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diff --git a/contrib/syslinux-4.02/man/syslinux.1 b/contrib/syslinux-4.02/man/syslinux.1 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6babfa4 --- /dev/null +++ b/contrib/syslinux-4.02/man/syslinux.1 @@ -0,0 +1,420 @@ +.TH SYSLINUX 1 "19 July 2010" "SYSLINUX" +.SH NAME +syslinux \- install the \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 bootloader on a FAT filesystem +.SH SYNOPSIS +.B syslinux +[\fBOPTIONS\fP] +.I device +.SH DESCRIPTION +\fBSyslinux\fP is a boot loader for the Linux operating system which +operates off an MS-DOS/Windows FAT filesystem. It is intended to +simplify first-time installation of Linux, and for creation of rescue +and other special-purpose boot disks. +.PP +In order to create a bootable Linux floppy using \fBSyslinux\fP, prepare a +normal MS-DOS formatted floppy. Copy one or more Linux kernel files to +it, then execute the command: +.IP +.B syslinux \-\-install /dev/fd0 +.PP +This will alter the boot sector on the disk and copy a file named +.I ldlinux.sys +into its root directory. +.PP +On boot time, by default, the kernel will be loaded from the image named +LINUX on the boot floppy. This default can be changed, see the section +on the \fBsyslinux\fP configuration file. +.PP +If the Shift or Alt keys are held down during boot, or the Caps or Scroll +locks are set, \fBsyslinux\fP will display a +.BR lilo (8) +-style "boot:" prompt. The user can then type a kernel file name +followed by any kernel parameters. The \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 bootloader +does not need to know about the kernel file in advance; all that is +required is that it is a file located in the root directory on the +disk. +.PP +\fBSyslinux\fP supports the loading of initial ramdisks (initrd) and the +bzImage kernel format. +.SH OPTIONS +.TP +\fB\-i\fP, \fB\-\-install\fP +Install \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 on a new medium, overwriting any previously +installed bootloader. +.TP +\fB\-U\fP, \fB\-\-update\fP +Install \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 on a new medium if and only if a version of +\s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 is already installed. +.TP +\fB\-s\fP, \fB\-\-stupid\fP +Install a "safe, slow and stupid" version of \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1. This version may +work on some very buggy BIOSes on which \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 would otherwise fail. +If you find a machine on which the \-s option is required to make it boot +reliably, please send as much info about your machine as you can, and include +the failure mode. +.TP +\fB\-f\fP, \fB\-\-force\fP +Force install even if it appears unsafe. +.TP +\fB\-r\fP, \fB\-\-raid\fB +RAID mode. If boot fails, tell the BIOS to boot the next device in +the boot sequence (usually the next hard disk) instead of stopping +with an error message. This is useful for RAID-1 booting. +.TP +\fB\-d\fP, \fB\-\-directory\fP \fIsubdirectory\fP +Install the \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 control files in a subdirectory with the +specified name (relative to the root directory on the device). +.TP +\fB\-t\fP, \fB\-\-offset\fP \fIoffset\fP +Indicates that the filesystem is at an offset from the base of the +device or file. +.TP +\fB\-\-once\fP \fIcommand\fP +Declare a boot command to be tried on the first boot only. +.TP +\fB\-O\fP, \fB\-\-clear-once\fP +Clear the boot-once command. +.TP +\fB\-H\fP, \fB\-\-heads\fP \fIhead-count\fP +Override the detected number of heads for the geometry. +.TP +\fB\-S\fP, \fB\-\-sectors\fP \fIsector-count\fP +Override the detected number of sectors for the geometry. +.TP +\fB\-z\fP, \fB\-\-zipdrive\fP +Assume zipdrive geometry (\fI\-\-heads 64 \-\-sectors 32). +.SH FILES +.SS "Configuration file" +All the configurable defaults in \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 can be changed by putting a +file called +.B syslinux.cfg +in the install directory of the boot disk. This +is a text file in either UNIX or DOS format, containing one or more of +the following items (case is insensitive for keywords). +.PP +This list is out of date. +.PP +In the configuration file blank lines and comment lines beginning +with a hash mark (#) are ignored. +.TP +\fBdefault\fP \fIkernel\fP [ \fIoptions ...\fP ] +Sets the default command line. If \fBsyslinux\fP boots automatically, +it will act just as if the entries after "default" had been typed in +at the "boot:" prompt. +.IP +If no DEFAULT or UI statement is found, or the configuration file is missing +entirely, \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 drops to the boot: prompt with an error message (if +NOESCAPE is set, it stops with a "boot failed" message; this is also the case +for PXELINUX if the configuration file is not found.) +.TP +NOTE: Until \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 3.85, if no configuration file is present, or no +"default" entry is present in the configuration file, the default is +"linux auto". +.TP +Even earlier versions of \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 used to automatically +append the string "auto" to whatever the user specified using +the DEFAULT command. As of version 1.54, this is no longer +true, as it caused problems when using a shell as a substitute +for "init." You may want to include this option manually. +.TP +.BI append " options ..." +Add one or more \fIoptions\fP to the kernel command line. 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 +.BR lilo (8) + "append" option. +.PP +.nf +.BI label\ label +.RS 2 +.BI kernel\ image +.BI append\ options\ ... +.RE +.fi +.RS +Indicates that if \fIlabel\fP is entered as the kernel to boot, \fBsyslinux\fP should +instead boot \fIimage\fP, and the specified "append" options should be used +instead of the ones specified in the global section of the file (before the +first "label" command.) The default for \fIimage\fP is the same as \fIlabel\fP, +and if no "append" is given the default is to use the global entry (if any). +Use "append -" to use no options at all. Up to 128 "label" entries are +permitted. +.TP +.B Notes: +Labels are mangled as if they were DOS filenames, and must be unique after +mangling. For example, two labels "v2.1.30" and "v2.1.31" will not be +distinguishable. +.IP +The "image" doesn't have to be a Linux kernel; it can be a boot sector or a +COMBOOT file (see below.) +.RE +.TP +.BI implicit\ flag_val +If \fIflag_val\fP is 0, do not load a kernel image unless it has been +explicitly named in a "label" statement. The default is 1. +.TP +.BI timeout\ timeout +Indicates how long to wait at the "boot:" prompt until booting automatically, in +units of 1/10 s. The timeout is cancelled as soon as the user types anything +on the keyboard, the assumption being that the user will complete the command +line already begun. A timeout of zero will disable the timeout completely, +this is also the default. The maximum possible timeout value is 35996; +corresponding to just below one hour. +.TP +\fBserial\fP \fIport\fP [ \fIbaudrate\fP ] +Enables a serial port to act as the console. "port" is a number (0 = /dev/ttyS0 += COM1, etc.); if "baudrate" is omitted, the baud rate defaults to 9600 bps. +The serial parameters are hardcoded to be 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit. +.IP +For this directive to be guaranteed to work properly, it +should be the first directive in the configuration file. +.TP +.BI font\ filename +Load a font in .psf format before displaying any output (except the copyright +line, which is output as ldlinux.sys itself is loaded.) \fBsyslinux\fP only loads +the font onto the video card; if the .psf file contains a Unicode table it is +ignored. This only works on EGA and VGA cards; hopefully it should do nothing +on others. +.TP +.BI kbdmap\ keymap +Install a simple keyboard map. The keyboard remapper used is \fIvery\fP +simplistic (it simply remaps the keycodes received from the BIOS, which means +that only the key combinations relevant in the default layout \- usually U.S. +English \- can be mapped) but should at least help people with AZERTY keyboard +layout and the locations of = and , (two special characters used heavily on the +Linux kernel command line.) +.IP +The included program +.BR keytab-lilo.pl (8) +from the +.BR lilo (8) + distribution can be used to create such keymaps. +.TP +.BI display\ filename +Displays the indicated file on the screen at boot time (before the boot: +prompt, if displayed). Please see the section below on DISPLAY files. If the +file is missing, this option is simply ignored. +.TP +.BI prompt\ flag_val +If \fIflag_val\fP is 0, display the "boot:" prompt only if the Shift or Alt key +is pressed, or Caps Lock or Scroll lock is set (this is the default). If +\fIflag_val\fP is 1, always display the "boot:" prompt. +.PP +.nf +.BI f1\ filename +.BI f2\ filename +.I ... +.BI f9\ filename +.BI f10\ filename +.BI f11\ filename +.BI f12\ filename +.fi +.RS +Displays the indicated file on the screen when a function key is pressed at the +"boot:" prompt. This can be used to implement pre-boot online help (presumably +for the kernel command line options.) +.RE +.IP +When using the serial console, press \fI<Ctrl-F><digit>\fP to get to +the help screens, e.g. \fI<Ctrl-F>2\fP to get to the f2 screen. For +f10-f12, hit \fI<Ctrl-F>A\fP, \fI<Ctrl-F>B\fP, \fI<Ctrl-F>C\fP. For +compatiblity with earlier versions, f10 can also be entered as +\fI<Ctrl-F>0\fP. +.SS "Display file format" +DISPLAY and function-key help files are text files in either DOS or UNIX +format (with or without \fI<CR>\fP). In addition, the following special codes +are interpreted: +.TP +\fI<FF>\fP = \fI<Ctrl-L>\fP = ASCII 12 +Clear the screen, home the cursor. Note that the screen is +filled with the current display color. +.TP +\fI<SI><bg><fg>\fP, \fI<SI>\fP = \fI<Ctrl-O>\fP = ASCII 15 +Set the display colors to the specified background and foreground colors, where +\fI<bg>\fP and \fI<fg>\fP are hex digits, corresponding to the standard PC +display attributes: +.IP +.nf +.ta \w'5 = dark purple 'u +0 = black 8 = dark grey +1 = dark blue 9 = bright blue +2 = dark green a = bright green +3 = dark cyan b = bright cyan +4 = dark red c = bright red +5 = dark purple d = bright purple +6 = brown e = yellow +7 = light grey f = white +.fi +.IP +Picking a bright color (8-f) for the background results in the +corresponding dark color (0-7), with the foreground flashing. +.IP +colors are not visible over the serial console. +.TP +\fI<CAN>\fPfilename\fI<newline>\fP, \fI<CAN>\fP = \fI<Ctrl-X>\fP = ASCII 24 +If a VGA display is present, enter graphics mode and display +the graphic included in the specified file. The file format +is an ad hoc format called LSS16; the included Perl program +"ppmtolss16" can be used to produce these images. This Perl +program also includes the file format specification. +.IP +The image is displayed in 640x480 16-color mode. Once in +graphics mode, the display attributes (set by \fI<SI>\fP code +sequences) work slightly differently: the background color is +ignored, and the foreground colors are the 16 colors specified +in the image file. For that reason, ppmtolss16 allows you to +specify that certain colors should be assigned to specific +color indicies. +.IP +Color indicies 0 and 7, in particular, should be chosen with +care: 0 is the background color, and 7 is the color used for +the text printed by \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 itself. +.TP +\fI<EM>\fP, \fI<EM>\fP = \fI<Ctrl-U>\fP = ASCII 25 +If we are currently in graphics mode, return to text mode. +.TP +\fI<DLE>\fP..\fI<ETB>\fB, \fI<Ctrl-P>\fP..\fI<Ctrl-W>\fP = ASCII 16-23 +These codes can be used to select which modes to print a +certain part of the message file in. Each of these control +characters select a specific set of modes (text screen, +graphics screen, serial port) for which the output is actually +displayed: +.IP +.nf +Character Text Graph Serial +------------------------------------------------------ +<DLE> = <Ctrl-P> = ASCII 16 No No No +<DC1> = <Ctrl-Q> = ASCII 17 Yes No No +<DC2> = <Ctrl-R> = ASCII 18 No Yes No +<DC3> = <Ctrl-S> = ASCII 19 Yes Yes No +<DC4> = <Ctrl-T> = ASCII 20 No No Yes +<NAK> = <Ctrl-U> = ASCII 21 Yes No Yes +<SYN> = <Ctrl-V> = ASCII 22 No Yes Yes +<ETB> = <Ctrl-W> = ASCII 23 Yes Yes Yes +.fi +.IP +For example: +.nf +<DC1>Text mode<DC2>Graphics mode<DC4>Serial port<ETB> +.fi + ... will actually print out which mode the console is in! +.TP +\fI<SUB>\fP = \fI<Ctrl-Z>\fP = ASCII 26 +End of file (DOS convention). +.SS Comboot Images and other operating systems +This version of \fBsyslinux\fP supports chain loading of other operating +systems (such as MS-DOS and its derivatives, including Windows 95/98), +as well as COMBOOT-style standalone executables (a subset of DOS .COM +files; see separate section below.) +.PP +Chain loading requires the boot sector of the foreign operating system +to be stored in a file in the root directory of the filesystem. +Because neither Linux kernels, boot sector images, nor COMBOOT files +have reliable magic numbers, \fBsyslinux\fP will look at the file +extension. The following extensions are recognised: +.PP +.nf +.ta \w'none or other 'u +none or other Linux kernel image +CBT COMBOOT image (not runnable from DOS) +BSS Boot sector (DOS superblock will be patched in) +BS Boot sector +COM COMBOOT image (runnable from DOS) +.fi +.PP +For filenames given on the command line, \fBsyslinux\fP will search for the +file by adding extensions in the order listed above if the plain +filename is not found. Filenames in KERNEL statements must be fully +qualified. +.PP +A COMBOOT file is a standalone executable in DOS .COM format. They +can, among other things, be produced by the Etherboot package by +Markus Gutschke and Ken Yap. The following requirements apply for +these files to be sufficiently "standalone" for \fBsyslinux\fP to be able to +load and run them: +.IP \(bu +The program must not execute any DOS calls (since there is no +DOS), although it may call the BIOS. The only exception is that +the program may execute INT 20h (Terminate Program) to return to +the \fBsyslinux\fP prompt. Note especially that INT 21h AH=4Ch, INT 21h +AH=31h or INT 27h are not supported. +.IP \(bu +Only the fields pspInt20 at offset 00h, pspNextParagraph at offset 02h and +pspCommandTail at offset 80h (contains the arguments from the \fBsyslinux\fP command +line) in the PSP are supported. All other fields will contain zero. +.IP \(bu +The program must not modify any main memory outside its 64K segment if it +returns to \fBsyslinux\fP via INT 20h. +.PP +\fBSyslinux\fP currently doesn't provide any form of API for the use of +COMBOOT files. If there is need, a future version may contain an INT +interface to some \fBsyslinux\fP functions; please contact me if you have a +need or ideas for such an API. +.SS Novice protection +\fBSyslinux\fP will attempt to detect if the user is trying to boot on a 286 +or lower class machine, or a machine with less than 608K of low ("DOS") +RAM (which means the Linux boot sequence cannot complete). If so, a +message is displayed and the boot sequence aborted. Holding down the +Ctrl key while booting disables this feature. +.PP +The compile time and date of a specific \fBsyslinux\fP version can be obtained +by the DOS command "type ldlinux.sys". This is also used as the +signature for the LDLINUX.SYS file, which must match the boot sector +.PP +Any file that \fBsyslinux\fP uses can be marked hidden, system or readonly if +so is convenient; \fBsyslinux\fP ignores all file attributes. The \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 +installed automatically sets the readonly attribute on LDLINUX.SYS. +.SS Bootable CD-ROMs +\s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 can be used to create bootdisk images for El +Torito-compatible bootable CD-ROMs. However, it appears that many +BIOSes are very buggy when it comes to booting CD-ROMs. Some users +have reported that the following steps are helpful in making a CD-ROM +that is bootable on the largest possible number of machines: +.IP \(bu +Use the -s (safe, slow and stupid) option to \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 +.IP \(bu +Put the boot image as close to the beginning of the +ISO 9660 filesystem as possible. +.PP +A CD-ROM is so much faster than a floppy that the -s option shouldn't +matter from a speed perspective. +.PP +Of course, you probably want to use ISOLINUX instead. See the +documentation file +.BR isolinux.doc . +.SS Booting from a FAT partition on a hard disk +\s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 can boot from a FAT filesystem partition on a hard +disk (including FAT32). 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, \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 needs to be +launched from a Master Boot Record or another boot loader, just like +DOS itself would. A sample master boot sector (\fBmbr.bin\fP) is +included with \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1. +.SH BUGS +I would appreciate hearing of any problems you have with \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1. I +would also like to hear from you if you have successfully used \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1, +especially if you are using it for a distribution. +.PP +If you are reporting problems, please include all possible information +about your system and your BIOS; the vast majority of all problems +reported turn out to be BIOS or hardware bugs, and I need as much +information as possible in order to diagnose the problems. +.PP +There is a mailing list for discussion among \s-1SYSLINUX\s+1 users and for +announcements of new and test versions. To join, send a message to +majordomo@linux.kernel.org with the line: +.PP +.B subscribe syslinux +.PP +in the body of the message. The submission address is syslinux@linux.kernel.org. +.SH SEE ALSO +.BR lilo (8), +.BR keytab-lilo.pl (8), +.BR fdisk (8), +.BR mkfs (8), +.BR superformat (1). +.SH AUTHOR +This manual page is a modified version of the original \fBsyslinux\fP +documentation by H. Peter Anvin <hpa@zytor.com>. The conversion to a manpage +was made by Arthur Korn <arthur@korn.ch>. |