From owner-freebsd-hackers  Thu Feb  1 09:15:50 1996
Return-Path: owner-hackers
Received: (from root@localhost)
          by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.3/8.7.3) id JAA10969
          for hackers-outgoing; Thu, 1 Feb 1996 09:15:50 -0800 (PST)
Received: from etinc.com (et-gw.etinc.com [165.254.13.209])
          by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.3/8.7.3) with SMTP id JAA10964
          for <hackers@freebsd.org>; Thu, 1 Feb 1996 09:15:48 -0800 (PST)
Received: from ppp-082.etinc.com (ppp-082.etinc.com [204.141.95.142]) by etinc.com (8.6.12/8.6.9) with SMTP id MAA19747 for <hackers@freebsd.org>; Thu, 1 Feb 1996 12:15:33 -0500
Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 12:15:33 -0500
Message-Id: <199602011715.MAA19747@etinc.com>
X-Sender: dennis@etinc.com
X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Version 2.0.3
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
To: hackers@freebsd.org
From: dennis@etinc.com (dennis)
Subject: Re: Converting from Linux to FreeBSD
Sender: owner-hackers@freebsd.org
Precedence: bulk

>> > My questions...
>> >
>> >         can linux be 'upgraded' in place to freeBSD?
>> 
>> Probably not.  Certainly, in view of the requirement that you don't go
>> down for long, you'd be better off installing FreeBSD on separate
>> disks.  That way, if you *do* experience problems, you can fall back
>> to Linux quickly and painlessly.
>
>In particular, the Linux second stage boot code will not work for
>FreeBSD, which expects the second stage boot code to pass it much
>information from BIOS space that is unavailable in protected mode.
>
>In addition, using the FreeBSD second stage boot will not by default
>recognize the unsliced partitions Linux uses as mountable as root,
>nor will the kernel recognize ext2fs by default (variant root FS
>types is one argument pro a bootfs).

Its taking more time to discuss this issue than simply build a new system and 
copy stuff over!

db
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emerging Technologies, Inc.      http://www.etinc.com

Synchronous Communications Cards and Routers For
Discriminating Tastes. 56k to T1 and beyond. Frame
Relay, PPP, HDLC, and X.25 for BSD/OS, FreeBSD 
and LINUX