boot.com(8)         OpenBSD System Manager's Manual (i386)         boot.com(8)

NAME
     boot.com - Boot an OpenBSD kernel from MS-DOS

SYNOPSIS
     BOOT

DESCRIPTION
     The boot.com utility, executed from an MS-DOS prompt, will load a kernel
     stored in the DOS partition, effectively booting OpenBSD.  There are no
     command line arguments.

     boot.com functions identically to the standalone bootblocks, except that
     it only loads files on a DOS partition.  After printing the `Boot:'
     prompt, there is a timeout of several seconds.  If no key is pressed in
     that time, the default kernel bsd is loaded from the root directory of
     the DOS C: partition.

CAVEATS
     The file /usr/mdec/boot.com and a valid kernel file must be copied to the
     root directory of the DOS C: partition.

     If the desired FFS root filesystem is not on the first drive in the sys-
     tem, the -r flag (use the kernel's compiled-in default root device) must
     be supplied when booting the kernel, i.e.:

           Boot: [[[wd(0,a)]bsd][-abcdrs]] : bsd -r

BUGS
     boot.com will not load kernels compressed with gzip(1),  or ramdisk ker-
     nels larger than 3M in size.

     boot.com always assumes the kernel is in the root directory of the DOS
     drive; to load a kernel from the current directory, the name must be en-
     tered at the `Boot:' prompt with no leading slashes.

     Loading a kernel from anywhere other than the root directory or the cur-
     rent directory is not supported.

FILES
     /usr/mdec/boot.com

OpenBSD 2.6                     April 28, 1997                               1
