From owner-freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Oct 4 06:52:54 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 34EC5106568B for ; Sat, 4 Oct 2008 06:52:54 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from sonic2000gr@gmail.com) Received: from fg-out-1718.google.com (fg-out-1718.google.com [72.14.220.154]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B0D158FC1C for ; Sat, 4 Oct 2008 06:52:53 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from sonic2000gr@gmail.com) Received: by fg-out-1718.google.com with SMTP id l26so1242071fgb.35 for ; Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:52:52 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:received:received:message-id:date:from :user-agent:mime-version:to:cc:subject:references:in-reply-to :content-type:content-transfer-encoding; bh=RM05QBTCLO+2vVTLSVl8ZS67cmY4fTCZ92z+fFiiI1Q=; b=W+SOSt2dG8fWwaPIvQd8QQLr1RQP55fFEeU0OxhzNErxstREDsQP58HDcH2a5JY1ad r69yyVP7Gu8FCw4yWGeosnXG4Xc+9UFHMaPv4atM+3oHqwClrQRmO27uMOqLHT3bmiYt qNkg/1PclzpvQe/tjyuLhQALD4hJYK4d1Mri8= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=message-id:date:from:user-agent:mime-version:to:cc:subject :references:in-reply-to:content-type:content-transfer-encoding; b=fffG4x9P9x/MMAGUDKJ/b5Vqkp2rw17/wfjoZPOUoLU/ATEmgd+vs+SgQU80pimm43 JuIvLNNPngY/j06HTu9IfYJSPpWHhHJYYobJ75Mb+1f5kR80uRVffexlTVEqv+tcVJUn RzdxZcrvXWdoH11mIV2hq7bEcq+HrZVNOyXT0= Received: by 10.181.25.18 with SMTP id c18mr1526062bkj.61.1223101391520; Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:23:11 -0700 (PDT) Received: from atlantis.dyndns.org (athedsl-323089.home.otenet.gr [85.72.117.175]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPS id 28sm6003688fkx.1.2008.10.03.23.23.09 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=RC4-MD5); Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:23:10 -0700 (PDT) Message-ID: <48E70BCC.3030302@gmail.com> Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:23:08 +0300 From: Manolis Kiagias User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.16 (X11/20080829) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: knowtree@aloha.com References: <200810040052.m940qGH5026350@yoda.pixi.com> In-Reply-To: <200810040052.m940qGH5026350@yoda.pixi.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-7; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Installing from USB drive X-BeenThere: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Mobile computing with FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:52:54 -0000 knowtree@aloha.com wrote: > In general, is it possible to install FreeBSD from CD-ROM using a USB > plug-in drive? > > More specifically, I am thinking about picking up a Fujitsu LifeBook P1620 > convertable tablet PC. It does not have a built-in optical drive, but > Fujitsu does list two external USB drives, one a Dual-Layer DVD Writer, the > other a DVD/CD-RW combo drive. I submitted my question to their tech > support and am awaiting an answer, but in the meantime I thought I should > ask here, too. > > Besides the obvious question of whether or not the P1620 will boot from a > USB optical drive, I wonder if the FreeBSD boot loader knows how to load > the installation kernal from a USB drive. Then there is the issue of making > this a dual boot system. > > By the way, the T1010 has a built-in optical drive, and the T2010 has it in > the docking station. This makes the T1010 the best choice in terms of > compatibility, but I like the smaller size of the P1620 and rarely use an > optical drive. Too bad the P1620 is not like the Apple Air, which can use > an optical drive in another computer on the network to install OS X and > applications. > > Gary Dunn > Honolulu > Open Slate Project > http://openslate.net/ > mailto:osp@aloha.com > If your BIOS can boot from a USB CD-ROM, you will be able to install FreeBSD with no problems. All recent BIOS can - and even older ones actually. I have a couple of machines with 865G chipset (not exactly state of the art) and they boot just fine. The eeePC boots and installs fine from a USB CD. Before the kernel (which also holds the drivers) is loaded, everything you need to read from disk / CD has to go through the BIOS at some point. After the kernel executes it will easily locate the CD (it will look like a SCSI CD-ROM in FreeBSD) and install from it. As for making a dual boot system, there are of course various ways. Depends on what the other OS is. If you plan to dual boot with Windows Vista for example, I suggest you do not install the FreeBSD boot loader when asked, but instead to use a clever utility (EasyBCD) on the Windows side: http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1 Quick and painless :)