5. The Simple Configuration

Most Lilo installations use a configuration file like the following one:

boot = /dev/hda   # or your root partition
delay = 10        # delay, in tenth of a second (so you can interact)
vga = 0           # optional. Use "vga=1" to get 80x50
#linear           # try "linear" in case of geometry problems.

image = /boot/vmlinux  # your zImage file
  root = /dev/hda1     # your root partition
  label = Linux        # or any fancy name
  read-only            # mount root read-only

other = /dev/hda4   # your dos partition, if any
  table = /dev/hda  # the current partition table
  label = dos       # or any non-fancy name

You can have multiple ``image'' and ``other'' sections if you want. It's not uncommon to have several kernel images configured in your lilo.conf, at least if you keep up to date with kernel development.

5.1. How to Deal with Big Kernels

If you compile a ``zImage'' kernel and it is too big to fit in half a megabyte (this is commong with new 2.1 kernels), you should build a ``big zImage'' instead: make bzImage. To boot a big kernel image nothing special is needed, but you need version 18 or newer of Lilo. If your installation is older, you should upgrade your Lilo package.

5.2. Other Sources of Information

In addition to the Lilo docs, there are a number of mini-howto's that can be useful for your needs. All of them are called Linux+foobarOS, for some foobarOS, they deal with coexistence of Linux and other operationg system(s). Also, Multiboot-with-LILO describes how the various Windows flavours can be made to coexist with Linux.

If you need some information about partitioning (how are partition tables stored on disk, what are the partition tipes, and other low-level information) you should check Andries Brouwer's site, at http://www.win.tue.nl/~aeb/.