Info Catalog grub2: History grub2: Introduction grub2: Features

grub2: Changes from GRUB Legacy

 
 1.3 Differences from previous versions
 ======================================
 
 GRUB 2 is a rewrite of GRUB (History), although it shares many
 characteristics with the previous version, now known as GRUB Legacy.
 Users of GRUB Legacy may need some guidance to find their way around
 this new version.
 
    * The configuration file has a new name ('grub.cfg' rather than
      'menu.lst' or 'grub.conf'), new syntax (Configuration) and
      many new commands (Commands).  Configuration cannot be
      copied over directly, although most GRUB Legacy users should not
      find the syntax too surprising.
 
    * 'grub.cfg' is typically automatically generated by 'grub-mkconfig'
      (Simple configuration).  This makes it easier to handle
      versioned kernel upgrades.
 
    * Partition numbers in GRUB device names now start at 1, not 0 (
      Naming convention).
 
    * The configuration file is now written in something closer to a full
      scripting language: variables, conditionals, and loops are
      available.
 
    * A small amount of persistent storage is available across reboots,
      using the 'save_env' and 'load_env' commands in GRUB and the
      'grub-editenv' utility.  This is not available in all
      configurations (Environment block).
 
    * GRUB 2 has more reliable ways to find its own files and those of
      search::) to find devices using file system labels or Universally
      Unique Identifiers (UUIDs).
 
    * GRUB 2 is available for several other types of system in addition
      to the PC BIOS systems supported by GRUB Legacy: PC EFI, PC
      coreboot, PowerPC, SPARC, and MIPS Lemote Yeeloong are all
      supported.
 
    * Many more file systems are supported, including but not limited to
      ext4, HFS+, and NTFS.
 
    * GRUB 2 can read files directly from LVM and RAID devices.
 
    * A graphical terminal and a graphical menu system are available.
 
    * GRUB 2's interface can be translated, including menu entry names.
 
    * The image files (Images) that make up GRUB have been
      reorganised; Stage 1, Stage 1.5, and Stage 2 are no more.
 
    * GRUB 2 puts many facilities in dynamically loaded modules, allowing
      the core image to be smaller, and allowing the core image to be
      built in more flexible ways.
 

Info Catalog grub2: History grub2: Introduction grub2: Features