1 .\" Copyright (c) 1999 Daniel C. Sobral
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25 .\" $FreeBSD: src/sys/boot/forth/loader.conf.5,v 1.18 2002/08/27 01:02:56 trhodes Exp $
26 .\" $DragonFly: src/sys/boot/forth/loader.conf.5,v 1.13 2008/09/15 21:23:44 thomas Exp $
32 .Nd system bootstrap configuration information
36 contains descriptive information on bootstrapping the system.
38 it you can specify the kernel to be booted, parameters to be passed to
39 it, and additional modules to be loaded; and generally set all variables
45 must contain the following two lines for
47 to be automatically processed:
49 .Dl include loader.4th
54 exists at installworld time, one with the above lines will be installed.
58 format was defined explicitly to resemble
62 some settings are treated in a special fashion.
64 behavior of some settings is defined by the setting's suffix;
65 the prefix identifies which module the setting controls.
67 The general parsing rules are:
70 Spaces and empty lines are ignored.
74 sign will mark the remainder of the line as a comment.
76 Only one setting can be present on each line.
79 All settings have the following format:
83 Unless it belongs to one of the classes of settings that receive special
84 treatment, a setting will set the value of a
87 The settings that receive special
88 treatment are listed below.
89 Settings beginning with
91 below define the modules to be loaded.
92 All such settings sharing a common
93 prefix refer to the same module.
96 Immediately executes a
99 This type of setting cannot be processed by programs other
102 so its use should be avoided.
103 Multiple instances of it will be processed
105 .It Ar loader_conf_files
106 Defines additional configuration files to be processed right after the
109 Name of the kernel to be loaded.
110 If no kernel name is set, no additional
111 modules will be loaded.
112 .It Ar kernel_options
113 Flags to be passed to the kernel (see
116 Provides a password to be required by check-password before execution is
118 .It Ar verbose_loading
121 module names will be displayed as they are loaded.
122 .It Ao Ar module Ac Ns Ar _load
125 that module will be loaded.
127 .Ao Ar module Ac Ns Ar _name
128 is defined (see below), the
129 module's name is taken to be
131 .It Ao Ar module Ac Ns Ar _name
132 Defines the name of the module.
133 .It Ao Ar module Ac Ns Ar _type
134 Defines the module's type.
135 If none is given, it defaults to a kld module.
136 .It Ao Ar module Ac Ns Ar _flags
137 Flags and parameters to be passed to the module.
138 .It Ao Ar module Ac Ns Ar _before
139 Commands to be executed before the module is loaded.
142 .It Ao Ar module Ac Ns Ar _after
143 Commands to be executed after the module is loaded.
146 .It Ao Ar module Ac Ns Ar _error
147 Commands to be executed if the loading of a module fails.
151 which aborts the bootstrap process, use of this setting should be avoided.
156 default settings can be ignored.
157 The few of them which are important
159 .Bl -tag -width bootfile -offset indent
164 a bitmap will be loaded to be displayed on screen while booting.
167 Name of the bitmap to be loaded.
168 Any other name can be used.
172 selects serial console,
174 selects the video console, and
176 selects a mute console
177 (useful for systems with neither a video console nor a serial port).
180 Shows a monochrome version of Fred, the official
184 To make his life a bit more colorful, consider setting
194 you'll meet Fred, the official
196 mascot, in technicolor when the
197 boot menu appears (remember to set
202 .It Va loader_conf_files
203 .Pq Do loader.conf loader.conf.local Dc
204 .It Va splash_bmp_load
208 will load the splash screen module, making it possible to display a bmp image
209 on the screen while booting.
210 .It Va splash_pcx_load
214 will load the splash screen module, making it possible to display a pcx image
215 on the screen while booting.
216 .It Va userconfig_script_load
220 will load the userconfig data.
225 the vesa module will be loaded, enabling bitmaps above VGA resolution to
229 .Bl -tag -width /boot/defaults/loader.conf -compact
230 .It Pa /boot/defaults/loader.conf
231 default settings -- do not change this file.
232 .It Pa /boot/loader.4th
233 defines the commands used by loader to read and process
235 .It Pa /boot/loader.conf
236 user defined settings.
237 .It Pa /boot/loader.conf.local
238 machine-specific settings for sites with a common loader.conf.
239 .It Pa /boot/loader.rc
240 contains the instructions to automatically process
253 This manual page was written by
254 .An Daniel C. Sobral Aq dcs@FreeBSD.org .