Chapter 7. Optional: Customizing boot options


When you are installing RHEL on x86_64 or ARM64 architectures, you can edit the boot options to customize the installation process based on your specific environment.

7.1. Boot options

You can append multiple options separated by space to the boot command line. Boot options specific to the installation program always start with inst. The following are the available boot options:

Options with an equals "=" sign
You must specify a value for boot options that use the = symbol. For example, the inst.lang= option must contain a value, in this example, a language code. The correct syntax for this example is inst.lang=en_US.
Options without an equals "=" sign
This boot option does not accept any values or parameters. For example, the rd.live.check option forces the installation program to verify the installation media before starting the installation. If this boot option is present, the installation program performs the verification and if the boot option is not present, the verification is skipped.

You can customize boot options for a particular menu entry by pressing the e key and adding custom boot options to the command line. When ready, press Ctrl+X to boot the modified option.

7.2. Editing the GRUB2 menu

You can edit the GRUB2 boot menu during RHEL installation to customize boot parameters and kernel options. It enables configuration of specific settings such as FIPS mode, network parameters, and other system requirements before the installation begins.

Prerequisites

  • You have created bootable installation media (USB or DVD) or have set up a server providing PXE or UEFI HTTP boot-related services.
  • You have booted the installation from the media or from the network, and the installation boot menu is open.

Procedure

  1. From the boot menu window, select the required option and press e.
  2. Move the cursor to the end of the kernel command line and add the parameters as required. For example, to enable the cryptographic module self-checks mandated by the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140, add fips=1:

    linuxefi /images/pxeboot/vmlinuz inst.stage2=hd:LABEL=RHEL-10-0-BaseOS-x86_64 rd.live.\
    check quiet fips=1
    Copy to Clipboard Toggle word wrap
  3. When you finish editing, press Ctrl+X to start the installation using the specified options.
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