From owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Jul 14 00:05:53 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: stable@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BF1C7106566C for ; Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:05:53 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jhs@berklix.com) Received: from tower.berklix.org (tower.berklix.org [83.236.223.114]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2D3718FC19 for ; Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:05:52 +0000 (UTC) Received: from park.js.berklix.net (p549A2EEF.dip.t-dialin.net [84.154.46.239]) (authenticated bits=0) by tower.berklix.org (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id o6E05MGX048713; Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:05:27 GMT (envelope-from jhs@berklix.com) Received: from fire.js.berklix.net (fire.js.berklix.net [192.168.91.41]) by park.js.berklix.net (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id o6E05FCs007869; Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:05:15 +0200 (CEST) (envelope-from jhs@berklix.com) Received: from fire.js.berklix.net (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fire.js.berklix.net (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id o6E055fB013517; Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:05:15 +0200 (CEST) (envelope-from jhs@fire.js.berklix.net) Message-Id: <201007140005.o6E055fB013517@fire.js.berklix.net> To: Dimitry Andric From: "Julian H. Stacey" Organization: http://www.berklix.com BSD Unix Linux Consultancy, Munich Germany User-agent: EXMH on FreeBSD http://www.berklix.com/free/ X-URL: http://www.berklix.com In-reply-to: Your message "Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:26:18 +0200." <4C3CD9FA.5090801@andric.com> Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:05:05 +0200 Sender: jhs@berklix.com Cc: stable@freebsd.org Subject: Re: sysistall bsdlabel failure with amd64 FreeBSD-8.1-RC2-amd64-dvd1.iso X-BeenThere: freebsd-stable@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Production branch of FreeBSD source code List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:05:53 -0000 Dimitry Andric wrote: > On 2010-07-13 23:09, Julian H. Stacey wrote: > >> Were those partitions 'dangerously dedicated' > > > > Yes probably, I can't be certain though, as recent FreeBSD fudges /aliases > > ad0s1a to ad0a if s1 is active fdisk slice. > > IIRC, in FreeBSD before 8 you got both ad0s1a and ad0a in /dev, when you > had DD partitions, but since GEOM_BSD was replaced by GEOM_PART_BSD this > is no longer the case. OK, I havent read up on GEOM_PART_BSD beyond I think noticing config inserts it in kernel, without needing to be in config file. > As far as I have tried out, it is no longer possible to use sysinstall > to actually install on a DD partition, neither with 8.1 nor with > -current. Sysinstall simply does not allow you to directly label a > 'raw' disk, you must make an MBR partition first. > > I usually just start a fixit shell from the DVD, run bsdlabel > directly on the target device, newfs it, and unpack the distributions > myself... Yes, sounds reasonable, what I'd do for an external, (but as this disk is for laptop internal, I'm happy to use fdisk to give me a 2nd rescue boot). > > Yes definately. Most Probably on my 8.0-rel i386 laptop > > Definately not on the laptop I was trying with 8.1-RC2. > > Did that latter laptop also show the same problem? No , my Toshiba Satellite S5100-603 running i386 8.0-rel had no problem labelling (via external USB enclosure) discs inc the disk I then Installed inside the Novatech today to install with 8.1-RC2. What was preventing FreeBSD-8.1-RC2 install on the Novatech Laptop was a BIOS boot sector protect mechanism which seemed strangely labelled: The BIOS ("Insyde Software SCU") had option "Security -> Hard Disk Boot Sector" with 2 states available: not ticked, or underscore. We had previously left it as Underscore, wrongly assuming that meant no boot sector protection. it actually means silently discard boot sector changes I think. Now it's ticked, (which we had wrongl assumed meant boot sector protect) it allowed install & boot from disc of FreeBSD (after complaint on first boot (but not on subsequent boots) of boot sector content change. Thanks for your help :-) Cheers, Julian -- Julian Stacey: BSD Unix Linux C Sys Eng Consultants Munich http://berklix.com Mail plain text. Not HTML, Not quoted-printable, Not Base64.