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LILO(8)			      lilo documentation		       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.

       -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) 2009-2013 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
       <ad_debian at joonet.de>.

SEE ALSO
       lilo.conf(5), liloconfig(8), lilo-uuid-diskid(8), mkrescue(8),
       fdisk(8), mkinitrd(8)

24.0				  2013-05-07			       LILO(8)
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