This section explains what goes on when a Linux system is brought up and taken down, and how it should be done properly. If proper procedures are not followed, files might be corrupted or lost. The name comes from an image of the computer pulling itself up from its bootstraps, but the act itself slightly more realistic. During bootstrapping, the computer first loads a small piece of code called the bootstrap loader , which in turn loads and starts the operating system. The bootstrap loader is usually stored in a fixed location on a hard disk or a floppy.
Different computers do the bootstrapping differently.
The bootstrap loader is contained within this sector. After Linux has been loaded, it initializes the hardware and device drivers, and then runs init . The details of this part will be discussed below. On early computers, it wasn't enough to merely turn on the computer, you had to manually load the operating system as well.