Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2003 06:50:30 -0500 From: "nw1" <network101@covad.net> To: <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Drive Geometry -- confusion. Message-ID: <001101c39e12$dac4b3f0$0300a8c0@install>
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FreeBSD 4.8-RELEASE-p13 This document can also be viewed @ https://69.3.136.141/freebsd/installation/geometry Install 4.8 from CD-rom Drive Geometry confusion. My BIOS allows me a very limited amount of settings when it comes to an HDD. The following are the only settings offered by my BIOS: Read Prefetch - [Disabled | Enabled] - set to (Disabled) Disk Bios Translation - [LBA | CHS | Disabled] - set to (LBA) Local Bus IDE Mode - [High Performance | Compatible] - set to (High Performance) Size - 8455 MB --Auto-detected-- This is actually an 80GB HDD model: WD800JB. (Unable to change the 'Size' setting.) The only other setting that could remotely be associated with any HDD's installed would be the 'boot order' of the devices. ... sysinstall main menu | Custom | Partition : Here's where I'm confused; The following dialog message is printed: WARNING: A geometry of 155061/16/63 for ad0 is incorrect. Using a more likely geometry. If this geometry is incorrect or you are unsure as to whether or not it's correct, Please consult the Hardware Guide in the Documentation submenu or use the (G)eometry command to change it now. Remember: you need to enter whatever your BIOS thinks the geometry is! For IDE, it's what you were told in the BIOS setup. For SCSI, its the translation mode your controller is using. Do NOT use a "physical Geometry". ## With the above two (2) paragraphs having been said, All I have at this point is the physical geometry given by the WD800JB specs --which the above paragraphs are currently fobbing me to use. Lets press <enter> for OK and move further into this... We're in the FDISK Partition Editor where it states on the second line from the top: DISK Geometry: 9729 cyls/255 heads/63 sectors = 156296385 sectors (76316MB) If I understand correctly, the physical geometry of this WD800JB is: Cylinders = 16383 Heads = 16 Sectors/Track = 63 As seen on/at: The Westerndigital.com site. http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=699&p_cr eated=1037217622 I'm inclined to use the above three (3) values, however, The above FreeBSD installation 'dialog' expressly *forbids the use of the physical geometry. Is this not confusing to you as well? Why does the installation forbid us to use the 'physical geometry? --I'm sure there's a valid reason, I'd like to hear it. Can someone explain what to do and, for future reference, <-- *why do that? As stated above; I'm confused. ------------------------------------- All incoming attachments get deleted. Have a nice day. -------------------------------------
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