Chapter 3. Boot Process, Init, and Shutdown

This chapter contains information on what happens when you boot or shut down your Red Hat Linux system.

	Note
	This chapter focuses on LILO, the default boot loader for Red Hat Linux 7.1 and earlier versions. However, Red Hat Linux 7.2 contains an additional boot loader, GRUB, which is discussed more thoroughly in Chapter 5. For more information concerning GRUB, see Chapter 5.

Introduction

One of the most powerful aspects of Red Hat Linux concerns its open method of starting and stopping the operating system, where it loads specified programs using their particular configurations, permits you to change those configurations to control the boot process, and shuts down in a graceful and organized way.

Beyond the question of controlling of the boot or shutdown process, the open nature of Red Hat Linux makes it much easier to determine the exact source of most problems associated with starting up or shutting down your system. An understanding of this process is quite beneficial for even basic troubleshooting.