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title: GNU+Linux installation guides
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This page is useful for those who wish to use the GRUB GRUB payload directly.
If you're using SeaBIOS, the boot process will work similarly to traditional
BIOS systems; refer to the SeaBIOS documentation
on <https://seabios.org/SeaBIOS>

GNU+Linux is the operating system of choice, for Libreboot development. It is
highly recommended over any other operating system, precisely because it consists
of [Free Software](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html) (free as in
freedom). There *are* other free operating systems, such as BSD, but most of
the software in a typical GNU+Linux system is also *copylefted*. To learn more
about the importance of copyleft, read this page on the GNU website:
<https://www.gnu.org/licenses/copyleft.html>

Useful links
============

Refer to the following pages:

* [How to Prepare and Boot a USB Installer in Libreboot Systems](grub_boot_installer.md)
* [Modifying the GRUB Configuration in Libreboot Systems](grub_cbfs.md)
* [Guix System with Full-Disk Encryption on Libreboot](guix_system.md)
* [Installing Parabola or Arch GNU+Linux-Libre, with Full-Disk Encryption (including /boot)](encrypted_parabola.md)
* Follow-Up Tutorial: [Configuring Parabola (Post-Install)](configuring_parabola.md)
* [Installing Hyperbola GNU+Linux, with Full-Disk Encryption (including /boot)](https://wiki.hyperbola.info/en:guide:encrypted_installation)
* [Installing Trisquel GNU+Linux-Libre, with Full-Disk Encryption (including /boot)](encrypted_trisquel.md)
* [Installing Debian or Devuan GNU+Linux-Libre, with Full-Disk Encryption (including /boot)](encrypted_debian.md)
* [How to Harden Your GRUB Configuration, for Security](grub_hardening.md)

Fedora won't boot?
==================

This may also apply to CentOS or Redhat. Chroot guide can be found on
[fedora website](https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/quick-docs/bootloading-with-grub2/#restoring-bootloader-using-live-disk)

linux16 issue
-------------

When you use Libreboot's default GRUB config, and libreboot's grub uses fedora's
default `grub.cfg` (in `/boot/grub2/grub.cfg`), fedora by default makes use of the
`linux16` command, whereas it should be saying `linux`

Do this in fedora:

Open `/etc/grub.d/10_linux`

Set the `sixteenbit` variable to an empty string, then run:

    grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

BLS issue
---------

With [newer versions of fedora](https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/BootLoaderSpecByDefault),
scripts from grub package default to generating [BLS](https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifications/BootLoaderSpec/)
instead of `grub.cfg`. To change that behaviour add following line
to `/etc/default/grub` (or modify existing one if it already exists):

    GRUB_ENABLE_BLSCFG=false

Then generate `grub.cfg` with:

    grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg