4.3. The Boot loader

Since SuSE Linux 8.2, the bootloader configuration has undergone a major rework and now offers more features and configuration possibilities.

It is now possible to specify which bootloader needs to be installed (GRUB or LILO) and it is possible to specify sections and more bootloader options.

If the bootloader resource is not configured, the system will propose best configuration depending on the partitioning plan. In some cases you must decide where to to install the bootloader (the Master Boot Record or the first sector of the /boot partition) and must specify additional options for the bootloader to be installed correctly.

For example, install the bootloader on the Linux root partition, add the value root to the location property.

You can pass special parameters to the kernel to be used when the system boots, enter these parameters using the kernel_parameters property.

    <install>
...
         <bootloader>             
             <location>mbr</location>
             <loader_type>grub</loader_type>
             <loader_device>/dev/hda</loader_device>
             <kernel_parameters>foo=bar bar=foo</kernel_parameters>
             <initrd_modules  config:type="list" >
                 <module_entry>
                     <module>aic7xxx</module>
                     <module_args/>
                 </module_entry>
             </initrd_modules>
         </bootloader>
...
    </install>

	

The bootloader configuration interface offers far more configuration options than one might need for a regular setup. The options described in the example above should be sufficient for most cases.