Describe the process of booting a Linux server step by step (from pressing the power button)

The process of booting a Linux server begins with pressing the power button and includes the following steps:

1. POST (Power-On Self Test) — basic hardware check of BIOS/UEFI components.
2. Bootloader loading — BIOS/UEFI searches for a boot sector on the disk and loads the bootloader (e.g., GRUB).
3. Loading the Linux kernel — the bootloader loads the kernel and initramfs into memory.
4. Kernel initialization — the kernel initializes hardware and mounts the temporary initramfs filesystem.
5. Starting the init system — the kernel hands over control to init (systemd, SysVinit, etc.), which starts system services.
6. Launching user services and daemons — init starts all necessary services and processes.
7. Transition to user mode — the system is ready for operation, and a command prompt or graphical interface appears.

Each of these steps is critical for the successful startup of the system.