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(multiboot.info)Boot sources

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Boot sources
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   It should be possible to write compliant boot loaders that load the
OS image from a variety of sources, including floppy disk, hard disk,
and across a network.

   Disk-based boot loaders may use a variety of techniques to find the
relevant OS image and boot module data on disk, such as by
interpretation of specific file systems (e.g. the BSD/Mach boot loader),
using precalculated "block lists" (e.g. LILO), loading from a special
"boot partition" (e.g. OS/2), or even loading from within another
operating system (e.g. the VSTa boot code, which loads from DOS).
Similarly, network-based boot loaders could use a variety of network
hardware and protocols.

   It is hoped that boot loaders will be created that support multiple
loading mechanisms, increasing their portability, robustness, and
user-friendliness.