manual: add section about the images we released.
Signed-off-by: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo@cyberdimension.org> neox: - fixed duplicate see with @pxref in "(@ref{GNU Boot images} for more details)" and "the @pxref{GNU Boot images types} subsection.", "will be documented in the @ref{GNU Boot images} section below" - found "See the @pxref{boot software} section to understand", "described in the previous subsection (@pxref{GNU resolution graphics", "described in the previous subsection (@pxref{GNU Boot images types}).", "(see @pxref{boot software} for more details)." Acked-by: Adrien Bourmault <neox@gnu.org>
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@ -395,8 +395,8 @@ below.
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GNU Boot supports the GPUs that are present in the various laptops it
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supports with 100% free software. Some consideration apply while
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booting, but so far once booted these GPU are known to works well on
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tested computers.
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booting (@pxref{GNU Boot images} for more details), but so far once
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booted these GPU are known to works well on tested computers.
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In addition for the non-laptop computers, it also supports the builtin
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AST graphics in the KGPE-D16 and KCMA-D8 with 100% free software, but
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@ -479,7 +479,8 @@ these and welcome contributions in this area.
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While GNU Boot should be able to boot almost any GNU/Linux
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distribution, but in some cases some configuration might be needed by
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the GNU Boot user.
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the GNU Boot user. The cases that do and don't require configuration
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from the user will be documented in @ref{GNU Boot images} below.
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Even if some cases require some configuration, GNU Boot makes sure to
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provide at least one way to boot free GNU/Linux distributions (see
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@ -525,6 +526,147 @@ Also if you want to do such tests, you can open a bug report on the
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GNU Boot bug tracker at
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@url{https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=gnuboot}.
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@node GNU Boot images
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@section GNU Boot images
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@cindex flash images
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@cindex image files
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In computers people are most familar with, like laptops, the boot
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software resides in a memory chip inside the mainboard (@pxref{boot
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software} for more details).
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GNU Boot provide @dfn{image files} which are files that replace the
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content of these memory chip.
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These files are similar to
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@uref{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_image,disk images},
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@uref{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_image,ISO images}, or
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@uref{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROM_image,ROM images}.
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We also sometime refer to the flash image files as @dfn{flash images}.
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@node GNU Boot images types
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@subsection GNU Boot images types
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For a given computer, GNU Boot provides several images with different
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software in it. This enable the users to choose between:
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@itemize
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@item Two boot software: GRUB or SeaBIOS
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(@acronym{BIOS, Basic Input/Output System} implementation)
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@item Various keyboard layouts (colemak, deqwertz, esqwerty,
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frazerty, frdvbepo, itqwerty, svenska, trqwerty, ukdvorak, ukqwerty,
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usdvorak, usqwerty).
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@item Low resolution or high resolution graphics.
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@end itemize
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If you are a less technical user or helping one, or don't have much
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time to configure things, it is a good idea to choose an image with
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GRUB, and a keyboard layout of your choice (the resolution is not very
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important, but using high resolution looks nicer) as the image with
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GRUB doesn't require to do any configuration in the distributions you
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want to boot.
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Otherwise here are the advantages/disadvantages of each combinaison:
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@itemize
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@item GRUB with high resolution graphics: Images with GRUB
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usually don't require the user to do any configuration of the
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distribution. More technical users can also use that to customize the
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way the system boots for more security or to support unsual boot
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configurations (that are not typically supported by graphical
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installers of GNU/Linux distributions), however these more advanced
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configurations also come with their set of limitations.
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@item SeaBIOS with text-only low resolution: It implements
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@acronym{BIOS, Basic Input/Output System} compatibility, so it is very
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similar to a nonfree @acronym{BIOS, Basic Input/Output System} but it
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require users to modify some settings inside the distribution they
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use, otherwise the distribution still boots but usually has a black
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screen during the boot (which can be problematic to diagnose a
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non-booting distribution). The low resolution increase compatibility
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with various software that are typically run at boot like memtest86+
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(a software that detects broken RAM chips).
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@item GRUB with text-only low resolution: Since these images
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boot with GRUB, they also don't require any configuration of the
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distribution and more technical users can also use them to customize
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the way the system boots. Compared to GRUB images with high resolution
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graphics:
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@itemize
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@item the text is bigger and that there is no background picture
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@item since on most supported computers, GRUB images can
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also load and run SeaBIOS (there is a menu entry for
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it), having a text-only low resolution increase the
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compatibility with various boot software.
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@end itemize
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@item SeaBIOS with high resolution graphics:
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Since these images boot with SeaBIOS they also implement some
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@acronym{BIOS, Basic Input/Output System} compatibility, but they also
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require users to modify some settings inside the distribution they
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use. Compared with SeaBIOS images with text-only low resolution:
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@itemize
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@item they are less compatible with various boot software. This
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can be useful for testing if you contribute to some boot
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software.
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@item since on most supported computers, SeaBIOS images can also
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load and run GRUB (there is a menu entry for it when
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pressing the 'ESC' key at boot), having high resolution
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graphics can make GRUB look nicer.
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@end itemize
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@end itemize
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@node GNU Boot images naming
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@subsection GNU Boot images naming
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Images for specific computers can be found on
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@uref{https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gnuboot/,the GNU Boot download area} or
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in the release/roms directory if you built GNU Boot from source
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yourself.
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For a given release (or release candidate) like GNU Boot 0.1-rc3, you
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can find such files inside the 'roms' directory like
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@url{https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gnuboot/gnuboot-0.1-rc3/roms/} for GNU
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Boot 0.1-rc3.
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Inside you have archive files like
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@option{gnuboot-0.1-rc3_x200_8mb.tar.xz} that are specific to a
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specific computer (here the ThinkPad X200 with 8MiB flash chip).
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Inside each archive files, there are many smaller files that are flash
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images. @xref{boot software} to understand what a flash image is.
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The flash image files correspond to the configurations described in
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the @ref{GNU Boot images types}.
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So for instance if we have an image named
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@option{grub_x200_8mb_corebootfb_usqwerty.rom}, it is meant for a
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ThinkPad X200 with 8MiB flash chip, and it uses the GRUB software to
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boot, and it is configured to use a QWERTY keyboard layout.
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If the image contains @option{seabios} in its file name instead of
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@option{grub}, it uses the SeaBIOS software to boot.
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The @option{corebootfb} in the file name correspond to the high
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resolution graphics described in the previous subsection (@ref{GNU
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Boot images types}).
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If instead the file has @option{txtmode} in its name, this corresponds
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to the text-only low resolution that was also described in the
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previous subsection (@ref{GNU Boot images types}).
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@node Helping GNU Boot
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@chapter Helping GNU Boot
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