Terminology - Red Hat LINUX 7.2 Reference Manual

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5.1.3 Installing GRUB
If during the Red Hat Linux installation process you did not install GRUB, here is how you can install
it and make it your default boot loader.
If you are already using LILO as your boot loader, you do not have to remove
it in order to use GRUB. Once installed, GRUB will be the default boot loader
for your system.
First, make sure you have the latest GRUB package available. You can also use the GRUB package
from the Red Hat Linux installation CD-ROMs.
Next, run the command /sbin/grub-install <location> from a shell prompt, where <lo-
cation> is the location where GRUB should be installed, such as /dev/hda1.
When you reboot your system, you will see the GRUB boot loader.

5.2 Terminology

One of the most important things to understand before using GRUB is how the program refers to
devices, such as your hard drives, and partitions. This information is very important if you want to
configure GRUB to boot multiple operating systems.
5.2.1 Device Names
The first hard drive of a system will be called (hd0) by GRUB. The first partition on that drive is
called (hd0,0) by GRUB, and the fifth partition on the second hard drive is called (hd1,4). In
general, the naming convention for filesystems when using GRUB breaks down in this way:
( <type-of-device><bios-device-number> , <partition-number> )
The parentheses and comma are very important in the name. The <type-of-device> refers to
whether a hard disk (hd) or floppy disk (fd) is being specified.
The <bios-device-number> is the number of the device according to your system's BIOS, start-
ing with 0. The primary IDE hard drive is numbered 0, while the secondary IDE hard drive is num-
bered 1. The ordering is roughly equivalent to the way the Linux kernel arranges the devices by letters,
where the a in hda relates to 0, the b in hdb relates to 1, and so on.
Note
Chapter 5:GRUB