Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2023 16:47:34 -0500 From: Steven Friedrich <freebsdlouisville@gmail.com> To: Jop <redc3ll@protonmail.com>, "freebsd-questions@freebsd.org" <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: "The installed loader is a binary, not a filesystem, so even minor changes require recompiling." -George W. Lucas in Absolute fBSD Message-ID: <18106a49-88b2-433c-9d3c-bb04ee518d7e@Gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <VrwJOGIHsU8bZ1LUp7cIysp9_Ga3X81RwZ_reHJ_AHMxhYmwgj8Ar-zzr3pLcCJ0RNaCwL2wMz0oHHrvtoPRr_UPBEL8ORsuDygdq-PpNLk=@protonmail.com> References: <VrwJOGIHsU8bZ1LUp7cIysp9_Ga3X81RwZ_reHJ_AHMxhYmwgj8Ar-zzr3pLcCJ0RNaCwL2wMz0oHHrvtoPRr_UPBEL8ORsuDygdq-PpNLk=@protonmail.com>
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On 12/18/23 3:17 PM, Jop wrote: Um, Michael W. Lucas , not George... > Hello everyone, > > I have just begun my journey into FreeBSD using George W. Lucas' > /Absolute FreeBSD /3rd edition/./ My question is about *chapter 4* > /Start Me Up! The Boot Process,/ page 51. > I was befuddled by a statement he made, likely due to my IT nescience. > To my confusion, Lucas states: > > > A BIOS has all sorts of limitations. The boot loader must reside in a very specific section of the disk. BIOS can’t boot from disks larger > than 2.2TB. The target boot loader must be smaller than 512KB—huge > by 1980 > >standards, yes, but paltry today. :::***The installed loader is a > binary, not a filesystem, so even minor changes require recompiling > *:::*.* > > > Though this aspect of his introduction to FreeBSD is not about FreeBSD > directly, it seems vital for me to understand this correctly so that I > can aptly understand FreeBSD as a sheer operating system and how an > operating system boots. I was confused about Lucas' description because > he is implying there are /some /conditions in which a bootloader can be > an actual /filesystem/. This appears very illogical to me, as to me he > seems to be saying the loader itself should be something like FAT32, > UFS, or ZFS. Though filesystems, if my understanding is correct, help us > /organise /our data, they do not themselves /contain /data but rather > offer an organised space /for /that data, like a library with empty > bookshelves that we are ourselves to fill. Hence, if that "library" does > not contain a bit of data (e.g. the bootloader) that tells the BIOS how > to boot the operating system, the operating system cannot boot. Hence, > it is logically implied that the bootloader cannot be called in itself a > filesystem—not just /sometimes /under some conditions, but /ever/. > As I trust Lucas' expertise, how have I misread him? What is he actually > trying to say? > > I have searched online, and read a Wiki on bootloaders > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootloader>and filesystems > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bootloader>, only to have my asinine > interpretation confirmed. > > Now, one a second note, I am new to the FreeBSD community, I have not > before used mailing lists, and the FreeBSD forums were down. I > understand IT communities can be strict about what and how things are > communicated, and I hope i have done right by sending this email. I hope > that I have done sufficient research by searching online, consulting the > WiKi pages, the mailing list archives, and of course Lucas' book. I hope > that my question is on-topic enough and that my beginner-level will not > stagnate the flow of your erudite communications. Should I have not > utilised this mailing list properly, kindly accept my apologies and let > me know. > > Sincerely, > > /J./
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