Replacing Your OS on the Fly: Inside Linux's Kernel-Loading Trick

This article explores how Linux can function as an interpreter to load arbitrary kernels and ramdisks using kexec, effectively bypassing traditional bootloaders. Understanding this low-level technique is crucial for system administrators, security researchers, and developers working with OS internals. The piece reverse-engineers a 20MB shell script to reveal the mechanics of dynamic OS replacement and boot process control.