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Multiboot specification

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The Multiboot Specification is an open standard describing how a boot loader can load an x86 kernel.[1][2] It allows any compliant boot loader implementation to boot any compliant operating system kernel. It thus allows operating system developers to concentrate on the OS itself without having to also implement a way to boot it, allows boot loader developers interested in different operating systems to collaborate, and allows users of compliant boot loaders to more easily install and load a variety of operating systems, even on a single system (multi-booting, aka dual-booting).

The specification was created in 1995 and developed by the Free Software Foundation. GNU Hurd, VMware ESXi, Xen, and L4 microkernels all need to be booted using this method. GNU GRUB is the reference implementation used in the GNU operating system.[3]

As of January 2015, the latest version of Multiboot Specification is 0.6.96, from 2009.[2]

The following software is known to be compliant with the Multiboot Specification:[4][unreliable source?]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d This bootloader is itself compliant with Multiboot specification, and it may be used to load non-compatible operating systems.

References

  1. ^ a b Merino Vidal, Julio M. (March 1, 2007), "Making NetBSD Multiboot-Compatible", ONLamp.com, O'Reilly Media, retrieved October 2, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Ford, Bryan; Boleyn, Erich Stefan; FSF (2009). "Multiboot specification" (0.6.96 ed.). GNU. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  3. ^ "Booting with GRUB". OSDEV. June 25, 2006. Archived from the original on December 28, 2008.
  4. ^ Okuji, Yoshinori K., Operating systems that support Multiboot, GrubWiki, archived from the original on August 19, 2010
  5. ^ "GRUB invaders". coreboot.org. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  6. ^ "From power-on to the login prompt", wiki.minix3.org, retrieved December 1, 2014.
  7. ^ Steinberg, Udo (October 21, 2012), "NOVA Microhypervisor", github.com, retrieved March 17, 2013
  8. ^ "9front Installation Guide". Retrieved 28 September 2014.


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