From http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-bootload/index.html
Boot loaders are usually configured in one of two ways: either as a primary boot loader or as a secondary boot loader.
Primary boot loaders are where the first stage of the boot loader is installed on the MBR (per the previous description).
Secondary boot loaders are where the first stage of the boot loader is installed onto a bootable partition.
A separate boot loader must then be installed into the MBR and configured to pass control to the secondary boot loader.
Should "first" in "Secondary boot loaders are where the first stage of the boot loader is installed onto a bootable partition" be "second" instead?
Where is the secondary boot loader stored? Not in MBR where the primary boot loader is stored?
What is "a separate boot loader" in the last sentence? Is it the primary or secondary boot loader?
is the primary boot loader the same concept as the initial program loader (IPL, mentioned in the same link)?
Due to the very small amount of data the BIOS can access, most boot loaders load in two stages. In the first stage of the boot, the BIOS loads a part of the boot loader known as the initial program loader, or IPL. The IPL interrogates the partition table and subsequently is able to load data wherever it may exist on the various media. This action is used initially to locate the second stage boot loader, which holds the remainder of the loader. The second stage boot loader is the real meat of the boot loader; many consider it the only real part of the boot loader. This contains the more disk-intensive parts of the loader, such as user interfaces and kernel loaders. These user interfaces can range from a simple command line to the all-singing, all-dancing GUIs.
Thanks!