New -as mkisofs options -G and --protective-msdos-label for GRUB

libisoburn/trunk/xorriso/xorriso.1

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 .\" First parameter, NAME, should be all caps
 .\" Second parameter, SECTION, should be 1-8, maybe w/ subsection
 .\" other parameters are allowed: see man(7), man(1)
-.TH XORRISO 1 "Mar 18, 2010"
+.TH XORRISO 1 "Apr 06, 2010"
 .\" Please adjust this date whenever revising the manpage.
 .\"
 .\" Some roff macros, for reference:
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ Updates ISO subtrees incrementally to match given disk subtrees.
 Writes result either as completely new image or as add-on session
 to optical media or filesystem objects.
 .br
-Can activate ISOLINUX boot images via El Torito.
+Can activate ISOLINUX and GRUB boot images via El Torito.
 .br
 Can perform multi-session tasks as emulation of mkisofs and cdrecord.
 .br
@@ -373,10 +373,15 @@ other files stored in the ISO image, with the bootstrapping facility of
 contemporary computers.
 The content of the boot image files is not in the scope of El Torito.
 .br
-Most bootable GNU/Linux CDs are equipped with ISOLINUX boot images. xorriso is
-able to create or maintain an El Torito object which makes such an image
-bootable. For details see option -boot_image.
+Most bootable GNU/Linux CDs are equipped with ISOLINUX or GRUB boot images.
+xorriso is able to create or maintain an El Torito object which makes such
+an image bootable. For details see option -boot_image.
+.br
+It is possible to make ISO images bootable from USB stick or other
+hard-disk-like media by -boot_image argument system_area= .
+.br
 Emulation -as mkisofs supports the example options out of the ISOLINUX wiki.
+It also supports the options used in GRUB script grub-mkrescue.
 .br
 The support for other boot image types is sparse.
 .br
@@ -596,7 +601,7 @@ by aquiring an input drive. In rare cases it is desirable to activate
 them only after image loading.
 .TP
 \fB\-load\fR entity id
-Load a particular (possibly outdated) ISO image from -dev or -indev.
+Load a particular (possibly outdated) ISO session from -dev or -indev.
 Usually all available sessions are shown with option -toc.
 .br
 entity depicts the kind of addressing. id depicts the particular
@@ -2094,30 +2099,39 @@ whole bootable system has to reside already in the first session and that
 the last session still has to bear all files which the booted system expects
 after eventually mounting the ISO image.
 .br
-If ISOLINUX is known to be present on media then it is advised to patch it
+If a boot image from ISOLINUX or GRUB is known to be present on media then
+it is advised to patch it
 when a follow-up session gets written. But one should not rely on the
 capability to influence the bootability of the existing sessions, unless one
 can assume overwriteable media.
 .TP
-\fB\-boot_image\fR "any"|"isolinux"
+\fB\-boot_image\fR "any"|"isolinux"|"grub"
 .br
      "discard"|"keep"|"patch"|"show_status"|bootspec
 .br
-Define the handling of an eventual El Torito object which has
+Define the handling of an eventual El Torito boot image object which has
 been read from an existing ISO image or define how to make a prepared
-ISOLINUX file set bootable.
+boot image file set bootable. Such file sets get produced by ISOLINUX or GRUB.
+.br
+Each -boot_image command has two arguments: type and setting. More than one
+-boot_image command may be used to define the handling. Sequence matters.
+.br
+Types "isolinux" and "grub" care for known peculiarities. Type "any" makes
+no assumptions about the origin of the boot image.
 .br
 
-All types ("any") of El Torito boot images can be discarded or kept unaltered.
-The latter makes only sense if the format of the boot image is
+El Torito boot images of any type can be newly inserted, or discarded,
+or patched, or kept unaltered.
+The latter is only safe if the format of the boot image is
 relocatable without content changes.
 .br
-With any type, "show_status" will print what is known about the loaded image
-and its designated fate.
+Some boot images contain a boot info table, which needs to be patched when
+the boot image gets newly introduced into the ISO image or if an existing
+image gets relocated. This is automatically done if type "isolinux" or "grub"
+is given, but not with "any".
 .br
-An existing boot image of type "isolinux" can be discarded or it can be
-patched to match its relocation. In the latter case the resulting ISO image
-stays bootable if the boot image was really produced by ISOLINUX.
+"show_status" will print what is known about the loaded image
+and its designated fate.
 .br
 CAUTION:
 This is an expert option. 
@@ -2129,16 +2143,17 @@ Most safe is the default: -boot_image "any" "discard".
 .br
 
 A bootspec is a word of the form name=value and is used to describe the
-activation of a ISOLINUX boot image by an El Torito record.
-The names "dir" and "bin_path" lead to boot image activation.
+activation of a boot image by an El Torito record and eventually a MBR.
+The names "dir" and "bin_path" lead to El Torito boot image activation.
+Name "system_area" activates the given file as MBR.
 .br
 On all media types this is possible within the first session. In further
 sessions an existing boot image can get replaced by a new one, but depending
 on the media type this may have few effect at boot time. See above.
 .br
-The ISOLINUX files have to be added to the ISO image by normal means
-(image loading, -map, -add, ...) and should reside either in ISO image
-directory /isolinux or in /boot/isolinux .
+The boot image and its supporting files have to be added to the ISO image by
+normal means (image loading, -map, -add, ...). In case of ISOLINUX the files
+should reside either in ISO image directory /isolinux or in /boot/isolinux .
 In that case it suffices to use as bootspec the text "dir=/isolinux" or
 "dir=/boot/isolinux". E.g.:
 .br
@@ -2152,14 +2167,41 @@ which bundles these individual settings:
 .br
  -boot_image isolinux load_size=2048
 .br
-bin_path depicts the binary program which is to be started by the BIOS at
-boot time. It is among the files produced by ISOLINUX.
+ -boot_image any boot_info_table=on
+.br
+"bin_path=" depicts the binary program which is to be started by the BIOS at
+boot time.
 .br
 An El Torito boot catalog file gets inserted into the ISO image with address
-cat_path at -commit time.
+"cat_path=" at -commit time.
 It is subject to normal -overwrite and -reassure processing if there is already
 a file with the same name.
 .br
+"load_size=" is a value which depends on the boot image. Default 2048 should
+be overridden only if a better value is known.
+.br
+"boot_info_table=on" may be used to apply patching to a boot image which
+is given by "any" "bin_path=". "boot_info_table=off" disables patching.
+.br
+"discard" gives up an existing boot image.
+.br
+"keep" keeps or copies an existing boot image unaltered.
+.br
+"patch" applies boot info table patching if an existing boot image gets copied
+to a new location.
+.br
+"system_area="disk_path copies at most 32768 bytes from the given disk file to
+the very start of the ISO image.
+This System Area is reserved for system dependent boot software, e.g. an MBR
+which can be used to boot from USB stick or hard disk.
+.br
+Other than a El Torito boot image, the file disk_path needs not to be added
+to the ISO image.
+.br
+"partition_table=on" causes a simple partition table to be written into bytes
+446 to 511 of the System Area. It shows a single partiton which starts at
+byte 512 and ends where the ISO image ends.
+.br
 .TP
 .B Character sets:
 .PP