GFXBOOT(8)

📦 version 4.5.104, in opensuse-leap 16.0

💅 GFXBOOT(8) — the gfxboot manpage, but make it make sense ✨

Okay so bestie, welcome to gfxboot(8) — the graphical boot screen test and config tool that literally does it all. This is a System configuration manual page and we're about to get into it. No cap, this thing modifies and tests your graphical boot loader configuration and it's giving main character energy. Let's go 💖

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

gfxboot [ OPTIONS ] ARGS

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

gfxboot modifies and tests graphical boot loader configuration. That's it, that's the vibe. She configures, she tests, she slays. 🎀

💅 OPTIONS 💅

🌈 General options

  • -a, --archive FILE|DIRECTORY — Use FILE as gfxboot archive (default is /boot/message). If it points to a directory, assume it is an expanded archive (see the --expand-archive option below). iykyk 🦋
  • -v, --verbose — Increase verbosity. She's chatty, we love her.
  • --save-temp — Keep temporary files. No deleting, we keep the receipts.
  • --version — Show gfxboot version. Iconic.
  • --help — Print usage.

🎀 Switching themes

  • --new-theme THEME — Activate THEME. Theme files are stored in /etc/bootsplash/themes/THEME/bootloader. New theme, who dis? 💖
  • --update-theme THEME — Activate THEME but keep language settings from current gfxboot archive. Glow-up but make it multilingual.

🦋 Changing gfxboot config

  • --show-config — Show gfxboot config file (gfxboot.cfg). Let's see what we're working with.
  • --change-config [SECTION1::]OPTION1=FOO1 [SECTION2::]OPTION2=FOO2 ... — Change gfxboot config options. If sections are omitted, section "base" is used. You're the editor now.
  • --rm-config [SECTION1::]OPTION1 [SECTION2::]OPTION2 ... — Delete gfxboot config options. If sections are omitted, section "base" is used. Bye bestie 👋
  • --rm-section SECTION1 SECTION2 ... — Delete sections in gfxboot config file. Not me removing whole sections 😭
  • --default-language LANG — Make LANG the default language. LANG is a locale string (e.g. en_US). Set it, forget it.
  • --add-languages LANG1 LANG2 ... — Add translation files. More languages, more flair ✨
  • --rm-languages LANG1 LANG2 ... — Remove translation files. Less is more sometimes.
  • --config-file FILE — Don't work on gfxboot.cfg from gfxboot archive but on FILE. NOTE: FILE will be modified even with "--test". ⚠️ Okay so this is lowkey important — even in test mode, this file gets modified. Periodt. Don't say I didn't warn you.

💀 Preview/test gfxboot setup

  • -p, --preview — Try current config (needs some virtual machine). Gotta preview before you commit, bestie.
  • -t, --test — Test only (don't actually change any files). Just looking, not touching 🫶
  • -b, --bootloader BOOTLOADER — Use BOOTLOADER (grub, lilo, isolinux, syslinux, pxelinux) for preview.
  • -m, --vm VM — Use virtual machine VM (bochs, qemu, qemu32, qemu64, vbox, vbox64, vmplayer, vmware) for preview.
  • --grub DIRECTORY|RPM — Use grub from DIRECTORY or RPM (default is /).
  • --lilo DIRECTORY|RPM — Use lilo from DIRECTORY or RPM (default is /).
  • --syslinux DIRECTORY|RPM — Use syslinux from DIRECTORY or RPM (default is /).
  • --isolinux DIRECTORY|RPM — Use isolinux from DIRECTORY or RPM (default is /).
  • --pxelinux DIRECTORY|RPM — Use pxelinux from DIRECTORY or RPM (default is /).
  • --password PASSWORD — Create test config with PASSWORD for preview. 🔒 Secure the bag.
  • --32 — Create 32 bit test image.
  • --64 — Create 64 bit test image.
  • --biarch — Create biarch test image (same as using --32 and --64). Both, because why choose?
  • --cdrom, --dvd — Create iso image for preview. 💿
  • --disk — Create harddisk image for preview.
  • --floppy — Create floppy image for preview. Vintage, we stan. 🎀
  • --net — Create tftp directory for preview.
  • --save-image FILE — Copy preview image to FILE. Save it for later 💖
  • --test-add-files FILE1 FILE2 ... — Add files to test directory.
  • --test-rm-files FILE1 FILE2 ... — Delete files from test directory.

🧚 Adding/removing files from gfxboot archive

  • --ls, --list-files — List gfxboot archive files. Let's see what's in the bag.
  • --add-files FILE1 FILE2 ... — Add files to gfxboot archive. More files, more fun.
  • --rm-files FILE1 FILE2 ... — Delete files from gfxboot archive. Clean up, clean out.
  • --extract-files FILE1 FILE2 ... — Copy files from gfxboot archive to current working directory. Get them out of there.
  • --show-file FILE — Print FILE. Just a peek 👀
  • --expand-archive DIRECTORY — Create expanded gfxboot archive version in DIRECTORY. That is, only files that cannot be read directly from file system are kept in a cpio archive. All others are unpacked. Use only for isolinux, syslinux, or pxelinux. ⚠️ Only for those three, bestie — don't try it anywhere else.
  • --pack-archive FILE — Pack all gfxboot files into cpio archive FILE. 🎒

🌸 Modifying help files

  • --help-show FILE — Print FILE (internal help file format) as HTML. Fancy!
  • --help-create FILE — Convert HTML files passed as ARGS to FILE (internal format).
  • --used-pages LINK1 LINK2 ... — Mark pages as referenced. 👑
  • --navi FILE — Use FILE as template for navigation links.
  • --define ENTITY1=VALUE1 ENTITY2=VALUE2 ... — Define ENTITYx with VALUEx.

🍓 FILES 🍓

  • /boot/message — bootloader graphics archive (actually a cpio achive) 💾
  • /etc/bootsplash/themes — theme directory 🌈
  • /etc/sysconfig/bootsplash — default theme ⭐

💀 BUGS 💀

None. She's perfect. Not a single bug, no cap. 💅

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Written by Steffen Winterfeldt. We love a legend.

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

If you want to create your own theme look at the gfxboot-devel package. Go off, make it cute. 🎀

Okay bestie, that's the whole thing! This is gfxboot from July 2008, so yeah she's a little vintage but she still serves. Fr fr, this tool ate and left no crumbs. Now go configure your boot screen and slay 💖✨🦋

📦 where this page comes from