From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Apr 26 21:45:51 2009 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 A5A78106566B for ; Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:45:51 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tajudd@gmail.com) Received: from mail-qy0-f105.google.com (mail-qy0-f105.google.com [209.85.221.105]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5D4F48FC13 for ; Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:45:51 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from tajudd@gmail.com) Received: by qyk3 with SMTP id 3so4181442qyk.3 for ; Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:45:48 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:in-reply-to:references :from:date:message-id:subject:to:cc:content-type; bh=U2FLQqwd8Iu59AkmM42E+CrKOu6ibtcvT+ugZuAi+0k=; b=AlO3n/NYXWP1xjDrXCNgaRjRk4F457uqSYpLZUT6PASzb/JpHKKnG5us7uRCGlnab+ KfLeFBjeA0cM2Ia4vt7CLRbrQPQvnGY+IH8PibmmoXu/bf2rxiavD9pn7KoaM4DC1SUx BKojPJoOI/9MXwd3coFCAsu1aoJXnV2oQS3hk= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc:content-type; b=MNRFa/LWaqXHuXVQTBaBKjFl1q8Jncsdfj3/Kb9h4vq8wzKQow0jygMHtlaryUQYKn xO8ltwdRYb7sT73i17zRN1E7/JL98CJU8QePMpVE+gijf72w1eQgsFMZJmMlB01v0OIi VkujbZlHEYHMEg7zMJmB4NOOUdahIV7KOdP80= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.220.45.131 with SMTP id e3mr8657625vcf.89.1240782348149; Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:45:48 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <49F4ABB3.6000808@prgmr.com> References: <49F4ABB3.6000808@prgmr.com> From: Tim Judd Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:45:33 -0600 Message-ID: To: Michael David Crawford Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5 Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Partitioning for multiple systems 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: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:45:51 -0000 On Sun, Apr 26, 2009 at 12:45 PM, Michael David Crawford wrote: > I have a machine I plan to use solely for testing. I have FreeBSD > 8.0-CURRENT on it right now, and would like to add FreeBSD 7.2-RC2 as well > as CentOS 5.3 Linux. > > Presently I have three Master Boot Record primary partitions - "slices" in > the FreeBSD parlance, if I understand correctly: > > - A Linux slice to be used for CentOS' /boot > - A BSD slice subdivided into partitions that hold 8.0-CURRENT > - A big FAT slice (so to speak) meant to be split up for 7.2 and CentOS > > A PC-style Master Boot Record can hold a maximum of four primary > partitions, or it can hold three primaries and a single extended partition > that is subdivided into logical partitions. > FreeBSD's standard bootloader (not boot0) will only boot off the first 0xA5/dec.165 partition it finds. I've never tried multibooting with boot0. I don't recall FreeBSD supporting extended partitions... at all The 4-entry MBR will be the problem GPT (GEOM Partition Table) bumps that limit up to like 127 entries. you'd have to use an external non-native (terms of boot0 versus 'standard') boot loader to start working. You might utilize a 5.25" HDD enclosure as a solution to run multiple OSs on a box. The enclosures are pretty inexpensive and I have enjoyed working them that way. > The geometries of the logical partitions aren't given in the MBR, but exist > as a linked list. > > I *should* be able to split that FAT slice up into a primary for 7.2 and an > extended partition that will hold CentOS' other partitions; however: > > In Googling about this, I have read some dire warnings about FreeBSD being > unable to understand logical partitions; apparently installing FreeBSD > *before* an extended partition will result in all your logicals getting > trashed. One is advised to put all the FreeBSD MBR partitions *after* the > extended partition. > > Is that the case? Have you any advice for me? > > One more thing: if it's possible, I'd like for the /home directory to be > shared between both of my FreeBSD installations. In a normal installation, > there is a real /usr/home directory, with /home being a symbolic link. > > If I'm running FreeBSD out of one MBR partition (or slice), can I mount a > directory that's in a different one? > > Thanks for your help! >