From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Jul 14 05:57:26 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 05CF737B401 for ; Mon, 14 Jul 2003 05:57:25 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mailspool.ops.uunet.co.za (mailspool.ops.uunet.co.za [196.7.0.140]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 16CF643FE0 for ; Mon, 14 Jul 2003 05:56:04 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from ianf@mci.com) Received: from copernicus.so.cpt1.za.uu.net ([196.30.72.32]) by mailspool.ops.uunet.co.za with esmtp (Exim 3.36 #1) id 19c2s6-000NDF-00 for current@freebsd.org; Mon, 14 Jul 2003 14:56:02 +0200 Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=mci.com) by copernicus.so.cpt1.za.uu.net with esmtp (Exim 3.36 #1) id 19c2s5-000Nwj-00 for current@freebsd.org; Mon, 14 Jul 2003 14:56:01 +0200 To: current@freebsd.org From: Ian Freislich X-image-url: http://www.digs.iafrica.com/gallery/ian-small.gif X-BOFH: true X-LART: Depleted uranium X-No-Junk-Mail: I do not want to get *any* junk mail. You have been deleted. Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 14:56:01 +0200 Message-ID: <92052.1058187361@mci.com> Sender: ianf@mci.com Subject: Making a disk bootable... X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 12:57:26 -0000 Hi This might sound like a really simple question, but what used to work no longer does. How do you partition, label and make a disk bootable? I've used fdisk to create one slice (da0s1). I then used bsdlabel to make make the partitions a, b, e and f. Then to put the boot block on 'disklabel -B /dev/da0s1' - if I 'disklabel -B /dev/da0' it trashes the label. Then I copy all my filesystems off the IDE drive I'm trying to rid myself of onto the SCSI disk. When I tell the BIOS to boot off SCSI, it complains 'Missing Operating System'. So I try to dd the first 512 bytes of ad0 onto da0. The BIOS now doesn't complain about a missing operating system, it just hangs and the label on da0 is trashed. So, after about 7 cycles of fdisk, label, newfs, dump, restore, boot SCSI die 'Missing Operating System', boot IDE I give up and try to use sysinstall compiled on July 9 from sources of the same thinking 'surely the installer must be able to make a disk bootable'. It can't either. BTW, it doesn't even make the filesystems when you 'w'rite the changes in the label editor, even though it say's it's makeing the filesystems. So for the moment, I have to keep the IDE disk just for the MBR and type '1:da(0,a)/boot/loader' which is a bit inconvenient. Does anyone have any suggestions short of putting the disks I want labeled in a -STABLE box (which will be a major PITA since my -STABLE box doesn't have SCSI and the controler is on-board on my -CURRENT box)? Ian