elfosdevgrubmultiboot

Can GRUB load an ELF file without a multiboot header?

I have always assumed that this is not the case, however, an FAQ for a tutorial I have read recently implies that it is:

Why the multiboot header? Wouldn't a pure ELF file be loadable by GRUB anyway?

GRUB is capable of loading a variety of formats. However, in this tutorial we are creating a Multiboot compliant kernel that could be loaded by any other compliant bootloader. To achieve this, the multiboot header is mandatory.

I tried to Google it immediately, without any useful results. So: Does GRUB support loading ELF files without a multiboot header?

Solution

  • Technically, the answer is yes. But only in the form of GRUB loadable modules.

    See also Grub bootloader with shared library support.