From 6aaadea332fae5ce58a6c68cfea1c25770964dc8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Robby Workman Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:03:42 -0600 Subject: More cleanup to Chapter 3. * mostly lilo-related --- chapter_03.xml | 119 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------------------------- 1 file changed, 60 insertions(+), 59 deletions(-) (limited to 'chapter_03.xml') diff --git a/chapter_03.xml b/chapter_03.xml index 724949a..5c63c48 100644 --- a/chapter_03.xml +++ b/chapter_03.xml @@ -214,19 +214,20 @@ you having to remember all those obscure arguments. LILO -LILO is the Linux Loader, and currently the default boot loader -installed with Slackware Linux. If you've used other Linux -distributions before, you may be more familiar with GRUB. If you prefer -to use it, you can easily find it in the extra/ -directory on one of your Slackware CDs. Since LILO is the default -Slackware bootloader however, we'll focus exclusively on it. +LILO is the Linux Loader and is currently the default boot loader +installed with Slackware Linux. If you've used other Linux +distributions before, you may be more familiar with GRUB. If you prefer +to use GRUB instead, you can easily find it in the +extra/ directory on one of your Slackware CDs. +However, since LILO is the default Slackware bootloader, we'll focus +exclusively on it. Configuring LILO can be a little daunting for new users, so Slackware -comes with a special setup tool, liloconfig. +comes with a special setup tool called liloconfig. Normally, liloconfig is first run by the -installer, but you can run it at anytime from a terminal. +installer, but you can run it at any time from a terminal. @@ -235,40 +236,40 @@ FILL THIS IN!!!! Picture of liloconfig liloconfig has two modes of operation: -simple and expert. The simple mode tries to automatically configure -lilo for you. If Slackware is the only operating system installed on -your computer, the simple mode will almost always do the right thing -quickly and easily. It is also very good at detecting Windows -installations and adding them to the lilo.conf -file so that you can choose which operating system to boot when you +simple and expert. The "simple" mode tries to automatically configure +lilo for you. If Slackware is the only operating system installed on +your computer, the "simple" mode will almost always do the right thing +quickly and easily. It is also very good at detecting Windows +installations and adding them to /etc/lilo.conf +so that you can choose which operating system to boot when you turn your computer on. -In order to use expert mode, you'll need to know Slackware's root -partition. You can also setup other linux operating systems if you know -their root partitions, but this may not work as well as you'd expect. +In order to use "expert" mode, you'll need to know Slackware's root +partition. You can also setup other linux operating systems if you know +their root partitions, but this may not work as well as you expect. liloconfig will try to boot each linux operating system with Slackware's kernel, and this is probably not what -you want. Fortunately, setting up Windows partitions in expert mode is -trivial. One hint when using expert mode. You should almost always -install LILO to the Master Boot Record (MBR). Once upon a time, it was +you want. Fortunately, setting up Windows partitions in expert mode is +trivial. One hint when using expert mode: you should almost always +install LILO to the Master Boot Record (MBR). Once upon a time, it was recommended to install the boot loader onto the root partition and set -that partition as bootable. Today, LILO has matured greatly and is safe -to install on the MBR. In fact, you will encounter fewer problems if +that partition as bootable. Today, LILO has matured greatly and is safe +to install on the MBR. In fact, you will encounter fewer problems if you do so. liloconfig is a great way to quickly setup -your boot loader, but if you really need to know what's going on you'll -need to look at LILO's configuration file, +your boot loader, but if you really need to know what's going on, you'll +need to look at LILO's configuration file: lilo.conf(5) under the /etc -directory. The lilo.conf file is seperated into -several sections. At the top you'll find a global section where you +directory. /etc/lilo.conf is separated into +several sections. At the top, you'll find a "global" section where you specify things like where to install LILO (generally the MBR), any special images or screens to show on boot, and the timeout after which -LILO will boot the default operating system. Here's what the global +LILO will boot the default operating system. Here's what the global section of my lilo.conf file looks like in part. @@ -291,47 +292,46 @@ vga = 773 For a complete listing of all the possible LILO options, you should -consult the man page for lilo.conf. In brief, -we'll discuss the most common in this document. +consult the man page for lilo.conf. We'll +briefly discuss the most common options in this document. -The first thing that should draw your attention is the boot line. This -determines where the bootloader is installed. In order to install the -the MBR of your hard drive, you simply list the hard drive's device -entry on this line. In my case, I'm using a SATA hard drive that shows -up as SCSI device /dev/sda. If you're using an IDE -drive, you will probably have to use /dev/hda. In -order to install to the boot block of a partition, you'll have to list -the partition's device entry. For example, if you are installing to the -first partition on the only SATA hard drive in your computer, you would -probably use /dev/sda1. +The first thing that should draw your attention is the "boot" line. This +determines where the bootloader is installed. In order to install to +the Master Boot Record (MBR) of your hard drive, you simply list the hard +drive's device entry on this line. In my case, I'm using a SATA hard drive +that shows up as a SCSI device /dev/sda. In order +to install to the boot block of a partition, you'll have to list the +partition's device entry. For example, if you are installing to the first +partition on the only SATA hard drive in your computer, you would probably +use /dev/sda1. -The prompt option simply tells LILO to ask (prompt) you for which +The "prompt" option simply tells LILO to ask (prompt) you for which operating system to boot. Operating systems are each listed in their -own section deeper in the file. We'll get to them in a minute. The +own section deeper in the file. We'll get to them in a minute. The timeout option tells LILO how long to wait (in tenths of seconds) -before booting the default OS. In my case, this is 5 seconds. Some +before booting the default OS. In my case, this is 5 seconds. Some systems seem to take a very long time to display the boot screen, so -you may need to use a larger timeout value than I have set. This is in +you may need to use a larger timeout value than I have set. This is in part why the simple LILO installation method utilizes a very long -timeout (somewhere around 2 whole minutes). The append line in my case -was setup by liloconfig. You may (and +timeout (somewhere around 2 whole minutes). The append line in my case +was set up by liloconfig. You may (and probably should) see something similar when looking at your own -lilo.conf. I won't go into the details of why this -line is needed, so you're just going to have to trust me that things +/etc/lilo.conf. I won't go into the details of why +this line is needed, so you're just going to have to trust me that things work better if it is present. :^) Now that we've looked into the global section, let's take a look at the -operating systems section. Each linux operating system section begins -with an "image" line. Microsoft Windows operating systems are specified +operating systems section. Each linux operating system section begins +with an "image" line. Microsoft Windows operating systems are specified with an "other" line. Let's take a look at a sample -lilo.conf that boots both Slackware and Microsoft -Windows. +/etc/lilo.conf that boots both Slackware and +Microsoft Windows. # LILO configuration file @@ -352,22 +352,23 @@ other = /dev/sda3 For Linux operating systems like Slackware, the image line specifies -which kernel to boot. In this case, we're booting +which kernel to boot. In this case, we're booting /boot/vmlinuz-generic-2.6.29.4. The remaining -sections are pretty self-explainatory. The tell LILO where to find the +sections are pretty self-explainatory. They tell LILO where to find the root filesystem, what initrd (if any) to use, and to initially mount -the root filesystem read-only. That initrd line is very important for -anyone running a generic kernel, or using LVM or software RAID. It +the root filesystem read-only. That initrd line is very important for +anyone running a generic kernel or using LVM or software RAID. It tells LILO (and the kernel) where to find the initrd you created using mkinitrd. -Once you've gotten your lilo.conf setup for your +Once you've gotten /etc/lilo.conf set up for your machine, simply run lilo(8) to install it. Unlike GRUB and other bootloaders, LILO requires you re-run lilo anytime you make changes to its -configuration file in order for those changes to be installed. +configuration file, or else the new (changed) bootloader image will +not be installed, and those changes will not be reflected. @@ -386,8 +387,8 @@ Added Backup Don't be scared by many of the warnings you may see when running -lilo. In my case, most of these warnings are -issued by the use of LVM. Unless you see a fatal error, things should +lilo. In my case, most of these warnings are +issued by the use of LVM. Unless you see a fatal error, things should be just fine. -- cgit v1.2.3