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 1.11 2008/09/10 18:17:01 dillon Exp $
32 .Nd system bootstrap configuration information
36 contains descriptive information on bootstrapping the system. Through
37 it you can specify the kernel to be booted, parameters to be passed to
38 it, and additional modules to be loaded; and generally set all variables
44 must contain the following two lines for
46 to be automatically processed:
48 .Dl include loader.4th
53 exists at installworld time, one with the above lines will be installed.
57 format was defined explicitly to resemble
61 some settings are treated in a special fashion. Also, the
62 behavior of some settings is defined by the setting's suffix;
63 the prefix identifies which module the setting controls.
65 The general parsing rules are:
68 Spaces and empty lines are ignored.
70 A # sign will mark the remainder of the line as a comment.
72 Only one setting can be present on each line.
75 All settings have the following format:
79 Unless it belongs to one of the classes of settings that receive special
80 treatment, a setting will set the value of a
82 environment variable. The settings that receive special
83 treatment are listed below. Settings beginning with
85 below define the modules to be loaded and
86 may have any prefix; the prefix identifies a module.
87 All such settings sharing a common
88 prefix refer to the same module.
91 Immediately executes a
93 command. This type of setting cannot be processed by programs other
96 so its use should be avoided. Multiple instances of it will be processed
98 .It Ar hw.usb.hack_defer_exploration=1
99 The USB keyboard will sometimes not attach properly unless you set this
100 kernel environment variable to 1.
101 .It Ar vfs.root.mountfrom="hammer:da0s1d"
102 When booting from a boot-only partition this variable tells the kernel
103 where the root filesystem is. The boot-only partition is then typically
104 mounted under the root filesystem as /boot. The assignment is an example
105 of how to specify the filesystem and block device.
106 .It Ar loader_conf_files
107 Defines additional configuration files to be processed right after the
110 Name of the kernel to be loaded. 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.
125 that module will be loaded. If no name is defined (see below), the
126 module's name is taken to be the same as the prefix.
128 Defines the name of the module.
130 Defines the module's type. If none is given, it defaults to a kld module.
132 Flags and parameters to be passed to the module.
134 Commands to be executed before the module is loaded. Use of this setting
137 Commands to be executed after the module is loaded. Use of this setting
140 Commands to be executed if the loading of a module fails. Except for the
143 which aborts the bootstrap process, use of this setting should be avoided.
148 default settings can be ignored. The few of them which are important
150 .Bl -tag -width bootfile -offset indent
155 a bitmap will be loaded to be displayed on screen while booting.
158 Name of the bitmap to be loaded. Any other name can be used.
162 selects serial console,
164 selects the video console, and
166 selects a mute console
167 (useful for systems with neither a video console nor a serial port).
170 Shows a monochrome version of Fred, the official
173 boot menu appears. To make his life a bit more colorful, consider setting
183 you'll meet Fred, the official
185 mascot, in technicolor when the
186 boot menu appears (remember to set
191 .It Va loader_conf_files
192 .Pq Do loader.conf loader.conf.local Dc
193 .It Va splash_bmp_load
197 will load the splash screen module, making it possible to display a bmp image
198 on the screen while booting.
199 .It Va splash_pcx_load
203 will load the splash screen module, making it possible to display a pcx image
204 on the screen while booting.
205 .It Va userconfig_script_load
209 will load the userconfig data.
214 the vesa module will be loaded, enabling bitmaps above VGA resolution to
218 .Bl -tag -width /boot/defaults/loader.conf -compact
219 .It Pa /boot/defaults/loader.conf
220 default settings -- do not change this file.
221 .It Pa /boot/loader.4th
222 defines the commands used by loader to read and process
224 .It Pa /boot/loader.conf
225 user defined settings.
226 .It Pa /boot/loader.conf.local
227 machine-specific settings for sites with a common loader.conf.
228 .It Pa /boot/loader.rc
229 contains the instructions to automatically process
242 This manual page was written by
243 .An Daniel C. Sobral Aq dcs@FreeBSD.org .