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Boot & System Recovery
Boot process, GRUB & targets

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Domain 9 · Boot & System RecoveryEX200 V10 (RHEL 10)

Boot process, GRUB & targets

BIOS/UEFI → GRUB2 → kernel → systemd target. Change the default target, edit kernel parameters, and isolate targets at runtime.

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Boot process, GRUB & targets — CertForged

◆Concept — How a RHEL system boots, end to end

The boot sequence on a modern RHEL 10 machine has five hand-offs: firmware (BIOS or UEFI) → GRUB 2 bootloader → kernel + initramfs → systemd PID 1 → default target (usually multi-user.target). Each stage hands control to the next and, once running, systemd brings up units in dependency order until the default target is reached. On the RHCSA exam you'll most commonly deal with GRUB 2 (kernel command line, default target) and systemd (default target, rescue/emergency mode).

✨Mental Model

Think of booting as a relay race:

Firmware (UEFI/BIOS) is the starter — does a hardware check, finds a bootable disk, hands the baton to whatever sits in the EFI System Partition or MBR.
GRUB 2 is the first runner — shows the menu (briefly), picks a kernel and initramfs, passes them the command line.
Kernel + initramfs is the middle leg — sets up just enough RAM-based filesystem to find the real root disk and pivot into it.
systemd is the anchor runner — takes over as PID 1 and walks the dependency graph until everything the default target wants is active.