7.22. x86, AMD64, and Intel® 64 Boot Loader Configuration
To boot the system without boot media, you usually need to install a boot loader. A boot loader is the first software program that runs when a computer starts. It is responsible for loading and transferring control to the operating system kernel software. The kernel, in turn, initializes the rest of the operating system.
Installing in text mode
If you install Fedora in text mode, the installer configures the bootloader automatically and you cannot customize bootloader settings during the installation process.
GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader), which is installed by default, is a very powerful boot loader. GRUB can load a variety of free operating systems, as well as proprietary operating systems with chain-loading (the mechanism for loading unsupported operating systems, such as DOS or Windows, by loading another boot loader).
The GRUB boot menu
The GRUB menu defaults to being hidden, except on dual-boot systems. To show the GRUB menu during system boot, press and hold the
Shift
key before the kernel is loaded. (Any other key works as well but the
Shift
key is the safest to use.)
If there are no other operating systems on your computer, or you are completely removing any other operating systems the installation program will install
GRUB
as your boot loader without any intervention. In that case you may continue on to
Section 7.23, “Package Group Selection”.
You may have a boot loader installed on your system already. An operating system may install its own preferred boot loader, or you may have installed a third-party boot loader.If your boot loader does not recognize Linux partitions, you may not be able to boot Fedora. Use
GRUB
as your boot loader to boot Linux and most other operating systems. Follow the directions in this chapter to install
GRUB
.
Installing GRUB
If you install GRUB, it may overwrite your existing boot loader.
By default, the installation program installs GRUB in the master boot record or
MBR, of the device for the root file system. To decline installation of a new boot loader, unselect
Install boot loader on /dev/sda
.
Warning
If you choose not to install GRUB for any reason, you will not be able to boot the system directly, and you must use another boot method (such as a commercial boot loader application). Use this option only if you are sure you have another way of booting the system!
If you have other operating systems already installed, Fedora attempts to automatically detect and configure
GRUB
to boot them. You may manually configure any additional operating systems if
GRUB
does not detect them.
To add, remove, or change the detected operating system settings, use the options provided.
-
Add
-
Select
Add
to include an additional operating system in GRUB.
Select the disk partition which contains the bootable operating system from the drop-down list and give the entry a label.
GRUB
displays this label in its boot menu.
-
Edit
-
To change an entry in the GRUB boot menu, select the entry and then select
Edit
.
-
Delete
-
To remove an entry from the GRUB boot menu, select the entry and then select
Delete
.
Select
Default
beside the preferred boot partition to choose your default bootable OS. You cannot move forward in the installation unless you choose a default boot image.
Note
The
Label
column lists what you must enter at the boot prompt, in non-graphical boot loaders, in order to boot the desired operating system.
Once you have loaded the GRUB boot screen, use the arrow keys to choose a boot label or type
e
for edit. You are presented with a list of items in the configuration file for the boot label you have selected.
Boot loader passwords provide a security mechanism in an environment where physical access to your server is available.
If you are installing a boot loader, you should create a password to protect your system. Without a boot loader password, users with access to your system can pass options to the kernel which can compromise your system security. With a boot loader password in place, the password must first be entered before selecting any non-standard boot options. However, it is still possible for someone with physical access to the machine to boot from a diskette, CD-ROM, or USB media if the BIOS supports it. Security plans which include boot loader passwords should also address alternate boot methods.
GRUB Passwords Not Required
You may not require a
GRUB
password if your system only has trusted operators, or is physically secured with controlled console access. However, if an untrusted person can get physical access to your computer's keyboard and monitor, that person can reboot the system and access
GRUB
. A password is helpful in this case.
If you choose to use a boot loader password to enhance your system security, be sure to select the checkbox labeled
Use a boot loader password
.
Once selected, enter a password and confirm it.
GRUB
stores the password in encrypted form, so it
cannot
be read or recovered. If you forget the boot password, boot the system normally and then change the password entry in the /boot/grub/grub.conf
file. If you cannot boot, you may be able to use the "rescue" mode on the first Fedora installation disc to reset the GRUB password.
If you do need to change the
GRUB
password, use the grub-md5-crypt
utility. For information on using this utility, use the command man grub-md5-crypt
in a terminal window to read the manual pages.
To configure more advanced boot loader options, such as changing the drive order or passing options to the kernel, be sure
Configure advanced boot loader options
is selected before clicking
Next
.