SYSLINUX

SYSLINUX is a suite of lightweight boot loaders initially designed to boot Linux from FAT filesystems, commonly used on floppy disks and USB drives. It has since expanded to support other filesystems and operating systems. SYSLINUX is primarily intended for booting single-operating system machines, as opposed to multi-boot loaders like GRUB.

The SYSLINUX suite includes several distinct boot loaders:

• SYSLINUX: The original boot loader, specifically designed for FAT filesystems. It's often used on bootable floppy disks and USB drives to launch Linux distributions.

• ISOLINUX: Designed to boot Linux from ISO 9660 CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. It is frequently utilized in live CD/DVD distributions.

• PXELINUX: Enables booting Linux over a network using the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) protocol. This is common in network booting environments, such as diskless workstations and server deployments.

• EXTLINUX: Can be installed on Linux EXT2/3/4 and Btrfs filesystems, eliminating the reliance on a FAT partition for the boot loader. It provides a more direct way to boot from native Linux filesystems.

Each boot loader shares a common configuration file syntax, allowing for a relatively consistent experience when configuring different booting methods. This configuration file specifies kernel parameters, initial RAM disk images, and other boot options. SYSLINUX’s configuration file is usually named syslinux.cfg (or isolinux.cfg for ISOLINUX, etc.) and placed in the root directory of the filesystem.

While primarily used to boot Linux, SYSLINUX can also be used to chainload other operating systems or bootloaders, providing some flexibility in booting diverse environments.