abootconf

8 abootconf

abootconf

Configure the location of the configuration file for the secondary boot loader aboot(8) for Linux/Alpha.

       abootconf /dev/xxx num

## COPYRIGHT

abootconf is Copyright (C) 1996 Linus Torvalds, David Mosberger-Tang and Michael Schwingen

## DESCRIPTIONS

abootconf is used to change the partition
the alpha Linux boot loader aboot(8) looks for its configuration file in. The configuration file is stored in `etc/aboot.conf`(5) relative to the root of the file system in this partition.

abootconf requires the boot device (e.g. `/dev/hdb`, `/dev/sda`) and the partition to be used (e.g. 3). Thus if you want to boot from partition E: on your second SCSI disk you would enter

`abootconf `/dev/sdb 5``

## NOTES

abootconf is not needed if you are booting your alpha system via milo.

For each disk one partition can be activated to contain the configuration for aboot(8) which is located in `etc/aboot.conf`(5). The disk chosen to boot from is selected at the SRM prompt as the second argument, e.g.

`boot `dqa``

to boot from your first IDE hard disk. See the HP SRM-Manual and aboot(8) for details.

aboot(8) can load a kernel from an arbitrary partition and can even use a different root partition than the one `etc/aboot.conf` belongs to. Hence you would usually set up one `etc/aboot.conf` with all combinations and would not require abootconf except for initial set up. You can then boot the requested Linux kernel by giving the appropriate flags at the SRM prompt, e.g. to boot the entry labeled 2 you would use

`boot `dqa -fl "2"``

See the HP SRM manual and `aboot.conf`(5) for details.

To show the current setting simply omit the last argument (i.e. the partition number).

Note that you have to rerun abootconf if you updated aboot.

Strictly speaking abootconf is not necessary as you can specify the partition which `etc/aboot.conf` resides on at the SRM-Prompt by prepending the partition number and a colon in the flags-parameter, i.e. if `etc/aboot.conf` resided on the fourth partition and you want to boot the entry labeled 2 you could also issue

`boot `dqa -fl "4:2"``

at the SRM prompt.

Note that this applies to Linux only as VMS, Tru64, *BSD and Windows NT each have their own secondary boot loader.

Also note that for initial hard disk setup abootconf is no longer needed as swriteboot(8) contains the entire functionality of abootconf.

## AUTHOR

This man page was written by Helge Kreutzmann kreutzm@itp.uni-hannover.de for the Debian GNU/Linux project but may be used by others.

## FILES

`etc/aboot.conf`

## SEE ALSO

aboot(8), swriteboot(8), `aboot.conf`(5), HP SRM Manual