NAME

       palo - boot media management tool for PA-RISC/HPPA.

SYNOPSIS

       palo [options]

DESCRIPTION

       palo - boot media management tool for PA-RISC/HPPA.

       -?, --help
              Print this information

       -c, --commandline=default kernel command line

              Maximum 1023 characters.

       -k, --recoverykernel=path to recovery kernel (perhaps /boot/vmlinux)

       -b, --bootloader=path to boot loader (usually /usr/share/palo/iplboot)

       -r, --ramdisk=path to initial ramdisk image

       -I, --init-partitioned=partitioned device or file

              Initialize  a  pre-partitioned device, usually a hard disk.  The partition table is
              not modified.  Requires only -c and -b though -k is customary and prudent.

       -U, --update-partitioned=partitioned device or file

              Update a pre-partitioned device, usually a hard disk.  The partition table  is  not
              modified.  Usually used to modify the default kernel command line (-c).

       -s, --init-tape=file

              Initialize  an  unpartitioned  file which can be copied to tape, disk, or used as a
              bootp image.  Requires -c, -b, -k.

       -C, --init-cdrom=iso-image-file

              Convert an ISO image already containing a kernel, boot  loader,  and  optionally  a
              ramdisk,  into  a  PA-RISC bootable image.  Requires -c, -b, -k, and optionally -r.
              The files named on the palo command line must have EXACTLY  the  same  contents  as
              those already in the ISO image.

       -f, --configfile=path to config file

              Each  line  in  the named configuration file is added as a separate argument to the
              beginning of the palo command line arguments (thus  command-line  options  override
              config file options).

              Short or long options can be used with long options peferred for readability in the
              configuration file.  WARNING: No quotations or other shell syntax is understood, so
              use

              --commandline=a b c

       not    --commandline='a b c'.

       The short-option config file form of the above is:
              -c a b c

              Blank  lines  and  lines beginning with # are ignored.  Whitespace at the beginning
              and ends of lines is discarded.

       When -f is not specified, palo tries /etc/palo.conf.
              Use

              --configfile=/dev/null to avoid configuration files or warnings when /etc/palo.conf
              is missing.

       -v, --verbose

              Provide more verbose information when running palo

       -e, --format-as=type

              This  is  only for partitioned media. Format the palo partition as an ext2 (type ==
              2), ext3 (type == 3) or ext4 (type == 4) partition. With this  option,  you  cannot
              specify any parameters, kernels or ramdisks to be loaded into the palo partition

       'palo' with no arguments whatsoever is equivalent to 'palo -f /etc/palo.conf'.

       When more than one of -I, -U, -s and -C are used, only the last one is effective.

       palo version 2.15 https://parisc.wiki.kernel.org - Sat, 30 Jan 2021 11:37:58 +0000

       palo  is  the  installation and management tool for the parisc bootloader, called iplboot.
       The size required for the iplboot binary is 256kb.  Older MS-DOS  label  disks  begin  the
       first  partition  at  sector 63 and there is no room for iplboot within the disk label, so
       you must create a palo partition of type F0 to hold iplboot.  If your disk  was  formatted
       more  recently  it  should  have  a newer MS-DOS label where the first partition begins at
       sector 2048 meaning there is room for iplboot within  the  disk  label  and  a  palo  (F0)
       partition is not required.

       If  you  have  a  palo  partition  (type  F0),  it  must occur within the first 2GB of the
       beginning of the disk.  If you choose to have a palo partition, you  may  store  both  the
       kernel  and  the  initrd  in  this partition, meaning you have to update it every time you
       update the kernel, or you may choose to have a /boot partition, which must be formatted as
       an ext2/3/4 filesystem, from which palo will load kernels.  This /boot partition also must
       be within the first 2GB of the beginning of the disk.  If you have no palo partition,  and
       palo  is installed inside the disk label, you must have a /boot partition because the disk
       label is still too small to contain a kernel and a ramdisk.

       Palo allows you to specify a kernel  command  line,  which  is  stored  in  the  firstboot
       partition.  The format should be kernel first followed by an optional initrd= and then the
       rest of the kernel parameters.  The format of the kernel  and  initial  ramdisk  files  is
       <partition  number>/<path  to  file>.   It is recommended, but not required, that both the
       kernel and the initial ramdisk be in the root directory of the filesystem.

EXAMPLES

       Create a Bootable disk on sda for the first time by installing palo

           $ palo -c "1/vmlinux initrd=1/initrd.img" -I /dev/sda

       Update the bootloader command line without re-installing it

           $ palo -c "1/vmlinux.new initrd=1/initrd.img.new" -U /dev/sda

       Format the palo partition as ext4 and install iplboot within  that  partition  using  ext4
       badblocks [requires a palo (type F0) partition]:

           $ palo  palo -c "1/vmlinux initrd=1/initrd.img" --format-as=4 -I /dev/sda

boot media management tool for PA-RISC/HPPAJanuary 2021                                   PALO(8)