Date: 28 Nov 2000 17:59:31 -0500 From: Randell Jesup <rjesup@wgate.com> To: Kenneth W Cochran <kwc@world.std.com> Cc: Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group <Cy.Schubert@uumail.gov.bc.ca>, freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Removal of Disklabel Message-ID: <ybuy9y33dpo.fsf@jesup.eng.tvol.net.jesup.eng.tvol.net> In-Reply-To: Kenneth W Cochran's message of "Tue, 21 Nov 2000 16:57:57 -0500 (EST)" References: <200011212157.QAA21696@world.std.com>
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Kenneth W Cochran <kwc@world.std.com> writes:
>>> > > I'd like to see FreeBSD do the same as Linux on the i386 - use only
>>> > > the partition table, along with extended partitions. Do away with
>>> > > disklabel *on that platform*.
>>> > >
>>[... more editing...]
>>> > > One of the most FAQs I've heard from linux'ees that tried FreeBSD is
>>> > > 'why can't I install to an extended partition?' Fact is when I hear that
>>> > > question, I also wonder myself...
>>> >
>>[...more edits...]
>>>
>>> I do think that manipulating partitions in FreeBSD is rather harder than on
>>> any other Unix I have had to do it on. Moving things around in a dynamic
>>> and fluid way (which I have always consider part of tuning) is - difficult.
Nice, GUI partitioning tools would be a Good Thing. (Complete with
code to shrink or expand an existing partition would be even better, but
not required.) I've written such things before for AmigaDOS.
>>> Some better partition management tools would be rather useful. I'll think
>>> on this and maybe do something. Suggestions welcome and solicited. [Can I
>>> get arrested of soliciting on a mailing list?]
>>
>>Before I start coding a proof of concept and reading the comments thus
>>far I'd like to have a consensus of whether it would be a worthwhile
>>effort or would it be a waste of my time? At first I thought it was a
Before you start, you should look at the updates to disklabel I've
submitted to Warner Losh for checkin. While they don't change the evil
UI, they do greatly expand the flexibility of how to specify partition
sizes and positions, and also considerably increase error checking
(including for minor things like overlapping partitions).
>2. If I want to make more than 6 total filesystems on a
> hdd, I make more than 1 BSD slice (& on more than 1
> HDD) & that's ok for now. But, that uses a (relatively
> scarce) Primary, so maybe it might be a Good Thing if
> "entries" in an Extended Partition could be used by
> *BSD (for "multiple" partitions a-h). (Hmmm, maybe it
> works; I haven't tried... :). Btw, is it Really OK for
> me to use partitions a & b (in another slice) for
> "regular" filesystems (as opposed to root & swap)?
Yes. The only "special" is c so far as I know, and then mostly
because tools probably assume that c is the entire disk. Please note that
I'm not an expert on that however.
--
Randell Jesup, Worldgate Communications, ex-Scala, ex-Amiga OS team ('88-94)
rjesup@wgate.com
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