From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Dec 11 22:17:35 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 03EDE16A4CE; Thu, 11 Dec 2003 22:17:35 -0800 (PST) Received: from swin.edu.au (c3p0.cc.swin.edu.au [136.186.1.30]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 02FD843D37; Thu, 11 Dec 2003 22:17:29 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from pvandenbergen@swin.edu.au) Received: from pvdbergen.caia.swin.edu.au (pvdbergen.caia.swin.edu.au [136.186.229.26]) by swin.edu.au (8.9.3p2-20030918/8.9.3) with ESMTP id RAA945514; Fri, 12 Dec 2003 17:17:27 +1100 (EST) From: paul van den bergen To: questions@freebsd.org Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 17:17:27 +1100 User-Agent: KMail/1.5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200312121717.27412.pvandenbergen@swin.edu.au> cc: hackers@freebsd.org Subject: howto upgrade 4.8 to 4.9 without cdrom or floppy? X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 06:17:35 -0000 Hi... on freebsd-hackers, Alfred Perlstein posted a method that allows boot-disk-less installation... but it requires mdconfig, a 5.1 utility... is there a method to do this under 4.8? it seems to me that the job performed by md0 could be done with vn0 e.g. do # ls /dev/vn* if empty do # cd /dev # ./MAKEDEV vn0 # ./MAKEDEV vn1 # vnconfig vn0 /path/to/freebsd/4.9.iso # mount_cd9660 /dev/vn0c /path/to/freebsd4.9 or however you access the freebsd install iso disk the point being to get access to the /floppies/boot.flp image on the cdrom # vnconfig vn1 /path/to/freebsd4.9/floppies/boot.flp # mkdir /bootfloppy # mount_mfs /dev/vn1c /bootfloppy/ # cp /bootfloppy/kernel.gz /ikernel.gz # cp /bootfloppy/mfsroot.gz /mfsroot.gz then reboot as described... I am about to try this out... wish me luck! On Mon, 1 Dec 2003 07:18 pm, Alfred Perlstein wrote: > I have a mini-HOWTO here that possibly be automated. > > Basically we're going to install FreeBSD over FreeBSD without > a floppy, cdrom or pxe. > > This depends on a loader that's compatible with your kernel > so if really weird lockups happen, you might not be compatible. > > > Anyhow, here we go: > > > Download the boot.flp from the release you want to install. > > Mount it like so: > mdconfig -a -t vnode -f boot.flp > # should output something like 'md0' > mkdir -p /mnt > mount /dev/md0 /mnt > > Copy the yummy bits from the install image to your root: > cp /mnt/kernel.gz /ikernel.gz > cp /mnt/mfsroot.gz /mfsroot.gz > > Now reboot and interrupt the loader when it counts down the boot. > > Then type these commands into the loader: > unload kernel > load /ikernel > load -t mfs_root /mfsroot > set vfs.root.mountfrom > boot > > Now cross your fingers once you wipe the partitions out to reinstall... > > > It would be cool if this could be automated[1], perhaps by setting > the boot partition to the swap partition and setting it up temporarily > as a ufs filesystem and then... oh... well... > > [1] http://www.jerkcity.com/jerkcity1426.html -- Dr Paul van den Bergen Centre for Advanced Internet Architectures caia.swin.edu.au pvandenbergen@swin.edu.au IM:bulwynkl2002 "And some run up hill and down dale, knapping the chucky stones to pieces wi' hammers, like so many road makers run daft. They say it is to see how the world was made." Sir Walter Scott, St. Ronan's Well 1824