Learn the UNIX/Linux command line
Home Man Pages
GRUBBY(8) GRUBBY(8)
NAME
grubby - command line tool for configuring grub, lilo, and elilo
SYNOPSIS
grubby [--add-kernel=kernel-path] [--args=args]
[--bad-image-okay] [--boot-filesystem=bootfs]
[--bootloader-probe] [--config-file path]
[--copy-default] [--default-kernel] [--grub]
[--info=kernel-path] [--initrd=initrd-path]
[--lilo] [--make-default] [-o path]
[--remove-kernel=kernel-path]
[--set-default=kernel-path] [--title=entry-title]
DESCRIPTION
grubby is a command line tool for updating and displaying information
about the configuration files for the grub, lilo, elilo (ia64), and
yaboot (powerpc) boot loaders. It is primarily designed to be used
from scripts which install new kernels and need to find information
about the current boot environment.
On Intel x86 platforms, grub is the default bootloader and the config-
uration file is in /boot/grub/grub.conf. On Intel ia64 platforms,
elilo mode is used and the default location for the configuration file
is /boot/grub/grub.conf. On PowerPC platforms, yaboot parsing is used
and the configuration file should be in /etc/yaboot.conf.
There are a number of ways to specify the kernel used for --info,
--remove-kernel, and --update-kernel. Specificying DEFAULT or ALL
selects the default entry and all of the entries, respectively. If a
comma separated list of numbers is given, the boot entries indexed by
those numbers are selected. Finally, the title of a boot entry may be
specified by using TITLE=title as the argument; all entries with that
title are used.
OPTIONS
--add-kernel=kernel-path
Add a new boot entry for the kernel located at kernel-path.
--args=kernel-args
When a new kernel is added, this specifies the command line
arguments which should be passed to the kernel by default (note
they are merged with the arguments from the template if --copy-
default is used). When --update-kernel is used, this specifies
new arguments to add to the argument list. Multiple, space sep-
arated arguments may be used. If an argument already exists the
new value replaces the old values. The root= kernel argument
gets special handling if the configuration file has special
handling for specifying the root filesystem (like lilo.conf
does).
--bad-image-okay
When grubby is looking for a entry to use for something (such
as a template or a default boot entry) it uses sanity checks,
such as ensuring that the kernel exists in the filesystem, to
make sure entries that obviously won't work aren't selected.
This option overrides that behavior, and is designed primarily
for testing.
--boot-filesystem=bootfs
The grub boot loader expects file paths listed in it's configu-
ration path to be relative to the top of the filesystem they
are on, rather then relative to the current root filesystem. By
default grubby searches the list of currently mounted filesys-
tems to determine this. If this option is given grubby acts as
if the specified filesystem was the filesystem containing the
kernel (this option is designed primarily for testing).
--bootloader-probe
grubby tries to determine if grub or lilo is currently
installed. When one of those bootloaders is found the name of
that bootloader is displayed on stdout. Both could be
installed (on different devices), and grubby will print out the
names of both bootloaders, one per line. The probe for grub
requires a commented out boot directive grub.conf identical to
the standard directive in the lilo configuration file. If this
is not present grubby will assume grub is not installed (note
that anaconda places this directive in grub.conf files it cre-
ates). This option is only available on ia32 platforms.
--config-file=path
Use path as the configuration file rather then the default.
--copy-default
grubby will copy as much information (such as kernel arguments
and root device) as possible from the current default kernel.
The kernel path and initrd path will never be copied.
--default-kernel
Display the full path to the current default kernel and exit.
--elilo
Use an elilo style configuration file.
--grub Use a grub style configuration file instead of lilo style. This
is the default on ia32 platforms.
--info=kernel-path
Display information on all boot entries which match kernel-
path. I
--initrd=initrd-path
Use initrd-path as the path to an initial ram disk for a new
kernel being added.
--lilo Use a lilo style configuration file.
--make-default
Make the new kernel entry being added the default entry.
--remove-args=kernel-args
The arguments specified by kernel-args are removed from the
kernels specified by --update-kernel. The root argument gets
special handling for configuration files that support separate
root filesystem configuration.
--remove-kernel=kernel-path
Removes all boot entries which match kernel-path. This may be
used along with --add-kernel, in which case the new kernel
being added will never be removed.
--set-default=kernel-path
The first entry which boots the specified kernel is made the
default boot entry.
--title=entry-title
When a new kernel entry is added entry-title is used as the
title (lilo label) for the entry. If entry-title is longer then
maximum length allowed by the bootloader (15 for lilo, unlim-
ited for grub and elilo) the title is shortened to a (unique)
entry.
--update-kernel=kernel-path
The entries for kernels matching kernel-path are updated. Cur-
rently the only items that can be updated is the kernel argu-
ment list, which is modified via the --args and --remove-args
options.
--version
Display the version of grubby being run and then exit immedi-
ately.
--yaboot
Use an yaboot style configuration file.
BUGS
The command line syntax is more then a little baroque. This probably
won't be fixed as grubby is only intended to be called from shell
scripts which can get it right.
SEE ALSO
grub(8), lilo(8), yaboot(8), mkinitrd(8)
AUTHOR
Erik Troan
4th Berkeley Distribution Thu Jun 21 2002 GRUBBY(8)
UNIX/Linux commands referenced on this page: