From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Dec 4 01:46:33 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A3CAE1065670 for ; Thu, 4 Dec 2008 01:46:33 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from rock_on_the_web@comcen.com.au) Received: from mail.unitedinsong.com.au (202-172-126-254.cpe.qld-1.comcen.com.au [202.172.126.254]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 17EFE8FC17 for ; Thu, 4 Dec 2008 01:46:32 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from rock_on_the_web@comcen.com.au) Received: from [192.168.0.175] (unknown [192.168.0.175]) by mail.unitedinsong.com.au (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9B3604065 for ; Thu, 4 Dec 2008 11:47:06 +1000 (EST) From: Da Rock To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org In-Reply-To: <20081202163920.GE90039@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> References: <20081202111740.96805018.freebsd@edvax.de> <20081202163920.GE90039@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> Content-Type: text/plain Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:47:23 +1000 Message-Id: <1228355243.23645.10.camel@laptop1.herveybayaustralia.com.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.12.3 (2.12.3-5.fc8) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: Re: UFS partitioning X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:46:33 -0000 On Tue, 2008-12-02 at 11:39 -0500, Jerry McAllister wrote: > On Tue, Dec 02, 2008 at 11:17:40AM +0100, Polytropon wrote: > > > On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 10:56:44 +0100 (CET), Pieter Donche wrote: > > > If FreeBSD is to put on the system as only operating system (Fdisk: > > > "A = Use Entire disk"), then will the BSD-partitions will show up as > > > ad0a (/), ad0b (swap), ad0d (/var) etc... correct or not (then what)? > > > > You're mixing terminology here. :-) The "use entire disk" will > > create a slice for FreeBSD covering the complete disk. A slice > > is what MICROS~1 calls "primary partition". > > > > Now the conclusion: Let's say you create a slice on ad0, it will > > be ad0s1. Now you can create partitions inside this slice as you > > mentioned it, e. g. ad0s1a = /, ad0s1b = swap, ad0s1d = /tmp, > > ad0s1e = /var, ad0s1f = /usr and ad0s1g = /home. > > True. Too bad MS had to use the same terminology for slices > as FreeBSD uses for subdivisions of slices. But, it won't be > undone now, so the confusion will continue. > > > But if you're > > refering to ad0a, ad0b, ad0d etc. you're stating that there's > > no slice, implying that (if I see this correctly) it isn't possible > > to boot from that disk. > > It is correct that this would imply no slice being created. > But it is not correct that it could not be bootable. You can > use bsdlabel to write the boot sector to ad0 instead of ad0s1 > and it would be bootable - but would be what someone has enjoyed > describing as a 'dangerously dedicated' disk. FreeBSD can deal > with it, but other systems cannot. > > I don't know if you can do this from sysinstall though. I have > never tried. But, it can be done by running bsdlabel by hand. > > > Of couse, if you would intend to use > > a (physical) second disk for only the home partition, you could > > omit the slice and the partition and simply newfs ad1 - but > > that wasn't your question. > > Probably the 'dangerously dedicated' disk is more often used this > way as an additional (second) drive that is not made bootable. > > In that case, it is unlikely that one would mount any of the > partitions on '/' making it the root filesystem. That may > be a problem. But, otherwise this looks probable or more likely > it would have some swap to add to the first disk and all the > rest in either the a or d partitions mounted as something > like '/work' or /scratch'. > > > > > ad0 |-----------------------------------------------| the whole disk > > ad0s1 \----------------------------------------------/ one slice > > ad0s1X \--/\---/\-----/\-----/\-------/\------------/ partitions > > a b d e f g > > / swap /tmp /var /usr /home mount point Excuse my nose in here- I just have a couple of questions. 1) It IS possible to boot from a dedicated disk? 2) Does using dedicated mode increase the space available to use? Partitioning normally takes up space so a HDD loses about 10% of usable space doesn't it, so the space used by partitioning is can now be used as filespace. These questions are all theoretical: I've only read in passing about dedicated mode, but the use of this would be highly specialised by extension.