190 lines
5.9 KiB
Plaintext
190 lines
5.9 KiB
Plaintext
\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
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@c %**start of header
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@setfilename gnuboot.info
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@include version.texi
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@settitle GNU Boot @value{VERSION}
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@c Define a new index for options.
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@defcodeindex op
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@c Combine everything into one index (arbitrarily chosen to be the
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@c concept index).
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@syncodeindex op cp
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@c %**end of header
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@copying
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Copyright @copyright{} 2024 Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli.
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@quotation
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Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
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under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
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any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
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Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
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Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled
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``GNU Free Documentation License''.
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@end quotation
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@end copying
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@dircategory Kernel
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@direntry
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* GNU Boot: (gnuboot). Boot software distribution
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@end direntry
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@titlepage
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@title GNU Boot manual (version @value{VERSION})
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@author GNU Boot Contributors (@email{gnuboot@@gnu.org})
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@page
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@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
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@insertcopying
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@end titlepage
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@contents
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@ifnottex
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@node Top
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@top GNU Boot
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This manual is for GNU Boot version @value{VERSION}.
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@end ifnottex
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@node Table of contents
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@menu
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* Overview:: General purpose and information.
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* Helping GNU Boot:: How to contribute to GNU Boot
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* GNU Free Documentation License:: Copying and sharing this documentation.
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* Concept index:: Index of concepts.
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@end menu
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@node Overview
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@chapter Overview
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This chapter will explain what is GNU Boot, and how it compares with
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somewhat similar projects.
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@node What is GNU Boot
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@section What is GNU Boot
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GNU Boot is a @dfn{boot software} @dfn{distribution}. What this means
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will be explained below.
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@node boot software
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@subsection boot software
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@cindex @acronym{BIOS, Basic Input/Output System}
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@cindex @acronym{UEFI, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface}
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@cindex boot software
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If you take a modern laptop computer, and remove the storage devices
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(like @acronym{SSD, Solid State Drive}, hard disks, etc) and then
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power on the computer, it will typically show something on the screen.
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It often looks a bit like that:
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@verbatim
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+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| [ Some company Logo ] |
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| Press F2 for BIOS setup, Press F12 for the startup menu. |
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+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
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@end verbatim
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What is being displayed on the screen is produced by software which is
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often nonfree.
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It is often called @acronym{BIOS, Basic Input/Output System} or
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@acronym{UEFI, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface} on computers
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people are most familiar with. This software is typically stored
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inside a memory chip inside the computer mainboard. In some computers,
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this software can be replaced by free software.
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Depending on how you read the manual, right below you may or may not
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see a picture of this memory chip on the mainboard of a ThinkPad X200.
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@image{images/SOIC-16,6in,, Picture of the memory chip of the ThinkPad X200
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mainboard.}
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@sp 2
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The goal of this boot software is to initialize the hardware and load
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an operating system (like GNU/Linux).
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@sp 1
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This kind of ``boot software'' exists for a variety of reasons:
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@itemize
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@item The operating systems require certain hardware components like the
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@acronym{RAM, Random Access Memory} to already work when they are
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started.
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@item The operating system is stored on a storage device(s) (like
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@acronym{SSD, Solid State Drive}, hard disks, etc) and part of it needs to be
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loaded inside the @acronym{RAM, Random Access Memory} to
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work. Something has to do the loading, and this is done in software
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for flexibility and/or efficiency reasons.
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@item Finally, certain hardware components cannot be auto-detected and
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something needs to tell the operating system what drivers to load,
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which which settings.
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@end itemize
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GNU Boot provides such software. It enables to replace nonfree boot
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software (typically nonfree @acronym{BIOS, Basic Input/Output System}
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or @acronym{UEFI, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface}) on some
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computers.
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@node distribution
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@subsection distribution
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GNU Boot is only a distribution because it reuses various software to
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produce something that can be installed.
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So it is similar to GNU/Linux distributions like Trisquel 11
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(aramo) that also reuse various software to produce something that
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can be installed.
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@node Helping GNU Boot
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@chapter Helping GNU Boot
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The GNU Boot project needs help with this manual, specifically on
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moving information from the GNU Boot website to this manual.
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In general there is also a lot of ways to help the GNU Boot project
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(from reviewing website pages for very simple mistakes or outdated
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information, testing GNU Boot images, etc).
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See the
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@uref{https://www.gnu.org/software/gnuboot/web/git.html,Helping GNU
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Boot} page on the GNU Boot website for the areas where we need help
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and on how to help practically speaking (how to contact the project,
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where to send bug reports, etc).
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@node GNU Free Documentation License
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@appendix GNU Free Documentation License
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@include fdl-1.3.texi
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@node Concept index
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@unnumbered Concept index
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@printindex cp
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@bye
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