index.md 2.4 KB


title: GNU+Linux Installation Instructions ...

This section explains how to deal with various operating systems (both GNU+Linux and non-GNU+Linux) in Libreboot (e.g., Creating bootable USB drives, Installing Operating Systems, Changing the default GRUB menu, etc.).

NOTE: This section is only for the GRUB payload. For the depthcharge payload (used on CrOS devices, like the ASUS C201 Chromebook), instructions have yet to be written.

Libreboot uses the GRUB payload by default, which means that the GRUB configuration file (where your GRUB menu comes from) is stored directly alongside Libreboot and its GRUB payload executable, inside the flash chip. In context, this means that installing distributions and managing them is handled slightly differently compared to traditional BIOS systems.

On most systems, /boot (the folder that contains all the files needed for your operating system to boot) has to be on its own partition, and left unencrypted (while the other partitions are encrypted); this is so that GRUB (and therefore the kernel) can be loaded and executed, since traditional firmware can't open a LUKS volume.

However, with Libreboot, GRUB is already included directly (as a payload), so even /boot can be encrypted; this protects /boot from tampering by someone with physical access to the machine.

Copyright © 2014, 2015 Leah Rowe info@minifree.org

Copyright © 2017 Elijah Smith esmith1412@posteo.net

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation with no Invariant Sections, no Front Cover Texts, and no Back Cover Texts. A copy of this license is found in ../fdl-1.3.md