From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Jul 16 10:01:41 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B049D37B401 for ; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 10:01:41 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail.messagingengine.com (out1.smtp.messagingengine.com [66.111.4.25]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B1AC443F3F for ; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 10:01:39 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from judmarc@fastmail.fm) Received: from smtp.us2.messagingengine.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by localhost.localdomain (Postfix) with ESMTP id 298DE2D174; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 13:01:27 -0400 (EDT) Received: from 10.202.2.133 ([10.202.2.133] helo=smtp.us2.messagingengine.com) by messagingengine.com with SMTP; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 13:01:27 -0400 Received: by smtp.us2.messagingengine.com (Postfix, from userid 99) id 721A972234; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 13:01:25 -0400 (EDT) Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: MIME::Lite 1.2 (F2.71; T1.001; A1.51; B2.12; Q2.03) From: "Jud" To: "Adam King" , "freebsd-questions" Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 13:01:25 -0400 X-Epoch: 1058374887 X-Sasl-enc: gkCzuOcEBuxqUnDqK+L4eA References: <00b901c34b48$5f6ad030$7c01a8c0@pc124> In-Reply-To: <00b901c34b48$5f6ad030$7c01a8c0@pc124> Message-Id: <20030716170125.721A972234@smtp.us2.messagingengine.com> Subject: Re: Multi-OS Boot Question X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 17:01:42 -0000 On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 13:14:30 +1000, "Adam King" said: > Sorry, here's a better link: > http://www.informit.com/content/index.asp?product_id=%7B7309E848-0A1E-475A-A1CD-17B5462B1564%7D&062903 > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Adam King > To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 1:05 PM > Subject: Fw: Multi-OS Boot Question > > This was in the 5.1 sysinstall notes. It is also mentioned on this site > (http://www.informit.com/isapi/product_id~{7309E848-0A1E-475A-A1CD-17B5462B1564}/element_id~{C8915938-27E4-4BF5-B449-CD40F6C9D8B5}/st~{FC01C6FA-A166-40A9-BEFF-FA0234A128E9}/session_id~{D7D91592-81FC-47F8-BC69-313B51CAD0D0}/content/articlex.asp)that > was linked from freebsd.org. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Jud > To: Adam King > Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 11:10 AM > Subject: Re: Multi-OS Boot Question > > > On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 08:49:30 +1000, "Adam King" > said: > > I currently have a dual boot Windows/Linux system and want to add another > > partition and install FreeBSD. > > > > In the FreeBSD install, it mentions that the boot files must be within > > the first 1024 Cylinders. Is this a requirement for FreeBSD itself or > > just for the FreeBSD boot loader? > > What FreeBSD install did you find this in? Installation below the > 1024th > cylinder is not a requirement for either FreeBSD itself or for its > boot > loader. (By "FreeBSD itself" I assume you mean the entire filesystem > or > some sizable subset of it.) The 1024 cylinder limit is rarely > encountered these days because it is a consequence of an old BIOS > that > doesn't use geometry translation. (Geometry translation is usually > associated with LBA (logical block addressing).) > > > If I use a linux boot loader (LILO or Grub) which doesn't have a problem > > with the 1024 cylinder limit, will it be able to boot FreeBSD if it's > > boot files are above cylinder 1024? > > Use any boot loader you like. Should work fine. The FreeBSD system > I'm > using right now is installed on the second half of an 80GB RAID0 > array. > > Jud Yes, you're quite right about the statement from Tiemann-Urban (whom I'd have expected to know better - glad I bought The Complete FreeBSD by Greg Lehey rather than their book!) and I presume also about the sysinstall documentation. I found an additional case of the same in section 3.19 of the FAQ on FreeBSD's web site. However, look at the following from section 3.19 of the FAQ: "Note that this is a limitation in the PC's BIOS, not FreeBSD." The statement is simply (far) out of date: "modern" BIOSes haven't had the 1024 cylinder limit for years. I personally haven't had a system with FreeBSD installed *below* the 1024 cylinder limit for something like a couple of years. (Before my current RAID array, it was installed on the 2nd half of a 40GB drive; before that, on the second half of a 20GB drive.) So - install as you like, no worries. Any problems, write back and tell me I'm an idiot. ;) Jud P.S. Please post below rather than on top of the message you're replying to - helps readability, especially in long threads.