Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2026 21:25:42 +0000 From: Warner Losh <imp@FreeBSD.org> To: src-committers@FreeBSD.org, dev-commits-src-all@FreeBSD.org, dev-commits-src-main@FreeBSD.org Cc: kitkat1424 <aadityavksingh@gmail.com> Subject: git: 7b3fb3caef94 - main - loader.efi(8): clarify UEFI boot path and boot1.efi usage Message-ID: <69617256.dc2a.7c368872@gitrepo.freebsd.org>
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The branch main has been updated by imp: URL: https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/src/commit/?id=7b3fb3caef9495cdfcc1c8ec39907defb65ce860 commit 7b3fb3caef9495cdfcc1c8ec39907defb65ce860 Author: kitkat1424 <aadityavksingh@gmail.com> AuthorDate: 2025-12-31 19:41:08 +0000 Commit: Warner Losh <imp@FreeBSD.org> CommitDate: 2026-01-09 21:16:24 +0000 loader.efi(8): clarify UEFI boot path and boot1.efi usage Reorganise and clarify the legacy role of boot1.efi in DESCRIPTION to improve clarity. Add a minor missing word in the BUGS section ["...caution is required*..."]. See also - PR: 290794 Signed-off-by: Aaditya Singh <aadityavksingh@gmail.com> Reviewed by: imp Pull Request: https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd-src/pull/1939 --- stand/man/loader.efi.8 | 47 +++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------ 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-) diff --git a/stand/man/loader.efi.8 b/stand/man/loader.efi.8 index d9a5c827ba71..80d16d45670a 100644 --- a/stand/man/loader.efi.8 +++ b/stand/man/loader.efi.8 @@ -41,20 +41,28 @@ On UEFI systems, .Nm loads the kernel. .Pp -.Xr boot1.efi 8 -is used to load -.Nm -when it is placed within a UFS or ZFS file system. -Alternatively, .Nm -is used directly when configured with -.Xr efibootmgr 8 , -or when placed directly as the default boot program as described in -.Xr uefi 8 . -When a system is built using +is invoked directly from the EFI System Partition (ESP) +on systems installed using .Xr bsdinstall 8 , -.Nm -will be used directly. +when installed as the default EFI boot program as described in +.Xr uefi 8 +or when configured as an EFI boot entry with +.Xr efibootmgr 8 . +.Pp +On systems upgraded from FreeBSD 10 or earlier, the EFI System Partition (ESP) +can be too small to accommodate +.Nm . +In such cases, +.Xr boot1.efi 8 +may be retained as the firmware boot program. It +will chain-load the current +.Pa /boot/loader.efi , +which is updated during the +.Cm installworld +process. +.Xr boot1.efi 8 +is deprecated for new installations. .Ss Console Considerations The EFI BIOS provides a generic console. In @@ -485,15 +493,6 @@ Typically in these embedded situations, there is only one .efi file (loader.efi or a copy of loader.efi). The path to this file is typically the default removable path above. .Pp -Managing booting multiple OSes on UEFI varies greatly, so extra caution when -updating the UEFI default loader. -.Pp -The old, now obsolete, boot1.efi was installed as bootx64.efi in -.Fx 10 -and earlier. -Since it was quite limited in functionality, we created very small -ESPs by default. -A modern loader.efi will not fit. -However, if the old boot1.efi still works, there's no need to update -it since it will chain boot /boot/loader.efi from a copy that -make installworld updates. +Managing booting multiple OSes on UEFI varies greatly, so extra caution is required +when updating the UEFI default loader. +.Pphome | help
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