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.TH "update-grub" "8" "June 18, 2001" "Jason Thomas"
.SH "NAME"
update\-grub \- program to generate GRUB's menu.lst file
.SH "SYNOPSIS"
.B update\-grub
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
.B \fBupdate\-grub\fR
is a program used to generate the \fImenu.lst\fR file used by the grub bootloader.
It works by looking in \fI/boot\fR for all files which start with "\fIvmlinuz\-\fR". They will be treated as kernels, and grub menu entries will be created for each. It will also create the initial \fImenu.lst\fR if none exists, after prompting the user.
It will also add initrd lines for ramdisk images found with the same version as kernels found. e.g. /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.5 and /boot/initrd-2.4.5 will cause a line of "initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.5 or similar to be added for the kernel entry in the menu.lst.

After \fBupdate\-grub\fR has been run for the first time, the user is required to edit the generated \fBmenu.lst\fR. The user must set the two options \fBupdate\-grub\fR uses. Then re\-run the \fBupdate\-grub\fR script to update the \fImenu.lst\fR file using the default's that have been set.

These are the options passed to the linux kernel:
.br 
# kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
.br 
Everything after "kopt=" is passed to the kernel as parameters. See bootparam(7) for more information.

This is the grub device from which grub loads the kernel:
.br 
# groot=(hd0,1)
.br 
(hd0,1) is a partition in grub notation. See grub(8) for more information.

This option controls if grub should create the alternative boot options in the menu entries
.br
# alternative=true
.br
# alternative=false

This option controls if grub should lock the alternative boot options see grub(8) for more information.
.br
# lockalternative=true
.br
# lockalternative=false

This option controls if grub should lock the old kernels.
.br
# lockold=true
.br
# lockold=false

This options controls what is used for the alternative boot options, multiple altoptions lines are allowed.
.br
# altoptions=(some description) some kernel command line options
.br
# altoptions=(recovery option) single
.br
The description is placed in '()' and the kernel command line options follow that.
.br
# updatedefault=true
.br
# updatedefault=false

This option controls if grub should update the default entry to keep
booting the same kernel even if a new one is installed.


The \fBupdate\-grub\fR script can be ran automagically from the \fI/etc/kernel\-img.conf\fR file by adding the following lines:

postinst_hook = update\-grub
.br 
postrm_hook = update\-grub
.br 
do_bootloader = no

For further information related to \fI/etc/kernel\-img.conf\fR, see the manpage kernel\-img.conf(5).
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR grub (8),
.BR grub\-install (8),
.BR kernel\-img.conf (5)
(contained in the
.B kernel-package
package),
.BR bootparam (7).
.PP
The full documentation for
.B grub
is maintained as a Texinfo manual in the
.B grub-legacy-doc
package.  If the
.B info
and
.B grub
programs are properly installed at your site, the command
.IP
.B info grub
.PP
should give you access to the complete manual.
.SH "AUTHOR"
This manual page was written by Jason Thomas <jason@debian.org>,
for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).
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