KEXEC-BOOTLOADER(8)

📦 version 1.28, in opensuse-leap 16.0

✨ KEXEC-BOOTLOADER 💅 (that's the kexec-bootloader manual, section 8, bestie)

okay so real talk — this is the kexec-bootloader page from the System Administration corner of the manual, and it's genuinely such a little icon. it does one thing, it does it well, and we're gonna learn it together 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

kexec-bootloader — loads a kexec kernel straight from your boot loader configuration, no cap.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

kexec-bootloader [OPTIONS]

that's it. that's the whole vibe check 🔥

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

so here's the tea, bestie 🍓 — kexec-bootloader goes and grabs the default section of your boot loader configuration, and then loads that kernel and its initrd using kexec -l, along with the respective command line. literally just takes the defaults you already set up and hands them to kexec. slay.

and under systemd, kexec-bootloader may be invoked by kexec-load.service — yep, that's the one that runs when you do systemctl kexec — to perform a kexec. main character service energy fr fr 👑

now, if you're feeling nostalgic for the old SLE configurable behaviour, where kexec just happens automatically at system reboot? iconic of you honestly. to emulate that, the systemd reboot target should be altered via:

ln -s /usr/lib/systemd/system/kexec.target /etc/systemd/system/reboot.target
⚠️ heads up bestie — that's actually changing your reboot target, so like, know that's what you're doing before you do it 💀

💅 OPTIONS 💅

  • --dry-run — does every single thing... except actually running kexec. it's giving dress rehearsal 🎭 all the vibe, none of the commit.
  • -D, --debug — prints debugging output. when you need the lore, this is how you get the lore 🔍
  • -h, help — shows a short usage message. tiny little reminder of how this thing works 🎀

⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

the program returns 0 on success and 1 on failure. that's it. 0? we ate. 1? something's not giving 😭

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

kexec(8) — go read that one too, iykyk 🦋

and that's the whole page, bestie!! this gorgeous little manual is kexec-bootloader version <pink>1.28</pink>, dated <purple>2026-07-28</purple> — screenshot it, memorise it, live by it 💖✨🧚‍♀️

📦 where this page comes from