What Does Happen During Boot Process? - BIOS and MBR


 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Top Forums UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers What Does Happen During Boot Process? - BIOS and MBR
# 1  
Old 12-11-2009
What Does Happen During Boot Process? - BIOS and MBR

I'm talking about boot process in multi-boot Linux perceptive.

Please tell me whether my explanation is right or wrong? If wrong, please explain.

"The BIOS checks the system and loads this initial bootstrapping code into
memory. This initial bootstrap code searches for an active partition and looks for a first sector of that active partition.

After that, bootstrap code gets whatever boot code (usually GRUB Stage 1) in the VBR and loads it in memory, so GRUB Stage 1 in this case overrides the MBR initial bootstrap that's in memory.

Once GRUB Stage 1 is in memory, it takes GRUB Stage 2 from /boot/ and loads it memory. Thus, GRUB Stage 2 overrides the GRUB Stage 1.

Now once GRUB Stage 2 is in memory, it presents an interface where the user
can select which OS to boot.

Once OS is selected, the GRUB stage 2 loads the selected Kernel into Memory, so the chosen OS Kernel overrides GRUB Stage 2.

Now this Kernel has the control and finishes the process.
"

Thanks!
 
Login or Register to Ask a Question

Previous Thread | Next Thread

9 More Discussions You Might Find Interesting

1. Solaris

Trying to understand the boot process

I understand the OBP program looks for the boot-device, loads the bootblk (located on physical disk sectors 1 through 15). Then the secondary boot program, /platform/`arch -k`/ufsboot is run. This program loads the kernel core image files (genunix and unix). So how does it uses the ufsboot and... (1 Reply)
Discussion started by: MR.bean
1 Replies

2. Red Hat

Boot process hang

Hello, Sometime i see that the boot process hangs. I am using rhel 6.2. At that time in the console i see Probing EDD (edd=off to disable)... SSH service seems to be started but i can't login... ssh logs (last lines) in verbose mode level 3: debug2: we did not send a packet,... (3 Replies)
Discussion started by: @dagio
3 Replies

3. UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users

Understanding the boot process

Hey guys, I am working on a security module which checks signatures of binarys/shared libs. The Linux security framework (and thus my module) gets loaded early in the bootprocess. Right now all my module does is - whenever a binary gets mmap'ed for execution - print out a message using printk()... (1 Reply)
Discussion started by: disaster
1 Replies

4. Red Hat

Dual Boot Problem - Vista & Redhat -Incorrect BIOS geometry

Hi Folks, Initially I had vista and redhat 9 .. due to some reasons i had to re instal my vista again.. since then the dual boot menu disappeared.. i tried to re install redhat and changing the boot configuration of redhat 9 but i am not getting both the OS back .. I am not aboe to boot linux... (2 Replies)
Discussion started by: subhotech
2 Replies

5. Filesystems, Disks and Memory

Creating /boot partition & MBR concerns

I have 40GB HD with mepis8, swap, MBR and under flags word boot. I also have a 160 GB external with a few Linux OS, no swaps, no extended etc. I am total Linux no MS I would feel more secure by resizing that sda1 partition and creating a /boot partition with the MBR housed there. Is that a... (1 Reply)
Discussion started by: worthamtx
1 Replies

6. Programming

what would happen if a process wrote to its own stdin?

what would happen if a process wrote to its own stdin? #include<unistd.h> #include<fcntl.h> int main() { if((write(STDIN_FILENO,"arrgh!",6))==-1) { perror("error writing to file"); } } output: $ gcc temp.c $ ./a.out arrgh!$ (9 Replies)
Discussion started by: c_d
9 Replies

7. UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

About MBR,Boot Loader programe.

Hi all, I am newbie here.I want to know what is MBR,boot loader & boot strap programe. What is procedure of loading OS in to memory. Thanx in advance:) (1 Reply)
Discussion started by: vishwasrao
1 Replies

8. UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users

Unix ID deleted - What happen to process

I have an unix id (AIX system) which is used to run a couple of processes. They also write some log files into a file system (that is not in the home directory of the user id, but in different location). One bad day, the id was deleted accidentally. But the home directory, files and everything... (1 Reply)
Discussion started by: cmgreat
1 Replies

9. Red Hat

Dual boot (Booting Windows from Linux MBR)

Hi , I have two disk installed with Linux(disk 1) and WinXP(disk 2) .Now i am changing Hardisk jumbper manualy to get in to Linux/Windows .I want to configure my REDHAT linux boot manager to list Linux and WindowXP and wanna boot according to my choice . Here is what my fdisk -l shows (Only... (2 Replies)
Discussion started by: gkrishn
2 Replies
Login or Register to Ask a Question
GPTZFSBOOT(8)						    BSD System Manager's Manual 					     GPTZFSBOOT(8)

NAME
gptzfsboot -- GPT bootcode for ZFS on BIOS-based computers DESCRIPTION
gptzfsboot is used on BIOS-based computers to boot from a filesystem in a ZFS pool. gptzfsboot is installed in a freebsd-boot partition of a GPT-partitioned disk with gpart(8). IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
The GPT standard allows a variable number of partitions, but gptzfsboot only boots from tables with 128 partitions or less. BOOTING
gptzfsboot tries to find all ZFS pools that are composed of BIOS-visible hard disks or partitions on them. gptzfsboot looks for ZFS device labels on all visible disks and in discovered supported partitions for all supported partition scheme types. The search starts with the disk from which gptzfsboot itself was loaded. Other disks are probed in BIOS defined order. After a disk is probed and gptzfsboot determines that the whole disk is not a ZFS pool member, the individual partitions are probed in their partition table order. Currently GPT and MBR partition schemes are supported. With the GPT scheme, only partitions of type freebsd-zfs are probed. The first pool seen during probing is used as a default boot pool. The filesystem specified by the bootfs property of the pool is used as a default boot filesystem. If the bootfs property is not set, then the root filesystem of the pool is used as the default. zfsloader(8) is loaded from the boot filesystem. If /boot.config or /boot/config is present in the boot filesystem, boot options are read from it in the same way as boot(8). The ZFS GUIDs of the first successfully probed device and the first detected pool are made available to zfsloader(8) in the vfs.zfs.boot.primary_vdev and vfs.zfs.boot.primary_pool variables. USAGE
Normally gptzfsboot will boot in fully automatic mode. However, like boot(8), it is possible to interrupt the automatic boot process and interact with gptzfsboot through a prompt. gptzfsboot accepts all the options that boot(8) supports. The filesystem specification and the path to zfsloader(8) are different from boot(8). The format is [zfs:pool/filesystem:][/path/to/loader] Both the filesystem and the path can be specified. If only a path is specified, then the default filesystem is used. If only a pool and filesystem are specified, then /boot/zfsloader is used as a path. Additionally, the status command can be used to query information about discovered pools. The output format is similar to that of zpool status (see zpool(8)). The configured or automatically determined ZFS boot filesystem is stored in the zfsloader(8) loaddev variable, and also set as the initial value of the currdev variable. FILES
/boot/gptzfsboot boot code binary /boot.config parameters for the boot block (optional) /boot/config alternative parameters for the boot block (optional) EXAMPLES
gptzfsboot is typically installed in combination with a ``protective MBR'' (see gpart(8)). To install gptzfsboot on the ada0 drive: gpart bootcode -b /boot/pmbr -p /boot/gptzfsboot -i 1 ada0 gptzfsboot can also be installed without the PMBR: gpart bootcode -p /boot/gptzfsboot -i 1 ada0 SEE ALSO
boot.config(5), boot(8), gpart(8), loader(8), zfsloader(8), zpool(8) HISTORY
gptzfsboot appeared in FreeBSD 7.3. AUTHORS
This manual page was written by Andriy Gapon <avg@FreeBSD.org>. BUGS
gptzfsboot looks for ZFS meta-data only in MBR partitions (known on FreeBSD as slices). It does not look into BSD disklabel(8) partitions that are traditionally called partitions. If a disklabel partition happens to be placed so that ZFS meta-data can be found at the fixed off- sets relative to a slice, then gptzfsboot will recognize the partition as a part of a ZFS pool, but this is not guaranteed to happen. BSD
September 15, 2014 BSD