elilo - install EFI boot loader

elilo [options]

This manual page documents briefly the elilo command, which was written specifically for the Ubuntu distribution to simplify configuring and using the elilo.efi bootloader. There are two parts to elilo, the bootloader itself and this utility which installs or updates a bootload configuration. The primary function of elilo is to copy files necessary for booting Ubuntu from the main filesystem to a subdirectory /EFI/ubuntu on the boot partition. These include elilo.efi, elilo.conf, and the kernel and ramdisk images referenced by elilo.conf. In addition, elilo can create a default configuration file, /etc/elilo.conf, and can invoke efibootmgr to create an entry in the EFI Boot Manager menu such that a system will autoboot in to Ubuntu on power up. elilo requires a couple of extra parameters in elilo.conf that elio.efi does not currently support. These are needed so that a normal run of elilo with no parameters can find the elilo.efi binary and boot partition in order to rebuild it. They are: install=<path to elilo.efi>

boot=<boot partition>

This program follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (`-').

-b, --boot

set bootstrap partition device [ -b /dev/sda1 ]

-i, --install

pathname to the actual bootloader binary, default: /usr/{local/}lib/elilo/elilo.efi

-C, --config

use alternate configuration file [ -C config_file ]

--autoconf

auto-generate a /etc/elilo.conf. Typically only used during system installation. In normal use, an elilo.conf file already exists and will not be modified by elilo.

--efiboot

elilo auto configuration: create an efi boot manager entry for elilo. This option requires that the efibootmgr package also be installed.

--timeout

elilo auto configuration: sets the time elilo will wait for user input before booting default image default: 20 (2 seconds)

--image

elilo auto configuration: sets the path to the kernel image. default: /vmlinuz

--label

elilo auto configuration: sets the image label default: Linux

--root

elilo auto configuration: sets the root device default: /dev/sda3

--format

create a new FAT filesystem on the boot partition. Use this cautiously if you have more than one operating system installed, and they may be sharing the same EFI partition!

-v, --verbose

make elilo more verbose

--debug

print boring junk only useful for debugging

-h, --help

display this help and exit

-V, --version

output version information and exit

/etc/elilo.conf

/usr/lib/elilo/elilo.efi

efibootmgr(8) Additional information about elilo is available in the /usr/share/doc/elilo directory.

The elilo program and this manual page were written by Richard Hirst <rhirst@linuxcare.com> and Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com> as additions to the elilo bootloader package from Stephane Eranian <eranian@hpl.hp.com> for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).