Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 04:07:57 -0700 From: "Stephen Wersan" <wersans-f@iwvisp.com> To: <support@cdrom.com> Subject: Installing FreeBSD Message-ID: <199805080906.4280800@iwvisp.com>
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Dear FreeBSD:
I know you can't write a book that will cover all the peculiar combinations
of hardware and software that a user may have -- that is why you have this
e-mail address. I am reading the book, and I am currently in Chapter 4,
while using the index to take curious peeks ahead into other topics (like
modems) that will be relevant down the line. I must say that this is one of
the best books of its kind that I have ever read. I am a survivor from the
vacuum-tube era, and I have read quite a few.
I haven't yet installed FreeBSD -- I went as far as playing with the
full-screen kernel configuration program before aborting (to take more time
to figure out exactly what I want to do). I managed to get the conflict
count down to zero, something that you (the author) didn't do in Chapter 4.
Should I do this when I continue? The purpose of this inquiry is to get the
answers to such questions and to ask for other pointers that you may think
helpful in the context of my hardware and software configuration.
First, a brief rundown on my home-built system:
HARDWARE -- AMD K6-233 CPU
Spacewalker (Shuttle) Hot 569 motherboard (4 PCI, 3
ISA)
64M SDRAM
Adaptec 2940 UW SCSI adapter (PCI)
Hard Disk 1: Quantum 4.55G UW SCSI
Hard Disk 2: Quantum 9.1G UW SCSI
Matrox Mystique 220 Graphics Adapter (PCI)
Viewsonic 17PS monitor
USR Sportster 33.6 fax-modem (ISA)
Floppies 5.25" (B - 1.2M), 3.5" (A - 1.44M), and
LS-120 (H)
Acer 24X CDROM reader (F) -- bootable, but in the
trial described above, I executed install out of DOS.
Why I am retaining a 5.25" floppy: I have a 12-year collection of such
disks that I want to go thru as a low priority activity. When I am done, I
plan to use the slot for something else like a JAZ or ZIP drive.
SOFTWARE -- On the 4.55G (4338 blocks) hard disk I have a 338-block primary
DOS partition (C) and two 2000-block NTFS
partitions. The first of these (D) contains Windows
NT 4.0, and except for a recycle bin, the second (E) is essentially
empty. On the DOS partition, I have installed System
Commander which I use on boot-up to choose between
MS-DOS (v 6.00) and NT. Unless you convince me
otherwise, I would like to continue using System Commander,
adding FreeBSD as a third menu item. I would be more
convinced on the basis of necessity than installation
convenience.
The 9.1G hard disk contains a 2000-block partition
(G) that was used to save the contents of C and D when a mistake
in installing NT forced me to reinstall it. (Mistake
discovered while installing modem.) The rest of the disk is unused.
If you need any other information about my hardware and software
configuration, please let me know.
After reading thru the first three chapters and most of the fourth, I am
inclined toward putting most of FreeBSD on the larger disk. But both you
(fourth bullet, p. 62) and the Linux books I have read indicate that there
is an advantage to putting the swap partition on another disk. With so much
disk space and 64M memory, is this a realistic concern? Is there any
advantage to be gained by putting more than the swap partition on the
smaller disk? How does one go about installing FreeBSD in such a two-disk
manner? In allotting my currently unused disk space, I would like to
reserve a modest amount for a future Linux playground.
Your observations, suggestions, warnings, etc. are earnestly desired, and I
thank you in advance for your thoughtful attention to this message.
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