xref: /freebsd/stand/i386/gptboot/gptboot.8 (revision e796cc77c586c2955b2f3940dbf4991b31e8d289)
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25.\" $FreeBSD$
26.\"
27.Dd February 5, 2014
28.Dt GPTBOOT 8
29.Os
30.Sh NAME
31.Nm gptboot
32.Nd GPT bootcode for UFS on BIOS-based computers
33.Sh DESCRIPTION
34.Nm
35is used on BIOS-based computers to boot from a UFS partition on a
36GPT-partitioned disk.
37.Nm
38is installed in a
39.Cm freebsd-boot
40partition with
41.Xr gpart 8 .
42.Sh IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
43The GPT standard allows a variable number of partitions, but
44.Nm
45only boots from tables with 128 partitions or less.
46.Sh PARTITION ATTRIBUTES
47.Nm
48checks and manages several attributes of GPT UFS partitions.
49.Bl -tag -width ".Cm bootfailed"
50.It Cm bootme
51Attempt to boot from this partition.
52If more than one partition has the
53.Cm bootme
54attribute set,
55.Nm
56will attempt to boot each one until successful.
57.It Cm bootonce
58Attempt to boot from this partition only one time.
59Setting this attribute with
60.Xr gpart 8
61automatically also sets the
62.Cm bootme
63attribute.
64Multiple partitions may have the
65.Cm bootonce
66and
67.Cm bootme
68attributes set.
69.It Cm bootfailed
70The
71.Cm bootfailed
72attribute marks partitions that had the
73.Cm bootonce
74attribute set, but failed to boot.
75This attribute is managed by the system.
76See
77.Sx "BOOTING"
78and
79.Sx "POST-BOOT ACTIONS"
80below for details.
81.El
82.Sh USAGE
83For normal usage, the user does not have to set or manage any of the
84partition attributes.
85.Nm
86will boot from the first UFS partition found.
87.Pp
88The
89.Cm bootonce
90attribute can be used for testing an upgraded operating system on
91an already-working computer.
92The existing system partition is left untouched, and the new version
93of the operating system to be tested is installed on another partition.
94The
95.Cm bootonce
96attribute is set on that new test partition.
97The next boot is attempted from the test partition.
98Success or failure will be shown in the system log files.
99After a successful boot of the test partition, a user script can check
100the logs and change the
101.Cm bootme
102attributes so the test partition becomes the new system partition.
103Because the
104.Cm bootonce
105attribute is cleared after an attempted boot, a failed boot will not
106leave the system attempting to boot from a partition that will never
107succeed.
108Instead, the system will boot from the older, known-working operating
109system that has not been modified.
110If the
111.Cm bootme
112attribute is set on any partitions, booting will be attempted from them
113first.
114If no partitions with
115.Cm bootme
116attributes are found, booting will be attempted from the first UFS
117partition found.
118.Sh BOOTING
119.Nm
120first reads the partition table.
121All
122.Cm freebsd-ufs
123partitions with only the
124.Cm bootonce
125attribute set, indicating a failed boot, are set to
126.Cm bootfailed .
127.Nm
128then scans through all of the
129.Cm freebsd-ufs
130partitions.
131Boot behavior depends on the combination of
132.Cm bootme
133and
134.Cm bootonce
135attributes set on those partitions.
136.Bl -tag -width ".Cm bootonce + .Cm bootme"
137.It Cm bootonce + Cm bootme
138Highest priority: booting is attempted from each of the
139.Cm freebsd-ufs
140partitions with both of these attributes.
141On each partition, the
142.Cm bootme
143attribute is removed and the boot attempted.
144.It Cm bootme
145Middle priority: booting is attempted from each of the
146.Cm freebsd-ufs
147partitions with the
148.Cm bootme
149attribute.
150.El
151.Pp
152If neither
153.Cm bootonce
154nor
155.Cm bootme
156attributes are found on any partitions, booting is attempted from the
157first
158.Cm freebsd-ufs
159partition on the disk.
160.Sh POST-BOOT ACTIONS
161The startup script
162.Pa /etc/rc.d/gptboot
163checks the attributes of
164.Cm freebsd-ufs
165partitions on all GPT disks.
166Partitions with the
167.Cm bootfailed
168attribute generate a
169.Dq boot from X failed
170system log message.
171Partitions with only the
172.Cm bootonce
173attribute, indicating a partition that successfully booted, generate a
174.Dq boot from X succeeded
175system log message.
176The
177.Cm bootfailed
178attributes are cleared from all the partitions.
179The
180.Cm bootonce
181attribute is cleared from the partition that successfully booted.
182There is normally only one of these.
183.Sh FILES
184.Bl -tag -width /boot/gptboot -compact
185.It Pa /boot/gptboot
186bootcode binary
187.It Pa /boot.config
188parameters for the boot blocks
189.Pq optional
190.El
191.Sh EXAMPLES
192.Nm
193is installed in a
194.Cm freebsd-boot
195partition, usually the first partition on the disk.
196A
197.Dq protective MBR
198.Po
199see
200.Xr gpart 8
201.Pc
202is typically installed in combination with
203.Nm .
204.Pp
205Install
206.Nm
207on the
208.Pa ada0
209drive:
210.Bd -literal -offset indent
211gpart bootcode -b /boot/pmbr -p /boot/gptboot -i 1 ada0
212.Ed
213.Pp
214.Nm
215can also be installed without the PMBR:
216.Bd -literal -offset indent
217gpart bootcode -p /boot/gptboot -i 1 ada0
218.Ed
219.Pp
220Set the
221.Cm bootme
222attribute for partition 2:
223.Bd -literal -offset indent
224gpart set -a bootme -i 2 ada0
225.Ed
226.Pp
227Set the
228.Cm bootonce
229attribute for partition 2, automatically also setting the
230.Cm bootme
231attribute:
232.Bd -literal -offset indent
233gpart set -a bootonce -i 2 ada0
234.Ed
235.Sh SEE ALSO
236.Xr boot.config 5 ,
237.Xr rc.conf 5 ,
238.Xr boot 8 ,
239.Xr gpart 8
240.Sh HISTORY
241.Nm
242appeared in FreeBSD 7.1.
243.Sh AUTHORS
244This manual page written by
245.An Warren Block Aq wblock@FreeBSD.org .
246