From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Nov 24 19:59:56 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9A6F1C5B for ; Sat, 24 Nov 2012 19:59:56 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from ml@my.gd) Received: from mail-wg0-f50.google.com (mail-wg0-f50.google.com [74.125.82.50]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D41C38FC0C for ; Sat, 24 Nov 2012 19:59:55 +0000 (UTC) Received: by mail-wg0-f50.google.com with SMTP id 12so5219001wgr.31 for ; Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:59:54 -0800 (PST) X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=google.com; s=20120113; h=references:in-reply-to:mime-version:content-transfer-encoding :content-type:message-id:cc:x-mailer:from:subject:date:to :x-gm-message-state; bh=zt2hQQw8YnEWXRXx262HbM6PPU7zAG6zZMMLuqSNPHY=; b=H2oLwqoQD0Cx1JGGGJrfeb672LwvutrxjHfA6GG8NNdRdqHiR6NOKGGMkp6PG1CVdq n5ijpy28DA4wjFUdGHWohaIfUxr5kUcblXBuv49StJCiVErdGgrCvdwPT6iYZZSqAhxF X3o3S96TlzDuXYUNTSEbTKg31CZ2N9cfWtmOlNaRU3EI6VetwVuIPP/9+FldFWEjsNGw cz8Nd7tw1G7nnxF1XA6cu52HoWZ1bmspZUyNHSWBSJ6S39w9tpW0F2prE/CdfEfDd587 UVBedrIQOGQQIspGpF9TEiRiqjKY9Yp+4Gua7U1Czj3kVW6WDyodwAmrk7j4PmJtPox1 xhrw== Received: by 10.216.56.17 with SMTP id l17mr2731593wec.223.1353787194219; Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:59:54 -0800 (PST) Received: from [10.132.114.57] ([92.90.16.49]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPS id bz12sm15810036wib.5.2012.11.24.11.59.52 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=OTHER); Sat, 24 Nov 2012 11:59:53 -0800 (PST) References: <1353773206.4982.20.camel@q> <50B0FF17.8050309@bnrlabs.com> In-Reply-To: <50B0FF17.8050309@bnrlabs.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 (1.0) Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Message-Id: X-Mailer: iPhone Mail (9A405) From: Damien Fleuriot Subject: Re: Multi-boot Linux + FreeBSD Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2012 20:59:16 +0100 To: "Lucas B. Cohen" X-Gm-Message-State: ALoCoQlSOYt/SOb5RPSAguOoR8yMRSH17ujUV23x26hV/SljQQmsMwqPms5KKlY5ii47I+Lu/Th7 Cc: Ralf Mardorf , "freebsd-questions@freebsd.org" X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2012 19:59:56 -0000 While no expert, I would advise against running the kernel directly. The loader allows you to boot in single user which may come handy at times. On 24 Nov 2012, at 18:08, "Lucas B. Cohen" wrote: > Hi Ralf, >=20 > On 2012.11.24 17:06, Ralf Mardorf wrote: >> Perhaps later today I'll install 9.0 amd64. If possible I'll keep my >> Linux GRUB legacy. Can I use my menu.lst [1] and add a chainloader or >> something similar to boot FreeBSD from /dev/sda1? > I don't know if GRUB v1 allows that, on a multiboot system I use GRUB 2 > to either load FreeBSD's loader(8) : >=20 > menuentry "FreeBSD (Loader)" { > insmod part_bsd > set root=3D'hd0,msdos2,bsd1' > echo "Loading FreeBSD loader" > kfreebsd /boot/loader > echo "Starting FreeBSD loader" > } >=20 > or to run its kernel directly, after having passed it optional device hint= s: >=20 > menuentry "FreeBSD (Direct Boot)" { > insmod ufs2 > set root=3D'hd0,msdos2,bsd1' > echo "Loading FreeBSD kernel" > kfreebsd /boot/kernel/kernel > echo "Loading FreeBSD environment" > kfreebsd_loadenv /boot/device.hints > set kfreebsd.vfs.root.mountfrom=3Dufs:/dev/ada0s2 > echo "Booting FreeBSD" > } >=20 > I'm not saying it's impossible, but I'm unable to chainload to the > loader code on my system with this: > menuentry "FreeBSD (Chainload)" { > insmod chain > set root=3D'hd0,msdos2' > chainloader +1 > } >=20 >=20 >=20 >> FWIW I made backups of my HDD's MBRs. >> I wonder if the installer will overwrite the MBR? > Always a good thing to have backups. =46rom what I've experienced and > read, 9.0-RELEASE's installer is not always predictable in that regard, > it's probably safer to assume it'll won't do what you want, and just > restore your MBR after the installation, to go back to using GRUB for > dual-booting. >=20 > Here's the pitfall, though: the MBR also holds the partition table. So > make a fresh backup after you've created/reorganized the primary > partitions (slices) on your disk using a tool you're familiar with. > (Logical partitions and BSD partitions are stored differently, so they > will survive an MBR restore, provided it doesn't modify the primary > partition they're contained in.) >=20 >> I also would like to know, if there's a way to recover the partition >> table, including a primary FreeBSD partition/slice, if this ever should >> get broken and there should be no backup of the partition table be >> available. > The partition table is held alongside the MBR, in the first logical > sector of your disk. Restoring one will restore the other. > For extra safety, you can save the output of partitioning tools like > fdisk or GNU parted expressed in sectors. >=20 > Hope this helps, >=20 > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.or= g"