BOOTLOADER_ENTRY(8)

📦 version 1.28, in opensuse-leap 16.0

💅 BOOTLOADER_ENTRY(8) — the system administration one

okay so this is a page from the System Administration section of the manual, bestie, and it's about bootloader_entry, which is lowkey one of those "don't touch it, it's doing its job" tools. let me explain 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

bootloader_entry — adds or removes a kernel/initrd pair to your boot loader configuration. that's it, that's the whole gig 💖

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

bootloader_entry [COMMAND] FLAVOR VERSION KERNEL INITRD

like, you give it a COMMAND (optional, brackets and all), then FLAVOR, then VERSION, then KERNEL, then INITRD. five-ish things. in that order. no skipping ahead 🫶

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so. bootloader_entry adds or removes a kernel/initrd pair to the boot loader configuration. iconic behavior honestly.

okay and here's a thing you need to know before you get any ideas: the FLAVOR argument is literally only there for interface compatibility reasons and is not actually used at all. it's giving decorative. it's giving vibes-only. it's there, you pass it, nothing happens with it 💀

also, bootloader_entry is just a symlink to pbl. not even kidding, that's the whole relationship. the add and remove options get translated to pbl --add-kernel and pbl --remove-kernel, respectively. so like, it's a rebrand. a little alias moment. main character energy via symlink ✨

and the big one, the warning you actually need to hear: bootloader_entry is not intended to be called manually. it's a preserved interface to the boot loader configuration, used in the post-install section of the Linux kernel package. so it's the kernel package's little helper, not yours. don't be out here running it for fun, bestie 🙈

💅 COMMANDS 💅

  • add — adds the kernel/initrd to the boot config. simple. clean. slay.
  • remove — removes the kernel/initrd from the boot config. the opposite. also slay.

🎀 FILES 🎀

  • /etc/sysconfig/bootloader — the general boot loader related configuration settings live here. the settings. general ones. boot loader related. you get it.
  • /var/log/pbl.log — the default log file. if something happened, it's in here.
  • /usr/etc/logrotate.d/pbl — logrotate rules for /var/log/pbl.log, so your log doesn't grow forever like an unread group chat.
  • /usr/lib/bootloader — a directory with specific config scripts for each supported boot loader. one script per boot loader, all hanging out together 🫶

⭐ EXAMPLES ⭐

adding a new kernel/initrd, look at her go:

# add new kernel/initrd
bootloader_entry add default 6.2.8-1-default vmlinuz-6.2.8-1-default initrd-6.2.8-1-default

and removing one, the sequel:

# remove kernel/initrd
bootloader_entry remove default 6.2.8-1-default vmlinuz-6.2.8-1-default initrd-6.2.8-1-default

see how default just sits there in the FLAVOR slot doing absolutely nothing? yeah. that's the $5.99 decorative pillow in the corner of the couch, bestie 🛋️

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

okay this section is a whole reading list and honestly? obsessed. go learn things:

fr fr though — if you only remember one thing from this page, remember that bootloader_entry is not meant to be called manually. it's a preserved interface for the kernel package's post-install section. respect the pipeline 💜

and that's the page, bestie 💖 this was bootloader_entry 1.28, dated 2026-07-28 — go forth, don't call it manually, and hydrate 🧚🌸

📦 where this page comes from