11.1. Linux Boot Configuration

If you are running Linux, Webmin provides module for editing the /etc/lilo.conf file that the LInux LOader, or LILO for short, uses. LILO is the boot manager most commonly used with Linux. It works by writing a small boot sector to the MBR on your boot disk. This boot sector contains the code needed to first present a prompt:

LILO:

And then to boot the kernel or operating system that the user requests. LILO can boot multiple systems and multiple versions of the Linux kernel. When you open the Linux Bootup Configuration page, you should see at least one boot kernel or boot partition. Boot kernels are for Linux kernels, while boot partitions are for other operating systems.

Clicking on one of the boot kernel or boot partition icons will allow you to edit that boot kernel of partition.

Here the name is an identifier for the kernel and it translates to label in the /etc/lilo.conf file. The Kernel to boot is the path to the Linux kernel boot image to load.

Kernel options -- This field can be used to enter any arguments you need to pass to your kernel on boot. It is often used for specifying the amount of memory in a machine when Linux doesn't recognize it all. For example, to specify 127MB of RAM, one could select Add options.. and add the line mem=127MB in the text field. This will be translated in the /etc/lilo.conf file to:

boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
default=linux

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.16-11.0
        label=linux
        read-only
        root=/dev/hda5
	append="mem=127MB"

It is always necessary to click Apply Changes from the mainpage in order to write a new boot sector to the boot device. This button simply runs /sbin/lilo.