multiboot(8) - NetBSD Manual Pages

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MULTIBOOT(8)          NetBSD/i386 System Manager's Manual         MULTIBOOT(8)


NAME

     multiboot -- procedure for booting NetBSD/i386 from a Multiboot-compliant
     boot loader


DESCRIPTION

     Multiboot is a specification that defines a protocol between a boot
     loader and a kernel.  This protocol allows passing boot information
     between the two in a standard way, allowing any Multiboot-compliant boot
     loader to boot any Multiboot-compliant kernel.  The NetBSD kernel sup-
     ports Multiboot if it was compiled with options MULTIBOOT (the default in
     the `GENERIC' and `GENERIC_LAPTOP' configurations).

     Unlike when using the native boot loader, the NetBSD kernel recognizes a
     set of command line arguments if booted through a Multiboot-compliant
     boot loader.  This is because the Multiboot protocol is not complete
     enough to completely configure a NetBSD kernel.

     The following arguments are recognized:

     console         Specifies the console device name.  Can be one of `com'
                     or `pc'.  If the former, console_addr and console_speed
                     should be given too.

     console_addr    Specifies the serial port address for the console.
                     Defaults to the value of options CONADDR or `0x3f8' if
                     this was not given.

     console_speed   Specifies the serial port speed for the console.
                     Defaults to the value of options CONSPEED or `9600' if
                     this was not given.

     root            Specifies the name of the device to be mounted as the
                     root partition.  It should not be needed because the ker-
                     nel tries its best to guess which is the root partition
                     (basing the decision on the device from which the kernel
                     was loaded from).  In cases where the automatic detection
                     fails, this flag comes useful.  Example: `root=wd0e'.

   Booting with GRUB Legacy
     GRUB Legacy is the most popular bootloader that supports Multiboot.  You
     can boot a NetBSD kernel (assuming it is compiled with Multiboot support)
     with a line similar to the following one:

     kernel (fd0)/netbsd.gz -c console=pc root=wd0e


SEE ALSO

     options(4)


HISTORY

     multiboot support first appeared in NetBSD 4.0.


AUTHORS

     multiboot support was added by Julio M. Merino Vidal <jmmv@NetBSD.org>.

NetBSD 5.0                     October 25, 2006                     NetBSD 5.0