ZIPL.CONF(5)

NAME
zipl.conf - zipl configuration file

DESCRIPTION
The zipl.conf file contains configuration information for the IBM S/390 and zSeries boot loader tool zipl (see zipl(8)).
By default this configuration file is located at /etc/zipl.conf. A different location may be specified either using the '--config' option of zipl or by setting the ZIPLCONF shell environment variable.
Using the zipl.conf configuration file, one can specify several different boot configurations. Each configuration represents one of the following tasks which are performed at boot time:

-   boot a Linux kernel using a specific kernel parameter line and optionally a ramdisk

-   load a data segment for initializing named saved segments

-   create a system dump on a DASD disk partition or tape device

-   create a system dump file on a SCSI disk partition

To be able to specify more than one boot configuration, the zipl.conf file is divided into sections. There are two types of sections: configuration sections and menu sections. Configuration sections specify a single task while menu sections represent a list of tasks which are grouped together as a 'menu'. Each section begins with a heading. In the case of configuration sections, the heading is a single line containing the section name in square brackets ([]). Such names may be made up of any printable character except for space and have to be unique among the configuration file. Menu headings are made up of a leading colon (':'), followed by a menu name which may consist of alphabetic characters and numbers. The heading is followed by a number of lines, called the section body. Inside this body, options are specified, one per line, using the form

    key=value

where 'key' may be any of the options described below or a number in case of a menu section. The 'value' field may be enclosed in quotes (" or ') to preserve leading and trailing spaces. Lines beginning with a hash sign (#) are treated as comments and will be ignored. Note that it is not allowed to specify key=value pairs outside of a section (i.e. before the first section heading). As a special section name, 'defaultboot' is reserved for specifying a default boot configuration (see option 'default' below). Example configuration:

    # An example for a zipl.conf file
    [defaultboot]
    default=ipl1
    [ipl1]
    target=/boot
    image=/boot/image
    parameters="root=/dev/dasda1 console=ttyS0"
    [ipl2]
    target=/boot
    image=/boot/image-2
    parameters="root=/dev/dasda1"
    :menu1
    target=/boot
    1=ipl1
    2=ipl2
    default=1

OPTIONS
number = section name (menu only)

    Menu section:
    Specifies that section section name be included in the menu at position number, where number is limited to the interval from 1 to 62 (30 on SCSI devices). If supported by the hardware, an interactive choice of boot configurations will be available at boot time, where individual configurations are identified by their respective numbers. Note that only IPL sections (see option image) and file system dump sections (option dumptofs) may be included in menus.

default = default-configuration (configuration and menu)

    Configuration section:
    This option specifies the name of the default configuration section which is used when zipl is called without parameters. A user may override this setting by specifying a different section as command line argument when calling zipl. Note that this option is only valid in a special section named 'defaultboot' and that no other option may be present in that section. Menu section:
    This option specifies the position number of the menu entry to use as default, i.e. when no user selection is available at boot time. If no default entry is specified, the first entry to appear in the menu section will be used as default.

dumpto = dump-device (configuration only)

    Configuration section:
    Specify a DASD partition or an IBM 3480/3490/3590 tape device on which to install a system dump record. Once a device prepared in such a way is booted, the current system status is written in a raw format to that device and can later be retrieved using the zgetdump utility (see zgetdump(8)).

dumptofs = dump-partition (configuration only)

    Configuration section:
    Specify a SCSI partition which should be used for system dump. Every time this configuration is booted, the current system status is written as a numbered file to the file system located on the dump partition. This option has to be specified together with the 'target' option. If necessary, the 'parmfile' or 'parameters' option may be used to pass parameters to the system dump tool.

image = image-file[,address] (configuration only)

    Configuration section:
    Specify an image file containing the Linux kernel which should be started when booting this configuration. An optional hexadecimal address may be provided to load the kernel to a non-default memory location. An initial ramdisk may be provided using 'ramdisk'. To change the kernel parameters, use 'parmfile' or 'parameters'. This option cannot be used together with either 'dump', 'dumptofs' or 'segment'.

parameters = kernel-parameters (configuration only)

    Configuration section:
    Use this option to specify a parameter line which will be passed to the Linux kernel at boot time. Note that the parameter line may be enclosed in quotes (" or ') to preserve leading and trailing spaces.

parmfile = kernel-parmfile[,address] (configuration only)

    Configuration section:
    This option can be used to specify a file which contains the kernel parameter line. An optional hexadecimal address may be provided to load the kernel to a non-default memory location.

ramdisk = ramdisk-file[,address] (configuration only)

    Configuration section:
    Specify an image file containing an initial ramdisk which will be used as root device when booting a Linux kernel with respective parameters. An optional hexadecimal address may be provided to load the kernel to a non-default memory location.

segment = segment-file,address (configuration only)

    Configuration section:
    Specify a file which will be used to initialize a named saved segment. address is mandatory as it specifies the hexadecimal load address for the segment file.

target = target-directory (configuration and menu)

    Configuration and menu section:
    Specify a target directory for a configuration or menu section. This directory is used for the following purpose:

-   A special file named 'bootmap' will be written to this directory. It holds data which is required for the boot process. Note that any attempt of deleting or modifying it will result in undefined behavior.

-   The device on which the target directory is located will be used as 'target device', i.e. it will be prepared for booting (initial program load).

BUGS
Please report errors to linux390@de.ibm.com

SEE ALSO
zipl(8), zgetdump(8)