UPDATE-BOOTLOADER(8)

📦 version 1.28, in opensuse-leap 16.0

🌸 UPDATE-BOOTLOADER(8) — the update-bootloader / pbl glow-up guide 🌸

okay bestie, so this is a page from the System Administration chapter of the manual (section 8, iykyk), and it's literally the whole vibe of managing your boot loader config. no cap, it's shorter than you think. 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

update-bootloader, pbl — manage boot loader configuration. that's it, that's the whole job description 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

update-bootloader [OPTIONS] IMAGE
pbl [OPTIONS] IMAGE

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so update-bootloader is a light wrapper — think of it as the group chat admin that just unifies some common boot loader configuration tasks so you don't have to talk to every boot loader individually 😭. and pbl? literally just an alternative name for the same exact program. same girl, different username. 💖

real talk though: it is not intended to provide a comprehensive API to boot loader configuration. so don't come for it expecting everything, bestie.

most notably, not all options make sense for all boot loaders 👑 — so some flags are gonna be giving nothing on certain loaders. vibe check your loader first.

here's the iconic part: supported boot loaders have a sub directory in /usr/lib/bootloader containing a shell script for each option. so to add support for a new boot loader you literally create a new directoy with its name and add scripts for options you need. yes, "directoy" — that's how the original spells it, we love a typo moment, no cap 🫶✨

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • --install — install (or update) boot loader. note that this does not update the boot loader configuration 🫠 (it's giving "one job at a time").
  • --config — create (or update) boot loader configuration. this is the config half of the equation 💅
  • --show — print current boot loader. peek at your main character 👀
  • --loader BOOTLOADER — set current boot loader to BOOTLOADER. supported values: none, grub2, grub2-bls, grub2-efi, systemd-boot, u-boot. note that this only changes a config variable — to actually use the new boot loader, run update-bootloader --install and update-bootloader --config fr fr. like, actually do it, don't just set it and ghost it 😭
  • --default ENTRY — set default boot entry to ENTRY. pick your favorite child 💖
  • --add-option OPTION — add OPTION to default boot options. ✨
  • --del-option OPTION — delete OPTION from default boot options. bye bestie 🦋
  • --get-option OPTION — get OPTION from default boot options. detective mode 🔍
  • --add-kernel VERSION [KERNEL [INITRD]] — add kernel with version VERSION. optionally pass kernel and initrd explicitly. you can be as extra as you want here 🎀
  • --remove-kernel VERSION — remove kernel with version VERSION. not me removing kernels 💀
  • --default-settings — print default kernel, initrd, and boot options. the whole trio, served fresh 🌸
  • --log LOGFILE — log messages to LOGFILE (default: /var/log/pbl.log).
  • --version — show update-bootloader version. 👑
  • --help — write this help text. hi, you're here 🫶

✨ LEGACY OPTIONS ✨

these are the vintage ones, bestie. old money 💸

  • --reinit — re-install boot loader. it's literally equivalent to --install --config. two icons in one 💅
  • --add — add new entry to boot loader configuration. requires also --name, --image, and --initrd options. use --add-kernel instead — this one's giving deprecated 😬
  • --image KERNEL — use KERNEL as kernel when adding a boot loader entry.
  • --initrd INITRD — use INITRD as initrd when adding a boot loader entry.
  • --name VERSION — use VERSION as name for new boot loader entry.
  • --force — this option is ignored. literally nothing. it's giving "I'm here but I'm not really here" 💀🙈

✨ FILES ✨

  • /etc/sysconfig/bootloader — general boot loader related configuration settings. the main character file 👑
  • /var/log/pbl.log — default log file. receipts live here 🧾
  • /usr/etc/logrotate.d/pbl — logrotate rules for /var/log/pbl.log. keeps your logs fresh and not messy 🌸
  • /usr/lib/bootloader — directory with specific config scripts for each supported boot loader. the friend group of shell scripts 🫶

✨ EXAMPLES ✨

here's the copy-paste section, bestie, go off:

# display default boot loader
update-bootloader --show

# change default boot loader
update-bootloader --loader systemd-boot

# (re-)install default boot loader
update-bootloader --install

# update boot loader configuration
update-bootloader --config

slay, you did it ✨

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

bootloader_entry(8). that's the only one listed, go read it when you're done here 💜

okay that's the whole page! this was update-bootloader version 1.28, dated 2026-07-28 — bookmark it, screenshot it, tattoo it on your forearm, idc. now go --config your life together bestie 💅✨🎀 🦋 🌈 ⭐ 💖
📦 where this page comes from