Glibc Installation HOWTO
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4.2. The installation

To install glibc you need a system with nothing running on it, since many processes (for example sendmail) always try to use the library and therefore block the files from being replaced. Therefore we need a "naked" system, running nothing except the things we absolutely need. You can achieve this by passing the boot option 
init=/bin/bash
to your kernel. Depending on your bootloader you may need to do different things. In the following I will explain this using the two most common bootloaders, LILO (LInux-LOader) and GNU grub, as examples.

4.2.1. LILO

To start the "only-basics" system, reboot your computer and at the LILO prompt enter the kernel image-name you like to load and append 
init=/bin/bash
to it before pressing Return. If you are planing to replace your glibc more often, it might be a good idea to add a separate configuration to your /etc/lilo.conf. For details, refer to the man-page of LILO.

4.2.2. Grub

Grub is a newer bootloader, with enhanced support for different operating systems and and file system types (eg. it supports booting from reiserfs partitions). If you would like to know more go to: http://www.gnu.org/software/grub/, where you will find all the stuff you need.

If you already have Grub installed, you probably use the text-based front-end to select the kernel you prefer to boot. Grub has a nice feature—instead of returning to doing everything by hand, you can simply select your entry and type e, which will bring up an option menu. In this menu you will see the commands Grub executes prior to booting the kernel. Simply select the line saying 
kernel="/where/your-kernel-is and-options-are"
and press e again. Now you can edit this line. Here you just add 
init=/bin/bash
and after pressing Return to make the changes take effect, press b to start booting.

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