwrite any other booter you have in the MBR.</p> +</td> +</tr> +</table> +</div> +</dd> +</dl> +</div> + +<p>After selecting the installation location, <tt class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt> will +write the configuration file and install LILO. That's it. If you select the expert mode +you will receive a special menu. This menu allows you to tweak the <tt +class="FILENAME">/etc/lilo.conf</tt> file, add other operating systems to your boot menu, +and set LILO to pass special kernel parameters at boot time. The expert menu looks like +this:</p> + +<div class="FIGURE"><a id="BOOTING-LILO-EXPERT" name="BOOTING-LILO-EXPERT"></a> +<p><b>Figure 7-2. <tt class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt> Expert Menu</b></p> + +<p><img src="booting/setup-lilo-expert-w.png" /></p> +</div> + +<p>Whatever your system configuration is, setting up a working boot loader is easy. <tt +class="COMMAND">liloconfig</tt> makes setting it up a cinch.</p> +</div> +</div> + +<div class="NAVFOOTER"> +<hr align="LEFT" width="100%" /> +<table summary="Footer navigation table" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" +cellspacing="0"> +<tr> +<td width="33%" align="left" valign="top"><a href="x-window-system-xdm.html" +accesskey="P">Prev</a></td> +<td width="34%" align="center" valign="top"><a href="index.html" +accesskey="H">Home</a></td> +<td width="33%" align="right" valign="top"><a href="booting-loadlin.html" +accesskey="N">Next</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td width="33%" align="left" valign="top"><tt class="COMMAND">xdm</tt></td> +<td width="34%" align="center" valign="top"> </td> +<td width="33%" align="right" valign="top">LOADLIN</td> +</tr> +</table> +</div> +</body> +</html> + |