1 = syslinux(1) = 2 :doctype: manpage 3 :revdate: 2013-06-12 4 :author: H. Peter Anvin 5 :author-email: hpa (a] zytor.com 6 :editor1: Gene Cumm 7 :editor1-email: gene.cumm (a] gmail.com 8 :editor1-revlast: 2013-06-12 9 10 11 == NAME == 12 syslinux - Install SYSLINUX to a file system 13 14 15 == SYNOPSIS == 16 [verse] 17 *syslinux* ['OPTIONS'] 'DEVICE' 18 *extlinux* ['OPTIONS'] 'PATH' 19 *syslinux* [-h | --help | -v | --version] 20 *extlinux* [-h | --help | -v | --version] 21 22 23 == DESCRIPTION == 24 Install *SYSLINUX* to the 'DEVICE'/'PATH', altering the boot sector and 25 installing the 'ldlinux.sys' boot loader file. For the Linux installer 26 extlinux, 'PATH' is the desired path for the control files on a mounted, 27 supported file system and sets the install-time working directory. For 28 all others, 'DEVICE' must specify a FAT12/FAT16/FAT32 file system. For 29 the Linux installers syslinux and syslinux-mtools, 'DEVICE' should be an 30 unmounted file system. For the DOS/Win32/Win64 installers, 'DEVICE' 31 should be a drive like 'a:' (case insensitive). 32 33 For versions ~4.00 and later, either -i/--install or -U/--update must be 34 specified unless modifying the ADV of an existing install (options 35 tagged with 'ADV') or requesting the help/usage or version info, . 36 37 If, during boot, the Shift or Alt keys are held down, or the Caps or 38 Scroll locks are set, *Syslinux* will display a *lilo*(8) -style "boot:" 39 prompt. The user can then type a kernel file name followed by any kernel 40 parameters. The *Syslinux* bootloader does not need to know about the 41 kernel or config files in advance. 42 43 *Syslinux* supports the loading of initial ramdisks (initrd) and the 44 bzImage kernel format. 45 46 Please note, the ldlinux.sys boot loader file is flagged as immutable 47 (where applicable) and is modified after copying in to help ensure 48 boot-time integrity. File systems with a sufficiently large boot loader 49 reserved area, like btrfs, will have ldlinux.sys installed there rather 50 than as a normal file. Prior to version 4.00, extlinux would install a 51 file extlinux.sys which versions 4.00 and later installers will replace with ldlinux.sys. 52 53 54 == OPTIONS == 55 // "See"/"See also" notes should reference long options. 56 === Standalone options === 57 *-i*, *--install*:: 58 (~4.00+) Install SYSLINUX, regardless of an existing install. 59 60 *-U*, *--update*:: 61 (~4.00+) Update an existing SYSLINUX/EXTLINUX install. If no Syslinux 62 boot loader is present, return an error. 63 64 *-h*, *--help*:: 65 Display help/usage information. 66 67 *-v*, *--version*:: 68 Display version information and exit immediately. 69 70 === Regular Options === 71 // Sorted generally by short argument 72 *-a*, *--active*:: 73 (DOS/Win32/Win64 ONLY) Mark the install target file system's partition 74 active. 75 76 *-d*, *--directory* 'subdirectory':: 77 (Not necessary for extlinux as it is implied by 'PATH') Install the 78 *SYSLINUX* control files in a subdirectory with the specified name 79 (relative to the root directory on the device). 80 81 *--device* 'DEVICE':: 82 (extlinux ONLY; 4.06+) Force use of a specific block device (experts 83 only). 84 85 *-f*, *--force*:: 86 Force install even if it appears unsafe. Before 4.00, -f was used for 87 --offset in the Linux installers. 88 89 *-H*, *--heads* 'head-count':: 90 Override the detected number of heads for the geometry. See also 91 *--sector*. 92 93 *-m*, *--mbr*: 94 (DOS/Win32/Win64 ONLY) Install the regular Syslinux MBR code to the MBR. 95 96 *-M*, *--menu-save*:: 97 (4.00+; ADV) Set the label to select as default on the next boot. 98 99 *-o*, *--once* 'command':: 100 (ADV) Declare a boot command to be tried on the first boot only. The 101 use of *-o* for the Linux installers syslinux or syslinux-mtools has 102 been deprecated as of \~4.00 and is no longer valid as of ~4.02. 103 104 *-O*, *--clear-once*:: 105 Clear the boot-once command. See also *--once*. 106 107 *-r*, *--raid*:: 108 (ADV) RAID mode. If boot fails, tell the BIOS to boot the next device 109 in the boot sequence (usually the next hard disk) instead of stopping 110 with an error message. This is useful for RAID-1 booting. 111 112 *--reset-adv*:: 113 (ADV) Reset auxilliary data vector. 114 115 *-S*, *--sectors* 'sector-count':: 116 Override the detected number of sectors for the geometry. See also 117 *--head*. 118 119 *-s*, *--stupid*:: 120 Install a "safe, slow and stupid" version of *SYSLINUX*. This version 121 may work on some very buggy BIOSes on which *SYSLINUX* would otherwise 122 fail. If you find a machine on which the -s option is required to make 123 it boot reliably, please send as much info about your machine as you 124 can, and include the failure mode. 125 126 *-t*, *--offset* 'offset':: 127 (Linux syslinux/syslinux-mtools ONLY) Indicates that the filesystem is 128 at an offset from the base of the device or file. 129 130 *-z*, *--zipdrive* 131 Assume zipdrive geometry ('--heads 64 --sectors 32'). See also *--head* 132 and *--sector*. 133 134 135 == EXAMPLES == 136 === Booting DOS === 137 For booting DOS and other similar operating systems, there is an easy 138 and generally reliable solution to substitute in SYSLINUX as the primary 139 boot loader. 140 141 - Make a DOS-bootable disk; The following are possible commands: 142 143 format a: /s 144 sys a: 145 146 - Copy the DOS boot sector off using Linux or copybs.com: 147 148 dd if=/dev/fd0 of=dos.bss bs=512 count=1 149 copybs a: a:dos.bss 150 151 - Install SYSLINUX using one of: 152 153 syslinux a: 154 syslinux /dev/fd0 (before 4.00) 155 syslinux -i /dev/fd0 (4.00+) 156 157 - For Linux, mount the disk and copy the dos.bss to the disk: 158 159 mount -t msdos /dev/fd0 /mnt 160 cp dos.bss /mnt 161 162 - Copy a Linux kernel image and initrd payload files: 163 *Linux:*:: 164 cp vmlinux /mnt 165 cp initrd.gz /mnt 166 *DOS/Windows:*:: 167 copy vmlinux a: 168 copy initrd.gz a: 169 170 - For Linux, umount the disk (if applicable): 171 172 umount /mnt 173 174 === MBR === 175 In order to boot from a hard disk (or hard disk-like device) in BIOS 176 mode, an appropriate MBR boot block must also be installed in the MBR 177 (first sector or 512 bytes of the disk), occupying at most 440 bytes. 178 179 *DOS/Windows:*:: 180 If using FDISK, FDISK or a similar application must also be used to mark 181 the partition as active. 182 + 183 fdisk /mbr 184 OR 185 syslinux -ma c: 186 187 *Linux:*:: 188 + 189 dd bs=440 count=1 conv=notrunc if=mbr/mbr.bin of=/dev/sda 190 + 191 For altmbr.bin, an easy way to overwrite the MBR boot block and specify 192 the partion number is: 193 + 194 printf '\1' | cat altmbr.bin - | dd bs=440 count=1 \ 195 iflag=fullblock conv=notrunc of=/dev/sda 196 + 197 Note: using 'cat' for writing the MBR can under some circumstances cause 198 data loss or overwritting. For this reason, using 'dd' is recommended 199 for all situations. 200 201 //[FIXME]: any clean way to handle the above long command for manpage? 202 203 204 == SEE ALSO == 205 *syslinux.cfg*(5), *syslinux-cli*(1), *lilo*(8), *keytab-lilo.pl*(8), 206 *fdisk*(8), *mkfs*(8), *superformat*(1). 207 208 209 == AUTHOR == 210 This AsciiDoc derived document is a modified version of the original 211 *SYSLINUX* documentation by {author} <{author-email}>. The conversion to 212 a manpage was made by Arthur Korn <arthur (a] korn.ch>. The conversion to 213 an AsciiDoc was made by {editor1} <{editor1-email}> 214 215 216 == COPYRIGHT == 217 Copyright \(C) 1994-2012 {author}. Free use of this software is granted 218 under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL), version 2 219 (GPLv2) (or, at your option, any later version). 220
