From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jun 4 19:43:42 2010 Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG> Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 123C1106566B for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Fri, 4 Jun 2010 19:43:42 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bounces@nabble.com) Received: from kuber.nabble.com (kuber.nabble.com [216.139.236.158]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CB1788FC1A for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Fri, 4 Jun 2010 19:43:41 +0000 (UTC) Received: from isper.nabble.com ([192.168.236.156]) by kuber.nabble.com with esmtp (Exim 4.63) (envelope-from <bounces@nabble.com>) id 1OKcnt-00043M-AO for freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org; Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:43:41 -0700 Message-ID: <28784339.post@talk.nabble.com> Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 12:43:41 -0700 (PDT) From: Stefan Miklosovic <miklosovic.freebsd@gmail.com> To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org In-Reply-To: <201003051233.42861.jpaetzel@freebsd.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Nabble-From: miklosovic.freebsd@gmail.com References: <20100304213329.GJ57205@bunrab.catwhisker.org> <201003050801.00440.jhb@freebsd.org> <201003051233.42861.jpaetzel@freebsd.org> X-Mailman-Approved-At: Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:18:54 +0000 Subject: Re: Scripting sysinstall(8) to create & use multiple slices on a disk? X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD <freebsd-hackers.freebsd.org> List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers>, <mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe> List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-hackers> List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org> List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=help> List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers>, <mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe> X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2010 19:43:42 -0000 Hi, could you please send me those installers you have written? I would like to write up mine and I dont have an idea how to do that. Your scripts would really helped me a lot. Be so kind and please send me to like attachment or to miklosovic.freebsd@gmail.com god bless you :) jpaetzel wrote: > > On Friday 05 March 2010 07:01:00 John Baldwin wrote: >> On Thursday 04 March 2010 4:33:29 pm David Wolfskill wrote: >> > For reasons that may well be idiosyncratic, I like to set up FreeBSD >> > machines to have at least 2 bootable slices -- e.g., one can act as a >> > fallback if an attempted software upgrade proves to have been >> ill-timed. >> > >> > In the past, I've done this manually; while a bit tedious & fairly >> > "target-rich" with opportunities for human error, it's something that >> is >> > typically done infrequently (i.e., once) in the life of a machine (or >> at >> > least its boot drive). >> > >> > At work, the IT folks use a scripted sysinstall(8) to set machines up; >> > to increase the probability that I'll be able to get 3 "special" >> > machines set up the way I want, I'm trying to set up a sysinstall >> config >> > file to make this as painless as possible. >> > >> > I managed to get a copy of the config script IT uses, so I had a >> > starting-point ... but they were setting the machines up with >> > >> > partition=exclusive >> > >> > which doesn't seem like a good choice for what I'm doing. :-} >> > >> > >> > After my first attempt failed, I poked around on the Net & found >> > >> <http://www.nntpnews.net/f2458/what-proper-install-cfg-configuring-multip >> > le- >> >> slices-4387807/>, >> >> > (dated 18-11-08, 10:40 PM ), in which Peter Steele describes something >> > >> > similar to what I was about to try next, and writes: >> > | My intent here is to create three slices-one 6GB in size, another 1GB >> > | in size, and the third sized to consume the remaining free space. >> When >> > | I run this through sysinstall, it complains that it can't find the >> > | space for the partitions. It even complains that it can't find any >> > | free space. Because the slices don't get created, the subsequent >> label >> > | assignments fail as well. What is the proper commands for creating >> > | multiple slices in install.cfg? >> > >> > In a foillowup, he writes: >> > | After a lot of experimenting, my impression is that sysinstall simply >> > | doesn't support multiple slice installations. It works to a point, >> but >> > | I get some unexpected errors, e.g. >> > | >> > | Unable to make device node for /dev/ad0s1a in /dev >> > >> > which doesn't seem very encouraging. >> > >> > >> > Would someone please either confirm the limitation or provide a >> > suitable excerpt from a sysinstall config script to demonstrate >> > that it is actually possible? (Or show me where it's spelled out in >> the >> > man page....) >> > >> > (I'm using 7.x sysinstall, if that matters.) >> >> If you are doing a fully scripted install you may be better off just >> using >> a dedicated shell script to format your disks and mount them and then use >> the various *-install.sh scripts from the release distributions to >> install >> the code. You could still do this via sysinstall by sticking your shell >> script in /stand in the MFS root and having your sysinstall script just >> run that script. You might want to build a custom mfsroot to add some >> more >> useful tools though. >> >> I really think sysinstall needs to support a disk "backdoor" whereby the >> user can either manually partition disks and then mount them at /mnt (or >> have a script do it), and tell sysinstall to just skip the disk stuff and >> assume /mnt is mounted. > > David, > > I second the ditching sysinstall for a shell script idea. A shell script > that > replaces sysinstall is nearly as short as the install.cfg and a lot easier > to > figure out. I've written a half dozen auto installers for FreeBSD, from > trivial to complex and would be more than willing to help you get > something > set up. I can send you code if you want as well. > > -- > Thanks, > > Josh Paetzel > FreeBSD -- The power to serve > > > -- View this message in context: http://old.nabble.com/Scripting-sysinstall%288%29-to-create---use-multiple-slices-on-a-disk--tp27786883p28784339.html Sent from the freebsd-hackers mailing list archive at Nabble.com.