lilo(8)
NAME
lilo - install boot loader of LiLO
SYNOPSIS
Main function:
lilo
Auxiliary uses:
lilo -A # activate/show active partition
lilo -E # edit header or update a bitmap file
lilo -I # inquire path name of current kernel
lilo -M # write a Master Boot Loader on a device
lilo -q # query map and show its content
lilo -R # set default command line for next reboot
lilo -T # tell more about specified topic
lilo {-u|-U} # uninstall LiLO boot loader
DESCRIPTION
lilo installs a boot loader that will be activated the next time you boot your system. The default configuration file /etc/lilo.conf (see manpage lilo.conf(5)) will contain most options, but many, including those which override the configuration file, may be specified on the command line.
OPTIONS
-A master-device [N]
Used with a single argument, inquire of active partition on device
master-device; e.g. /dev/sda. With N==0: deactivate all partitions
on the device. With N in the range [1..n]: activate the specified
partition and deactivate all others. Normally, only primary
partitions [1..4] may be activated, but if the 'Extended Master
Boot Loader' is present on the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the
device (see the -M option), any partition may be made active.
Whether the actual OS in the partition will boot from a logical
partition depends on the characteristics of the OS. LILO boot
records for Linux may be booted from a logical partition.
-b bootdev
Set the boot device where the boot loader will be installed. For
example "-b /dev/sda" set the Master Boot Record (MBR) on the first
disk as boot device. "-b /dev/sdb5" set the first logical partition
on the second disk as boot device.
-B bitmap-file
Define a bitmap file for the boot-time graphics screen, preferably
one already pre-processed with the -E option.
-c Enable map compaction. This will merge read requests from adjacent
sectors. Speeds up the booting especially from floppy.
-C config-file
Set another pathname and filename for the configuration file. The
default configuration file is /etc/lilo.conf.
-d delay-time
Set the delay time in tenths of a second ('20' = 2 sec) before
automatically booting the first image. This give you time to
interrupt the automatic boot process with: Shift, Alt, Ctrl,
ScrollLock, or CapsLock. If interrupted, the boot: prompt will be
displayed.
This switch will be overridden by the appearance of prompt in the
configuration file!
-D label
Use the kernel with the given label as the default kernel to boot,
instead of the first one in the list of the configuration file.
-E filename.xxx
If the extension .xxx is .bmp, then take the file to be a bitmap
graphic file for use in the bitmap= configuration file directive.
Enter an interactive editor to create or update the color/placement
information in the LILO header of this bitmap file. (see bmp-
colors, bmp-table, and bmp-timer on the manual page for lilo.conf
(5).)
If .xxx is .dat then take this file to be a configuration file to
set bitmap graphic parameters, which are transferred into the LILO
header in the bitmap file of the same name.
When a .bmp file is modified using a graphics editor (e.g. GIMP),
the LILO header will be lost. It can be restored using the dat
file, which is used as a text-based backup for the LILO header
information.
-f disk-tab
Set another disk geometry parameter file. The default is
/etc/disktab.
-F Override boot sector check for filesystems (e.g., swap, ext4, xfs
...) which might be destroyed by the installation of the LILO boot
sector on the first sector of the partition if these filesystems
use the first sector as a superblock.
Compare with -P ignore, which bypasses certain partition table
checks.
-g Generate 'cylinder/head/sector' (CHS geometric) disk addresses.
Limited to cylinders up to 1023. Forces compatibility with very old
versions of LILO (obsolete switch).
-H Override fatal halt if a RAID array does not have all disks active.
-I label [D|a|i|k|r|R]
label is taken to be the name of an image specified in the
configuration file. This command will print the path name of the
corresponding kernel file, keytable file, initial ramdisk file,
root specification, or "append=" string ("i", "k", "r", "R", or "a"
option). The "D" option ignores the label parameter and prints the
default "image=" label, or the first "image=" label is selected if
no default image is set.
-l Generate 24-bit linear sector addresses instead of
cylinder/head/sector addresses.
-L Generate 32-bit Logical Block Addresses (LBA) instead of
cylinder/head/sector (CHS) addresses, allowing access to all
partitions on disks with more than 1024 cylinders. (This is the
default geometry).
-m map-file
Use another map file instead of the default file /boot/map.
-M master-device {mbr|ext}
Install a Master Boot Record on the device specified as master-
device, selecting the Standard or Extended Master Boot Loader per
option. The primary partition table on master-device is
undisturbed. If no valid Volume-ID (serial number) is present, then
generate one and write it to the MBR. If mbr is set, the Standard
Master Boot Loader will search partitions 1-4 for an active flag,
and boot the flagged partition. Only one active flag is allowed. If
ext is set, the search for an active partition will include logical
partitions as well. The presence of the Extended Master Boot
Loader on the Master Boot Record (MBR = sector 0) of a disk affects
the operation of the -A option.
-p Require interactive entry of all passwords set as "" in the
configuration file.
-P {fix|ignore|<global-option}>
Fix or ignore 'corrupt' partition tables, e.g. partition tables
with linear and cylinder/head/sector addresses that do not
correspond. Always try ignore first, as fix will re-write the
partition table, possibly destroying all partitions on the disk.
ignore is also used to bypass the partition table check for
partition types within the partition table which might not allow
the installation of a LILO boot sector. Compare with the '-F' flag,
which overrides the check of the actual boot sector.
<global-option> allows the passing of any global option which may
appear in the global section (top) of the configuration file
(/etc/lilo.conf). For instance '-P nowarn' will pass the 'nowarn'
option, just as though 'nowarn' appeared in the configuration file
(same as the '-w' switch). Similarly '-P timeout=50' will add or
override the 'timeout=' line in the configuration file. Note that
the general -P switch actually duplicates a number of command line
option switches. However, it is not strictly the same as some
switches which cause an override of other options; e.g. '-g' (-P
geometric), '-L' (-P lba32).
-q List the currently mapped files. lilo maintains a file, by default
/boot/map, containing each name and location of the kernel(s) to
boot. This option will list the names therein. Use with -v for
more detailed information about the installed boot loader.
-r root-directory
Before doing anything else, do a 'chroot' to the indicated
directory. The new root directory must contain a /dev directory and
may need a /boot directory. It may also need an /etc/lilo.conf
file.
-R command-line
This option sets the default command for the boot loader for the
next time it executes. After execution the boot loader will erase
this line because it is a once-only command. It is typically used
in reboot scripts, just before calling 'shutdown -r'. Used without
any arguments, it will cancel a lock-ed or fallback command line.
This Command line starts with image identifier (as shown during map
file update), then space, then kernel parameters. The kernel
parameters are appended to kernel command line constructed
routinely. In either case, it there were parameters or not, such
one-time command will be treated by loaders code, as if it is set
at 'boot:' prompt. This could lead to 'password:' prompt at boot
time. Be warned! Refer to lilo.conf(5) for details.
-s save-file
When lilo writes a new boot sector, it preserves the former
contents of the boot sector in a file, named by default
/boot/boot.NNNN, where NNNN is the hexadecimal representation of
the major and minor device numbers of the drive/partition.
This option defines the backup save file in one of three ways: a
save directory (default is '/boot') using the default filename
'boot.NNNN' in the defined directory; a pathname template to which
'.NNNN' is appended (default would be '/boot/boot'); or the full
pathname of the file, which must include the correct '.NNNN'
suffix. When used with the -u option, the full file pathname must
be set.
-S save-file
Normally lilo will not overwrite an existing boot sector save file.
This options says that overwriting is to be forced. As with -s, the
setting may be of a save directory, pathname template, or full
pathname (which includes the '.NNNN' suffix).
-t Test only. Do not really write a new boot sector or map file. Use
together with -v to find out what lilo is about to do.
-T option
Print out system information, some of it extracted from system
bios. This is more convenient than booting the LILO diagnostic
floppy on problem systems. option may be any one of the following:
help print a list of available diagnostics
ChRul list the partition types subject to
Change-Rules
EBDA list Extended BIOS Data Area information
geom=<drive> list drive geometry for bios drive;
e.g. geom=0x80
geom list drive geometry for all drives
table=<drive> list the primary partition table;
e.g. table=/dev/sda
video list graphic modes available to boot
loader
-u [device-name]
Uninstall lilo by copying the saved boot sector back. The -s and -C
switches may be used with this option. The device-name is optional.
A time-stamp is checked.
-U [device-name]
The same as '-u', but do not check the time-stamp.
-v [number]
Increase verbosity. Giving one to five -v options will make lilo
more verbose. The number (range 1..5) set verbosity level.
-V Print version number.
-w[+|-]
Used as -w or -w- to suppress warning messages. Used as '-w+' to
override 'nowarn' in the configuration file and show warning
messages.
-x option
For RAID installations only. The option may be any of the
keywords: none, auto, mbr, mbr-only, or a comma separated list of
additional boot devices (no spaces allowed in the list).
RAID installations write the boot record to the RAID partition.
Conditional writing of MBRs may occur to aid in making the RAID set
bootable in a recovery situation, but all default actions may be
overridden. Action similar to previous versions is achieved using
the '-x mbr-only' switch.
-X Reserved for LILO internal use. May produce different output for
different LILO versions. The line beginning "CFLAGS=" will contain
the compiler options used to generate this version of LILO.
-z When used with the '-M' switch, clears the Volume-ID. Usually used
in the following sequence to generate a new Volume-ID:
lilo -z -M /dev/sda
lilo -M /dev/sda
-Z option
Tells the boot installer whether special precautions need to be
taken because the BIOS fails to pass the correct device code in DL
(-Z0). Or may specify that the BIOS always gets DL right (-Z1).
Corresponds to, and overrides, the configuration file option
'bios-passes-dl='.
CONFIG OPTIONS
The above command line options correspond to the key words in the
config file indicated below.
-b bootdev boot=bootdev
-B file.bmp bitmap=file.bmp
-c compact
-d dsec delay=dsec
-D label default=label
-f file disktab=file
-g geometric
-l linear
-L lba32
-m mapfile map=mapfile
-P fix fix-table
-P ignore ignore-table
-s file backup=file
-S file force-backup=file
-v [N] verbose=N
-w nowarn
-x option raid-extra-boot=option
-Z option bios-passes-dl=option
BOOT OPTIONS
The options described here may be specified at boot time on the
command line when a kernel image is booted. These options are processed
by LILO, and are removed from the command line before it is passed to
the kernel, unless otherwise noted.
lock
Locks the command line, as though 'lock' had been defined in
/etc/lilo.conf.
mem=###[,K,M,G]
Set the maximum memory in the system in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes
or gigabytes. This option is not removed from the command line,
and is always passed to the kernel.
nobd
Suppresses the BIOS data check. This option is reserved for use
with non-IBM-compliant BIOS's which hang with the lines:
Loading...............
BIOS data check
vga=[ASK,EXT,EXTENDED,NORMAL,###,0x###]
Allows overriding the default video mode upon kernel startup.
BOOT ERRORS
The boot process takes place in two stages. The first stage loader is
a single sector, and is loaded by the BIOS or by the loader in the MBR.
It loads the multi-sector second stage loader, but is very space
limited. When the first stage loader gets control, it types the
letter 'L'; when it is ready to transfer control to the second stage
loader it types the letter 'I'. If any error occurs, like a disk read
error, it will put out a hexadecimal error code and then re-try the
operation. All hex error codes are BIOS return values, except for the
lilo-generated codes: 40, 99 and 9A. A partial list of error codes
follows:
00 no error
01 invalid disk command
02 address mark not found
03 disk write-protected
04 sector not found
06 floppy disk removed
08 DMA overrun
0A bad sector flag
0B bad track flag
20 controller failure
40 seek failure (BIOS)
40 cylinder>1023 (LILO)
99 invalid second stage index sector (LILO)
9A no second stage loader signature (LILO)
AA drive not ready
FF sense operation failed
Error code 40 is generated by the BIOS, or by LILO during the
conversion of a linear (24-bit) disk address to a geometric (C:H:S)
address. On older systems which do not support lba32 (32-bit)
addressing, this error may also be generated. Errors 99 and 9A usually
mean the map file ('-m' or 'map=') is not readable, likely because LILO
was not re-run after some system change, or there is a geometry
mismatch between what LILO used (lilo -v3 to display) and what is
actually being used by the BIOS (one of the lilo diagnostic disks,
available in the source distribution, may be needed to diagnose this
problem).
When the second stage loader has received control from the first
stage, it prints the letter 'L', and when it has initialized itself,
including verifying the "Descriptor Table" - the list of kernels/others
to boot - it will print the letter "O", to form the full word "LILO",
in uppercase.
All second stage loader error messages are English text and try to
pinpoint, more or less successfully, the point of failure.
BUGS
Configuration file options 'backup' and 'force-backup' should specify a backup directory or backup file pathname template on all RAID installations. Use of an explicit filename may not allow multiple backup files to be created correctly. It is best to use the default mechanism, as it works correctly in all cases.
COPYRIGHT and LICENSE
Copyright (C) 1992-1998 Werner Almesberger
Copyright (C) 1999-2007 John Coffman
Copyright (C) 2009-2014 Joachim Wiedorn
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
modification, are permitted under the terms of the BSD license found in
the COPYING file.
AUTHOR
lilo was written by:
Werner Almesberger (version 0 to 21),
John Coffman (version 21.2 to 22.8),
Joachim Wiedorn (since version 23.0).
This manual page was written by Werner Almesberger and Joachim Wiedorn
<joodevel at joonet.de>.
SEE ALSO
lilo.conf(5), liloconfig(8), lilo-uuid-diskid(8), mkrescue(8), fdisk(8), mkinitrd(8)
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