This is GNU GRUB, the GRand Unified Bootloader.  GRUB is intended to
provide important bootloader features that are missing from typical
personal computer BIOSes:

  - provides fully-featured command line and graphical interfaces
  - recognizes fdisk partitions and BSD disklabels
  - can dynamically read Linux ext2fs, BSD ufs, and MS-DOS FAT
    filesystems, plus hardcoded blocklists
  - can boot Multiboot-compliant kernels (such as GNU Mach), as well
    as standard Linux and BSD kernels

See the file NEWS for a description of recent changes to GRUB.


You need recent developmental environment to build GRUB. We recommend
you use the following utilities:

* binutils 2.9.1.0.23 and later (Do not use early 2.9.1.0.x!)

  Binutils has changed the behavior of 16bit assembler between 2.9.1
and 2.9.1.0.x, and we support only 2.9.1.0.x. It is available from
ftp.XX.kernel.org (XX is the country code, such as `jp').

* autoconf 19990301 and later

  Autoconf 2.13 has a bug that can't handle any macro with arguments,
so you need to get the later version from the CVS. See
http://sourceware.cygnus.com/autoconf for more information.

* automake 1.3, or 19990327 and later (Do not use 1.4!)

  Automake 1.3 works just fine, but 1.4 doesn't work because it complains
about EXTRA_DATA. This inconsistency has been fixed in the later version
in the CVS. If you need 1.4 or later, see
http://sourceware.cygnus.com/automake for more information.

* ncurses 4.0 and later (1.9.9 is too buggy, so don't use it.)

  Ncurses is used for /sbin/grub, so it may not be needed if you don't
use /sbin/grub. Ncurses 4.0 is available from many ftp sites.

* texinfo 3.12h and later

  The latest snapshot of Texinfo is available from alpha.gnu.org.


See the file INSTALL for instructions on how to build and install the
GRUB data and program files.  See `docs/install.html' for details
about using GRUB as your bootloader.

If you have any suggestions or bug reports, please send electronic
mail to the GRUB mailing list <bug-grub@gnu.org>.

DEVELOPERS: to subscribe to the mailing list, send e-mail to
<bug-grub-request@gnu.org>.  You can get the latest GRUB CVS tree from
`:pserver:anoncvs@anoncvs.gnu.org:/gd/gnu/anoncvsroot', module `grub'.
Just hit enter when CVS prompts you for a password.

  IMPORTANT SIZE LIMITS:

  - For the various stage2's, if they are being loaded from a block-list
    in the stage1, then be sure your blocklist is big enough.  The
    automated install will generally do this for you, it's just when
    dropping it on a raw floppy, you get the default compiled in, which
    is 512 * 80 disk sectors, or 40960 bytes.

  - For the FFS stage1.5, if you want to fit into the "bootloader" area
    of an FFS partition, it cannot be larger than 512 * 14 disk sectors,
    or 7168 bytes.