From owner-freebsd-fs@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Nov 20 09:39:11 2014 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:1900:2254:206a::19:1]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher AECDH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 07F74350 for ; Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:39:11 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lucifer.we.lc.ehu.es (lucifer.we.lc.ehu.es [158.227.6.50]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (Client CN "lucifer.we.lc.ehu.es", Issuer "CA Dpto Electricidad y Electronica" (not verified)) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 83E96B97 for ; Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:39:09 +0000 (UTC) Received: from ncc-1701.we.lc.ehu.es (ncc-1701.we.lc.ehu.es [158.227.6.85]) (authenticated bits=0) by lucifer.we.lc.ehu.es (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id sAK9cx8w002627 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO); Thu, 20 Nov 2014 10:39:00 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from jose@we.lc.ehu.es) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 8.1 \(1993\)) Subject: Re: BIOS booting from disks > 2TB From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Jos=E9_Mar=EDa_Alcaide?= In-Reply-To: <546DA321.8050403@jrv.org> Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 10:38:58 +0100 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Message-Id: References: <17A2AC72-AD70-480A-9BAC-9CC8EAFD572F@we.lc.ehu.es> <546DA321.8050403@jrv.org> To: "James R. Van Artsdalen" X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1993) X-Greylist: Sender succeeded SMTP AUTH authentication, not delayed by milter-greylist-2.0.2 (lucifer.we.lc.ehu.es [158.227.6.50]); Thu, 20 Nov 2014 10:39:00 +0100 (CET) Cc: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org X-BeenThere: freebsd-fs@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.18-1 Precedence: list List-Id: Filesystems List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:39:11 -0000 > El 20/11/2014, a las 9:15, James R. Van Artsdalen = escribi=F3: >=20 >=20 > The extended BIOS disk functions, introduced onto PCs almost 20 years = ago, allowing for addressing LBAs beyond 2TB. FreeBSD will use these = BIOS functions when present. This is usually not a problem. >=20 > If a disk controller card of some kind is installed then the option = ROM on that card must support the extended BIOS disk functions for this = to work. This is usually not a problem. >=20 > The error messages shown only pertained to the backup header, not = primary, and looking at the code it implies to me that the primary = header and table were read OK, and that these will be used even if the = backup cannot be found. I think "invalid backup GPT header" is a = warning in this case, not a fatal error. >=20 > I think the real problem is here: >=20 > Can't work out which disk we are booting from. > Guessed BIOS device 0xffffffff not found by probes, defaulting to = disk0: >=20 > 1. If you replace the 3TB disk with a disk 2TB or smaller and make no = other change, does this error still happen? >=20 > 2. How are the disks connected to the system? What disk controllers = are used? What is the system BIOS boot disk setting set to? >=20 I have an identical system (Proliant Microserver Gen8) with same = hardware configuration, same firmware versions and same disks (WD Red 3 = TB) as Borja's system. When the disk controller is configured in AHCI mode there is no way of = selecting the boot disk (among those connected to the disk controller). = The BIOS only permits to select the boot disk controller, if there is = more than one (which is not the case). So I think that the message Can't work out which disk we are booting from. Guessed BIOS device 0xffffffff not found by probes, defaulting to = disk0: is harmless (given that we actually want to boot from the first disk). In fact I did another test: I installed FreeBSD on an 8 GB partition = *using the MBR scheme instead of GPT*, and the system booted from the = first 3 TB disk without any problem (and with four disks attached), = despite of showing the same warning message. -- Jose M. Alcaide=