From owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Mar 10 01:54:23 2013 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.FreeBSD.org [8.8.178.115]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F3E19A3C for ; Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:54:22 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from mollydevlists@icloud.com) Received: from st13p13im-asmtp002.me.com (st13p13im-asmtp002.me.com [17.164.56.161]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C9D63648 for ; Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:54:22 +0000 (UTC) Received: from [192.168.1.14] (cpe-70-112-141-79.austin.res.rr.com [70.112.141.79]) by st13p13im-asmtp002.mac.com (Oracle Communications Messaging Server 7u4-26.01(7.0.4.26.0) 64bit (built Jul 13 2012)) with ESMTPSA id <0MJF008WC6I6NB50@st13p13im-asmtp002.mac.com> for freebsd-stable@freebsd.org; Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:54:12 +0000 (GMT) X-Proofpoint-Virus-Version: vendor=fsecure engine=2.50.10432:5.9.8327,1.0.431,0.0.0000 definitions=2013-03-09_07:2013-03-08,2013-03-09,1970-01-01 signatures=0 X-Proofpoint-Spam-Details: rule=notspam policy=default score=0 spamscore=0 ipscore=0 suspectscore=1 phishscore=0 bulkscore=0 adultscore=0 classifier=spam adjust=0 reason=mlx scancount=1 engine=6.0.2-1212290000 definitions=main-1303090279 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii MIME-version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 6.2 \(1499\)) Subject: Re: Sanity Check on Mac Mini From: "Molly (Dev Lists)" In-reply-to: <428C87E0-7CF4-4664-9EF2-8CD582927AAB@lafn.org> Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2013 18:54:06 -0600 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Message-id: References: <51CB1227-3A5F-4688-B48D-4D0E47A17572@lafn.org> <5138A742.3090200@wintek.com> <97F9BA96-A328-4EF9-8E39-A8160AF9EB7A@lafn.org> <71F173FA-CB9C-43B4-A702-ABA82268EA83@lafn.org> <428C87E0-7CF4-4664-9EF2-8CD582927AAB@lafn.org> To: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1499) X-BeenThere: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: Production branch of FreeBSD source code List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:54:23 -0000 On 08 Mar 2013, at 17:43, Doug Hardie wrote: >=20 > On 7 March 2013, at 17:00, John Mehr wrote: >>=20 >> On Thu, 7 Mar 2013 14:18:23 -0800 Doug Hardie wrote: >>> On 7 March 2013, at 11:57, Kevin Oberman = wrote: [ ... ] >>>> Thanks. Well, I got 9.1 Release installed, but it won't boot from = the internal disk. It doesn't see the disk as bootable. I installed = using the entire disk for FreeBSD. I used the i386 release. Perhaps I = need to switch to the amd64 release? >>>> I would generally recommend using the amd64 release, but it may not = get your system to boot. How is your disk partitioned? GPT? Some BIOSes = are broken and assume that a GPT formatted disk is UEFI and will not = recognize them if they lack the UEFI boot partition. UEFI boot is a = current project that seems likely to reach head in the fairly near = future, but it's not possible now. >>> No idea what the default partitioning is for BSDInstall. However the = Mini is only EFI or UFEI with some fallbacks although the comments I = find in the web indicate that different models have different fallbacks. >>> One comment indicates that an older unit will boot if its MBR = partitioning. I don't know if the new installer supports that or not. >>>> You may be able to tweak your BIOS to get it to work or you may = have to install using the traditional partitioning system. The installer = defaults to GPT, but can create either. >>>> I have such a system (ThinkPad T520) and I have two disks... one = that came with the system and containing Windows, and my GPT formatted = FreeBSD disk. I wrote a FreeBSD BootEasy boot into the MBR of the = Windows disk and it CAN boot the GPT disk just fine. Not ideal for most, = but it works well for me >>> Based on a comment I say, waiting till the empty folder icon appears = and then plugging in the install memstick causes the mini to boot from = disk. That just downright weird, but it works. I could live with that, = but this is an unattended server and would experience some down time if = I am not there when there is a power failure. >>> I just found some "instructions" for using MBR with bsdinstall, but = given there is an effort to create a UEFI boot which I suspect would = expect to find the GPT boot partition, perhaps I should just go with the = memstick approach? >>=20 >> Hello, >>=20 >> If you still have a drive with OS X on it, you may have some luck = with OS X's bless command: >>=20 >> = https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/Ma= npages/man8/bless.8.html >>=20 >> I got a late 2012 mac mini to boot FreeBSD 9.1 (AMD64) from a hard = drive using 'bless' (unfortunately I don't remember the exact command = line parameters I used). If you're looking to dual boot, the only luck = I had (without resorting to using third party software like rEFIt) was = to put the OS's on different drives and install FreeBSD using MBR on the = second drive. >=20 > I have investigated the bless command and nothing I find on google = gives me any good ideal on what folder/file to bless. I am wondering if = just using the volume command and ignoring folder and file would work? When I was setting up FreeBSD (9/amd64) to run on a MacBook Air, I used = (from within Terminal while booted into an OS X boot image): sudo bless --device /dev/disk0s2 --setBoot --legacy (s2 was the FreeBSD boot slice.) My notes also claim that the drive needed to have MBR boot code = installed first (e.g., via fdisk -B ada0 or the gpart equivalent) in = order for the blessing to work. This was about a year ago (December = 2011), on whatever hardware/firmware/OS X were current at the time. -- Molly=