grub-file

check boot image file type

TLDR

Check if a file is an ARM EFI image

$ grub-file --is-arm-efi [path/to/file]

Check if a file is an i386 EFI image

$ grub-file --is-i386-efi [path/to/file]

Check if a file is an x86_64 EFI image

$ grub-file --is-x86_64-efi [path/to/file]

Check if a file is an ARM Linux kernel

$ grub-file --is-arm-linux [path/to/file]

Check if a file is an x86 Linux kernel (32 or 64-bit)

$ grub-file --is-x86-linux [path/to/file]

Check if a file is an x86 Multiboot2 kernel

$ grub-file --is-x86-multiboot2 [path/to/file]

Check if a file is an x86_64 XNU (macOS) kernel

$ grub-file --is-x86_64-xnu [path/to/file]

grub-file checks whether a file is a bootable image of a specific type. It examines file headers and signatures to identify kernel images, EFI applications, and other bootable formats.The command returns exit code 0 (success) if the file matches the specified type, or 1 (failure) if it does not. This is useful in scripts for validating boot images or determining the correct boot method.

PARAMETERS

--is-arm-efi

Check for ARM EFI image

--is-arm64-efi

Check for ARM64 EFI image

--is-i386-efi

Check for i386 EFI image

--is-x86_64-efi

Check for x86_64 EFI image

--is-arm-linux

Check for ARM Linux kernel

--is-arm64-linux

Check for ARM64 Linux kernel

--is-x86-linux

Check for x86 Linux kernel (covers both 32 and 64-bit)

--is-x86-linux32

Check for x86 Linux kernel using the 32-bit-only boot protocol

--is-x86_64-xnu

Check for macOS (XNU) x86_64 kernel

--is-x86-multiboot

Check for Multiboot image

--is-x86-multiboot2

Check for Multiboot2 image

INSTALL

sudo apt install grub-common

sudo pacman -S grub

sudo apk add grub

CAVEATS

Only checks file type signatures; doesn't verify if the image is actually bootable or valid. Some specialized or custom kernels may not be recognized correctly.

HISTORY

grub-file is part of GRUB 2, providing a utility for image type detection. This is useful during installation and configuration to ensure the correct bootloader setup for the target architecture.

RESOURCES

Homepage · Source code · Documentation