From owner-freebsd-stable Sat May 30 12:51:42 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id MAA23420 for freebsd-stable-outgoing; Sat, 30 May 1998 12:51:42 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from antipodes.cdrom.com (castles195.castles.com [208.214.165.195]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id MAA23378 for ; Sat, 30 May 1998 12:50:50 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from mike@antipodes.cdrom.com) Received: from antipodes.cdrom.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by antipodes.cdrom.com (8.8.8/8.8.5) with ESMTP id LAA06981; Sat, 30 May 1998 11:45:37 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199805301845.LAA06981@antipodes.cdrom.com> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0zeta 7/24/97 To: Ruslan Ermilov cc: stable@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Problem installing 2.2.6 in dangerously dedicated mode In-reply-to: Your message of "Fri, 29 May 1998 12:44:27 +0300." <19980529124427.A29838@ucb.crimea.ua> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Sat, 30 May 1998 11:45:36 -0700 From: Mike Smith Sender: owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG > Yesterday I tried to install FreeBSD 2.2.6-STABLE on the following hardware: > > Intel X-Series Deskside/MX Server (P90, 64Mb of ram) > PhoenixBIOS(TM) E486 Version 1.00.19.AM0 > aic7770 on-board SCSI (Bios v2.11 S3) > Seagate ST32155N (2Gb, 2049/64/32 in Adaptec's >1G geometry translation mode) > > This machine intended for use only with FreeBSD and will act as an ip-router > and dialup access server via ppp. > > So, as always, I started to install FreeBSD in `dangerously-dedicated' mode. > The installation process was smooth, but after it has finished and rebooted, > I got ``Read error'' message from FreeBSD bootblocks (start.S, I think?). "Dangerously dedicated" should probably be called "stupidly dedicated". It is almost never a better idea to use this mode than the "normal" mode. > Then I read the section 8.10 of the FAQ about dangerously dedicated mode, > in particular, about HP Netservers' BIOS weirdness, then I read the > README.386BSD and README.MACH from sys/i386/boot/biosboot, and now I have > a few questions: > > 1. When ``sysinstall'' first runs, what disk geometry it detects? > What the system bios tells or SCSI bios or ...? The geometry source varies depending on the disk and the data on the disk. The BIOS geometry may be used, as may the geometry in the MBR on the disk, as may the geometry from a hardware probe. > 2. From what I've read in README.386BSD, when I install FreeBSD in DD mode: > > | Boot 1 also contains a compiled in DOS partition table > | (in case it is at block 0), which contains a 386bsd partition starting > | at 0. This ensures that the same code can work whether or not > | boot1 is at block 0. > > What this table looks like, I wonder? > Any good pointer to the source code in sys/i386/*boot will be satisfied ;-) at the bottom of start.S -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message