1:39 a.m.
Repository : http://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/docs/multiboot-guide.git
On branch : master
---------------------------------------------------------------
commit a17d50ed0ad0ae3c9ae4d7174bf9d1dff6b8ec3d
Author: Pete Travis <immanetize(a)fedoraproject.org>
Date: Sat Nov 30 00:38:47 2013 -0700
a little reorganization, and some explanitory prose around what a bootloader does.
---------------------------------------------------------------
en-US/BOOT-BIOS_or_UEFI.xml | 68 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
en-US/BOOT-general.xml | 32 +++++++++++++
en-US/Fedora_Multiboot_Guide.xml | 4 +-
en-US/{UEFI-general.xml => GRUB-basics.xml} | 4 +-
en-US/GRUB-reinstalling.xml | 5 ++-
en-US/GRUB.xml | 4 +-
en-US/Introduction.xml | 2 +-
7 files changed, 111 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)
diff --git a/en-US/BOOT-BIOS_or_UEFI.xml b/en-US/BOOT-BIOS_or_UEFI.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9b6649
--- /dev/null
+++ b/en-US/BOOT-BIOS_or_UEFI.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8' ?>
+<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
+<!ENTITY % BOOK_ENTITIES SYSTEM "Fedora_Multiboot_Guide.ent">
+%BOOK_ENTITIES;
+
+]>
+<section id="BOOT-BIOS_or_UEFI">
+ <title>Is your system UEFI or BIOS?</title>
+ <para>
+ Because commands and file locations differ between BIOS and UEFI systems, it is
important to identify which you have before attempting advanced boot configuration.
+ </para>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <title>Identifying a BIOS system</title>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Older computers are more likely to use BIOS. UEFI systems did not become
commonplace until after 2010.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ 32 bit systems are almost always BIOS.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Your computer originally shipped with Windows Vista or XP.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The computer's manual and the system setup menu do not mention UEFI, EFI, or
SecureBoot.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+ <note>
+ <title>The term <literal>BIOS</literal> is still used with UEFI
systems</title>
+ <para>
+ Because BIOS systems have been around for so long, the term
<literal>BIOS</literal> is often used to describe UEFI systems as well.
Manufacturers might list system firmware updates as <literal>BIOS
updates</literal> or provide directions to <literal>enter the BIOS setup
menu</literal>. The word has come to represent the pre-OS menu on your computer as
much as the actual software, but it doesn't mean that your system is not UEFI
capable.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+ <itemizedlist>
+ <title>Identifying a UEFI system</title>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Newer systems are more likely to use UEFI. If you bought your computer new in
2013 or after, it probably has UEFI.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Your computer shipped with Windows 8. The terms of service for Windows 8
<emphasis>require</emphasis> SecureBoot, a UEFI feature.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ Your system setup menu has a graphical interface or mouse support. UEFI menus can
be more elaborate.
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ <listitem>
+ <para>
+ The system's boot menu gives you the option of booting via UEFI or not, with
entries like these:
+ <screen>
+ UEFI: Generic USB Stick
+ Generic USB Stick
+ </screen>
+ </para>
+ </listitem>
+ </itemizedlist>
+</section>
diff --git a/en-US/BOOT-general.xml b/en-US/BOOT-general.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c4d562
--- /dev/null
+++ b/en-US/BOOT-general.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8' ?>
+<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
+<!ENTITY % BOOK_ENTITIES SYSTEM "Fedora_Multiboot_Guide.ent">
+%BOOK_ENTITIES;
+
+]>
+<section id="BOOT-basics">
+ <title>Bootloader Basics</title>
+ <para>
+ To boot a modern operating system, a computer must identify the kernel, storage, and
various options at the time of booting. Software called a bootloader keeps track of these
parameters, manages settings for different operating systems, and loads the kernel.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Historically, bootloaders have been installed into the first part of a drive, known
as the Master Boot Record (MBR) or Boot Sector. The computer's firmware, or BIOS,
would check the boot sector for bootable code on startup, and load whatever it found. As
bootloaders became more complex, and therefore required more space, the MBR came to
contain only a pointer to the second stage of the bootloader.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ The second stage of the bootloader performs the actual work. Because the BIOS does
not know how to open and read from filesystems, the bootloader finds the operating system,
presents a menu, interacts with the user as required, and launches the OS. It was
installed in the part of the drive between the MBR and the beginning of the first
filesystem, known as the MBR Gap. Less featureful bootloaders could also be installed in
the gap between the start of the partition and the beginning of the partition's
filesystem, but because this can damage the filesystem if the gap is too small the
practice is no longer supported.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ BIOS is short for Basic Input Output System, and the software is indeed very simple.
BIOS systems had a number of technical limitations, such as being unable to boot from
disks larger than 2 TB and extremely limited interfaces. GUID Partition Table (GPT)
partitioning schemes also came with larger drives, overcoming the MBR partitioning
scheme's 4 partition limit. To overcome these issues and add new features, a newer
firmware implementation was developed, called the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Instead of reading the bootloader from the drive, UEFI systems store some boot
information right on the system firmware. Larger bootloaders and small applications such
as memory testing utilites are stored on the UEFI system partition. This partition is
always a FAT filesystem,has a standardized partition identifier, and is mounted at
<filename>/boot/efi</filename>. Each operating system places files required
for booting in a dedicated directory of this partition, and the boot entry in the firmware
points to these files. UEFI systems will usually also support BIOS style booting for
compatibility reasons.
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ On Linux systems, the data used by the bootloader is traditionally contained in a
<systemitem>boot partition</systemitem>, mounted at and known as
<filename>/boot</filename>. The boot partition contains the kernel, a read
only filesystem that holds tools used by the kernel during bootup, called an
<systemitem>initramfs</systemitem>, and files for the menus and for the
bootloader itself. These files were traditionally placed on a different partition because
the bootloader did not support complex storage arrangements, and could not read the kernel
and initramfs from them. Because a simple, separate boot also allows for easier disaster
recovery, the practice has continued to this day.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Fedora supports both UEFI and BIOS systems, using the GRUB bootloader, which is short
for <literal>GNU GRand Unified Bootloader</literal>. GRUB provides a boot menu
and support for many filesystems, as well as software for scanning the system for
available operating systems and adding them to the menu.
+ </para>
+
+</section>
diff --git a/en-US/Fedora_Multiboot_Guide.xml b/en-US/Fedora_Multiboot_Guide.xml
index 3df1eea..c8ebc13 100644
--- a/en-US/Fedora_Multiboot_Guide.xml
+++ b/en-US/Fedora_Multiboot_Guide.xml
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@
<article>
<xi:include href="Article_Info.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
<xi:include href="Introduction.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
- <xi:include href="Free_Space.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
+ <xi:include href="BOOT-general.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
+ <xi:include href="BOOT-BIOS_or_UEFI.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
+ <xi:include href="Free_Space.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
<xi:include href="GRUB.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
<xi:include href="BIOS.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
<xi:include href="UEFI.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
diff --git a/en-US/UEFI-general.xml b/en-US/GRUB-basics.xml
similarity index 82%
copy from en-US/UEFI-general.xml
copy to en-US/GRUB-basics.xml
index 9d7058f..4dd51c3 100644
--- a/en-US/UEFI-general.xml
+++ b/en-US/GRUB-basics.xml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
%BOOK_ENTITIES;
]>
-<section id="UEFI-general">
- <title>UEFI Basics</title>
+<section id="GRUB-basics">
+ <title>GRUB Basics</title>
<para />
</section>
diff --git a/en-US/GRUB-reinstalling.xml b/en-US/GRUB-reinstalling.xml
index 382b48e..d5ab1b8 100644
--- a/en-US/GRUB-reinstalling.xml
+++ b/en-US/GRUB-reinstalling.xml
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
You have chosen not to use <application>anaconda</application> to
install grub.
</member>
</simplelist>
+ </para>
<section id="GRUB-reinstalling-mkconfig">
<title>Refreshing GRUB configuration</title>
<para>
@@ -35,7 +36,9 @@
Refresh GRUB configuration on UEFI systems:
<screen>
<command>
-
+ grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/efi/EFI/fedora/grub.cfg
</command>
</screen>
</para>
+ </section>
+ </section>
diff --git a/en-US/GRUB.xml b/en-US/GRUB.xml
index 63c9c0f..e43d7d8 100644
--- a/en-US/GRUB.xml
+++ b/en-US/GRUB.xml
@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@
<title>The GRUB Bootloader</title>
<para />
- <!-- GRUB Basics -->
- <xi:include href="GRUB-general.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
-
+ <xi:include href="GRUB-basics.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
<!-- Reinstalling GRUB -->
<xi:include href="GRUB-reinstalling.xml"
xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" />
<!-- temporary and persistent menu entry changes -->
diff --git a/en-US/Introduction.xml b/en-US/Introduction.xml
index a4d061c..d6489a4 100644
--- a/en-US/Introduction.xml
+++ b/en-US/Introduction.xml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
Changing Fedora's boot options can be helpful, especially when troubleshooting.
<xref linkend="GRUB-customizing" /> explains how to change these options
once or permanently.
</para>
<para>
- The system's firmware allows basic configuration, performs initial startup,
initializes hardware, and brings up the bootloader. Until recently, this firmware was
referred to as the <firstterm>BIOS</firstterm>, or <literal>Basic Input
Output System</literal>, which is described in <xref
linkend="BIOS-general" />. Newer systems, such as those sold with Windows 8,
use a newer type called <firstterm>UEFI</firstterm> or
<literal>Universal Extensible Firmware Interface</literal>, which is described
in <xref linkend="UEFI-general" />.
+ The system's firmware allows basic configuration, performs initial startup,
initializes hardware, and brings up the bootloader. Until recently, this firmware was
referred to as the <firstterm>BIOS</firstterm>, or <literal>Basic Input
Output System</literal>, which is described in <xref
linkend="BOOT-basics" />. Newer systems, such as those sold with Windows 8,
use a newer type called <firstterm>UEFI</firstterm> or
<literal>Universal Extensible Firmware Interface</literal>, which is described
in <xref linkend="BOOT-basics" />
</para>
<para>
In most cases, the Fedora installer will recognize other operating systems on your
computer and create boot menu entries for them. If an operating system such as Windows is
installed <emphasis>after</emphasis> Fedora, GRUB may be overwritten and
require reinstallation. Some circumstances, such as missing menu entries, require
refreshing of the menu entries. These tasks are explained in <xref
linkend="BIOS" /> or <xref linkend="UEFI" />