Multiboot Specification

E299192

boot protocol specification software standard

The Multiboot Specification is a standard that defines a common interface between bootloaders and operating systems, enabling bootloaders like GNU GRUB to load a wide variety of kernels in a uniform way.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (5)

Label	Occurrences
Multiboot2 Specification	2
Multiboot Specification canonical	1
Multiboot Specification version 0.6.96	1
Multiboot Specification version 0.7	1
Multiboot Specification version 1	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T2792535 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Multiboot Specification
Context triple: [GNU GRUB, supportsStandard, Multiboot Specification]

A. GNU GRUB
GNU GRUB is a widely used open-source bootloader that allows users to select and load different operating systems and kernels at startup.
B. Trusted Platform Module 2.0
Trusted Platform Module 2.0 is a hardware-based security chip standard that provides cryptographic functions and secure key storage to enhance system integrity and protection against tampering.
C. systemd-boot
systemd-boot is a simple, UEFI-only boot manager from the systemd project that loads and starts Linux kernels and other EFI executables.
D. Dracut
Dracut is a town in northeastern Massachusetts, United States, known for its suburban character and proximity to the city of Lowell.
E. The Universal Operating System
The Universal Operating System is the official motto of the Debian project, emphasizing its goal of providing a versatile, freely available operating system that runs on a wide range of hardware and use cases.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Multiboot Specification
Target entity description: The Multiboot Specification is a standard that defines a common interface between bootloaders and operating systems, enabling bootloaders like GNU GRUB to load a wide variety of kernels in a uniform way.

A. GNU GRUB
GNU GRUB is a widely used open-source bootloader that allows users to select and load different operating systems and kernels at startup.
B. Trusted Platform Module 2.0
Trusted Platform Module 2.0 is a hardware-based security chip standard that provides cryptographic functions and secure key storage to enhance system integrity and protection against tampering.
C. systemd-boot
systemd-boot is a simple, UEFI-only boot manager from the systemd project that loads and starts Linux kernels and other EFI executables.
D. Dracut
Dracut is a town in northeastern Massachusetts, United States, known for its suburban character and proximity to the city of Lowell.
E. The Universal Operating System
The Universal Operating System is the official motto of the Debian project, emphasizing its goal of providing a versatile, freely available operating system that runs on a wide range of hardware and use cases.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (41)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	boot protocol specification ⓘ software standard ⓘ
appliesTo	PC-compatible systems ⓘ
associatedWith	GNU Project ⓘ
category	booting ⓘ computer standards ⓘ
compatibleWith	x86 architecture ⓘ
defines	Multiboot header structure in kernel image ⓘ bootloader name information field ⓘ command line information field ⓘ common interface between bootloaders and operating systems ⓘ magic value for Multiboot header ⓘ memory map information format ⓘ modules information format ⓘ video mode information fields ⓘ
documentType	technical specification ⓘ
domain	operating system booting ⓘ
enables	bootloader independence for kernels ⓘ uniform kernel loading interface ⓘ
goal	to avoid kernel dependence on a particular bootloader ⓘ
hasVersion	Multiboot Specification version 0.6.96 ⓘ linked to: Multiboot Specification Multiboot Specification version 0.7 ⓘ linked to: Multiboot Specification Multiboot Specification version 1 ⓘ linked to: Multiboot Specification Multiboot2 Specification ⓘ linked to: Multiboot Specification
influenced	design of Multiboot2 ⓘ
intendedFor	bootloader developers ⓘ operating system developers ⓘ
language	English ⓘ
license	free documentation license (FSF style) ⓘ
purpose	to enable bootloaders to load a wide variety of kernels in a uniform way ⓘ
relatedTo	GNU GRUB bootloader ⓘ linked to: GNU GRUB operating system kernels ⓘ
requires	Multiboot header to be within first 8 KB of kernel image ⓘ
specifies	boot information structure ⓘ requirements for Multiboot-compliant bootloaders ⓘ requirements for Multiboot-compliant kernels ⓘ
standardizedBy	Free Software Foundation ⓘ
successor	Multiboot2 Specification ⓘ linked to: Multiboot Specification
supports	loading of operating system kernels ⓘ passing boot information to kernels ⓘ
usedBy	GNU GRUB ⓘ

How these facts were elicited