LILO the Linux Loader
Updated February 20, 2003
Created February 20, 2003

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Sample configuration file

boot=/dev/ida/c0d0p1
map=/boot/map
install=/boot/boot.b
prompt
timeout=50
default=linux

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.12-20
        label=linux
        root=/dev/ida/c0d0p6
        initrd=/boot/initrd-2.2.12-20.img
        read-only

other=/dev/ida/c0d0p3
        label=scu
        table=/dev/ida/c0d0

Adding a DOS/Windows partition in LILO (such as the F10 partiton - i.e. SCU utilities)

other=/dev/ida/c0d0p3
        label=scu
        table=/dev/ida/c0d0

other=/dev/cciss/c0d0p3
        label=scu
        table=/dev/cciss/c0d0

Kernel Parameters

To add kernel parameters such as memory parameters to your /etc/lilo.conf, just modify the "append" line of the appropriate section. Here's an example:

Original (this one doesn't have an append line present)

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.12-20
        label=linux
        root=/dev/ida/c0d0p6
        initrd=/boot/initrd-2.2.12-20.img
        read-only

Modified

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.12-20
        label=linux
        root=/dev/ida/c0d0p6
        initrd=/boot/initrd-2.2.12-20.img
	append="mem=63M@16M"
        read-only

Multiple entries in the append section are separated by spaces, as follows:

image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.2.12-20
        label=linux
        root=/dev/ida/c0d0p6
	append="mem=63M@16M" ide=nodma
        read-only

Determining where LILO will be installed to

Change the "boot=" line to determine where LILO will be installed to. To install to the MBR, then say something like:

boot=/dev/ida/c0d0

To install to the first partition say something like:

boot=/dev/ida/c0d0p1

Also note that if you ever expect to get to c0d0p1 to find LILO, then p1 must be made active and the MBR must be clean.

See sysinit.html for more details on how the boot process works. See mbr.html for more details on a clean MBR.

Installing the Boot Sector

LILO must read the config file (lilo.conf) and create a binary version of that (basically a boot sector) and then install that into the boot record (whether that be the MBR or the first 512 bytes of your active partition). If you do not run /sbin/lilo after making changes to /etc/lilo.conf, you will not see any results from the changes you have made.

Grub on the other hand is able to read it's configuration file during the boot process -- LILO cannot read /etc/lilo.conf during bootup.

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