Differences between current version and revision by previous author of SysLinux.
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| Newer page: | version 4 | Last edited on Monday, May 15, 2006 4:40:25 pm | by AristotlePagaltzis | |
| Older page: | version 3 | Last edited on Monday, May 15, 2006 3:32:21 pm | by CraigBox | Revert |
@@ -1,81 +1,81 @@
-SysLinux is a BootLoader for [Linux] which runs off a disk with a [FAT] FileSystem. Such a floppy can be manipulated using standard file management tools on any OperatingSystem that can access [FAT] [
FileSystem]
s.
Therefor, SysLinux can completely eliminate the need for distribution of raw diskette images for boot floppies.
It is intended to simplify first-time installation of [Linux], and for creation of rescue-
and other special-purpose boot disks.
+SysLinux is a BootLoader for [Linux] which runs off a disk with a [FAT] FileSystem. Such a floppy can be manipulated using standard file management tools on any OperatingSystem that can access [FAT] FileSystem~
s. Therefor, SysLinux can completely eliminate the need for distribution of raw diskette images for boot floppies. It is intended to simplify first-time installation of [Linux], and for creation of rescue and other special-purpose boot disks.
See also: http://annys.eines.info/cgi-bin/man/man2html?syslinux
!!! Configuration
See an example at http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/GnoppixBootfloppyContent
-All the configurable defaults in SysLinux can be changed by putting a file called __
syslinux.cfg__
in the root directory of the boot disk. The following options are available:
+All the configurable defaults in SysLinux can be changed by putting a file called <tt>
syslinux.cfg</tt>
in the root directory of the boot disk. The following options are available:
- %%%__
DEFAULT kernel options...__
:
- Sets the default command line. If SysLinux boots automatically, it will act just as if the entries after DEFAULT had been typed in at the "boot:" prompt. %%% %%% So, you can include __xmodule=fbdev__, __lang=us__ or similar "cheatcodes".
+<tt>
DEFAULT kernel options...</tt>
:
- __APPEND options...__:
- Add one or more options to
the [Kernel] CommandLine
. These are added both for automatic and manual
boots. The options are added at the very beginning of the kernel command line
, usually permitting explicitly entered kernel options to override them. This is
the equivalent of
the [LILO] "append" option
.
+ Sets
the default command line
. If SysLinux
boots automatically
, it will act just as if
the entries after <tt>DEFAULT</tt> had been typed in at
the <tt>boot:</tt> prompt
.
- __LABEL label %%% KERNEL image__:
- Indicates that if "label" is entered as the [Kernel] to boot
, SysLinux should instead boot "image". The default for "image" is the same as "label"
.
+ So
, you can include <tt>xmodule=fbdev</tt>, <tt>lang=us</tt> or similar options
.
- __TIMEOUT timeout__
:
- Indicates how long to wait at the boot
+<tt>APPEND options...</tt>
:
- __KBDMAP keymap__:
- Install a simple keyboard map
+ Add one or more options to the [Kernel] CommandLine. These are added both for automatic and manual boots. The options are added at the very beginning of the kernel command line, usually permitting explicitly entered kernel options to override them. This is the equivalent of the [LILO] "append" option.
- __DISPLAY filename__
:
- Displays the indicated file on the screen at boot time (before the boot: prompt, if displayed).
+<tt>LABEL label %%% KERNEL image</tt>
:
- __SAY message__:
- Prints
the message on
the screen
.
+ Indicates that if <tt>label</tt> is entered as
the [Kernel] to boot, SysLinux should instead boot <tt>image</tt>. The default for <tt>image</tt> is
the same as <tt>label</tt>
.
- __
F1 filename %%% F2 filename %%% ...etc... %%% F9 filename %%% F0 filename__
:
-
Displays the indicated file on the screen when a function key is pressed at the boot: prompt
+<tt>TIMEOUT timeout</tt>:
+ Indicates how long to wait at the boot
+
+<tt>KBDMAP keymap</tt>:
+ Install a simple keyboard map
+
+<tt>DISPLAY filename</tt>:
+
Displays the indicated file on the screen at boot time (before the boot: prompt, if displayed).
+
+<tt>SAY message</tt>:
+ Prints the message on the screen.
+
+<tt>
F1 filename %%% F2 filename %%% ...etc... %%% F9 filename %%% F0 filename</tt>
:
+
Displays the indicated file on the screen when a function key is pressed at the <tt>
boot:</tt>
prompt.
SysLinux also supports a boot-time-loaded InitialRamDisk.
!!! Booting [DOS]
-This is the recommended procedure for creating a SysLinux disk that can boot either [DOS] or [Linux].
This example assumes the drive is __
A:__
in [DOS] and __
/dev/fd0__
in [Linux]; for other drives, substitute the appropriate drive designator.
+This is the recommended procedure for creating a SysLinux disk that can boot either [DOS] or [Linux]. This example assumes the drive is <tt>
A:</tt>
in [DOS] and <tt>
/dev/fd0</tt>
in [Linux]; for other drives, substitute the appropriate drive designator.
-!
! Under [Linux]
+! Under [Linux]
-# Make a [DOS] bootable disk.
This can be done either by specifying the /s option when formatting the disk in [DOS], or by running the [DOS] command <tt>SYS<tt> (this can be done under DOSEMU
if DOSEMU
has direct device access to the relevant drive): <tt>format a: /s</tt> or <tt>sys a:</tt>
-# Boot [Linux].
Copy the [DOS] boot sector from the disk into a file: <tt>dd if=/dev/fd0 of=dos.bss bs=512 count=1</tt>
+# Make a [DOS] bootable disk. This can be done either by specifying the <tt>
/s</tt>
option when formatting the disk in [DOS], or by running the [DOS] command <tt>SYS</
tt> (this can be done under dosemu(1)
if dosemu(1)
has direct device access to the relevant drive): <tt>format a: /s</tt> or <tt>sys a:</tt>
+# Boot [Linux]. Copy the [DOS] boot sector from the disk into a file: <tt>dd if=/dev/fd0 of=dos.bss bs=512 count=1</tt>
# Run SysLinux on the disk: <tt>syslinux /dev/fd0</tt>
-# Mount the disk and copy the [DOS] boot sector file to it.
The file __must__ have extension .bss: <tt>mount -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt<tt> <tt>
cp dos.bss /mnt</tt>
-# Copy the [Linux] [Kernel] image(s), initrd(s), etc to the disk, and create/edit __
syslinux.cfg__
and help files if desired: <tt>cp vmlinux /mnt;
cp initrd.gz /mnt</tt> %%%
+# Mount the disk and copy the [DOS] boot sector file to it. The file __must__ have extension <tt>
.bss</tt>
: <tt>mount -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt &&
cp dos.bss /mnt</tt>
+# Copy the [Linux] [Kernel] image(s), initrd(s), etc to the disk, and create/edit <tt>
syslinux.cfg</tt>
and help files if desired: <tt>cp vmlinux /mnt &&
cp initrd.gz /mnt</tt>
# Unmount the disk (if applicable): <tt>umount /mnt</tt>
-!
! Under [DOS]/[Windows] only
+! Under [DOS]/[Windows] only
-To make this installation in [DOS] only, you need the utility __
copybs.com__
(included with SysLinux) as well as the __
syslinux.com__
installer.
If you are on an WinNT-based system (WinNT, Win2k, WinXP or later), use __
syslinux.exe__
instead.
+To make this installation in [DOS] only, you need the utility <tt>
copybs.com</tt>
(included with SysLinux) as well as the <tt>
syslinux.com</tt>
installer. If you are on an WinNT-based system (WinNT, Win2k, WinXP or later), use <tt>
syslinux.exe</tt>
instead.
-# Make a [DOS] bootable disk.
This can be done either by specifying the /s option when formatting the disk in [DOS], or by running the [DOS] command __
SYS__
: <tt>format a: /s</tt> or <tt>sys a:</tt>
-# Copy the [DOS] boot sector from the disk into a file. The file __must__ have extension .bss: <tt>copybs a: a:dos.bss</tt>
+# Make a [DOS] bootable disk. This can be done either by specifying the /s option when formatting the disk in [DOS], or by running the [DOS] command <tt>
SYS</tt>
: <tt>format a: /s</tt> or <tt>sys a:</tt>
+# Copy the [DOS] boot sector from the disk into a file. The file __must__ have extension <tt>
.bss</tt>
: <tt>copybs a: a:dos.bss</tt>
# Run SysLinux on the disk: <tt>syslinux a:</tt>
# Copy the [Linux] [Kernel] image(s), initrd(s), etc to the disk, and create/edit syslinux.cfg and help files if desired: <tt>copy vmlinux a:</tt>, then <tt>copy initrd.gz a:</tt>
!!! Bootable [CDROM]s
-SysLinux can be used to create bootdisk images for El Torito-compatible bootable [CDROM]s.
However, it appears that many BIOSes
are very buggy when it comes to booting [CDROM]s.
Some users have reported that the following steps are helpful in making a [CDROM] that is bootable on the largest possible number of machines:
+SysLinux can be used to create bootdisk images for El Torito-compatible bootable [CDROM]s. However, it appears that many [BIOS]es
are very buggy when it comes to booting [CDROM]s. Some users have reported that the following steps are helpful in making a [CDROM] that is bootable on the largest possible number of machines:
-# Use the __
-s__
(safe, slow and stupid) option to SysLinux
-# Put the boot image as close to the beginning of the ISO 9660 FileSystem as possible.
+# Use the <tt>
-s</tt>
(safe, slow and stupid) option to SysLinux
+# Put the boot image as close to the beginning of the [
ISO]
9660 FileSystem as possible.
-A [CDROM] is so much faster than a floppy that the __
-s__
option shouldn't matter from a speed perspective.
-
-SysLinux has a companion called ISOLINUX which is more suited for this task
.
+A [CDROM] is so much faster than a floppy that the <tt>
-s</tt>
option shouldn't matter from a speed perspective.
+SysLinux has a companion called ISOLinux which is more suited for this task.
!!! Booting from HardDisk
-SysLinux can boot from a [FAT12] or [FAT16] FileSystem partition on a HardDisk ([FAT32], introduced in [Windows] 95 OSR-2, is not supported, however).
The installation procedure is identical to the procedure for installing it on a floppy, and should work under either [DOS] or [Linux].
To boot from a partition, SysLinux needs to be launched from a Master Boot Record or another boot loader, just like [DOS] itself would.
-
-Under [DOS], you can install a standard simple [MBR] on the primary hard disk by running the command:
-
- FDISK /MBR
+SysLinux can boot from a [FAT12] or [FAT16] FileSystem partition on a HardDisk ([FAT32], introduced in [Windows] 95 OSR-2, is not supported, however). The installation procedure is identical to the procedure for installing it on a floppy, and should work under either [DOS] or [Linux]. To boot from a partition, SysLinux needs to be launched from a Master Boot Record or another boot loader, just like [DOS] itself would.
-Then use the __
FDISK__ command
to mark the appropriate partition active.
+Under [DOS], you can install a standard simple [MBR] on the primary hard disk by running <tt>FDISK /MBR</tt>.
Then use <tt>
FDISK</tt>
to mark the appropriate partition active.
A simple [MBR], roughly on par with the one installed by [DOS] (but unencumbered), is included in the SysLinux distribution.
