Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2011 12:14:38 -0800 From: Freddie Cash <fjwcash@gmail.com> To: Nathan Whitehorn <nwhitehorn@freebsd.org> Cc: freebsd-current Current <freebsd-current@freebsd.org>, freebsd-sysinstall@freebsd.org, FreeBSD Arch <freebsd-arch@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Request for review/testing: switching the default installer Message-ID: <AANLkTi=gf%2BLbtx-SS83ypT2Vcimsiumy%2BSOWv%2BybSj4o@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <4D6BB5E3.6020408@freebsd.org> References: <4D6BB5E3.6020408@freebsd.org>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 6:49 AM, Nathan Whitehorn <nwhitehorn@freebsd.org> wrote: > BSDinstall has acquired at this point its final form (prior to a future > merge with pc-sysinstall), and I believe is ready to replace sysinstall on > the 9.0 snapshot ISOs. Barring any objections, I would like to pull this > switch 2 weeks from today, on the 14th of March. <snip> > Bug reports would be very appreciated at this time. There are three known > bugs currently, which will be fixed soon, so please don't report these: > error reporting is not graceful if there are no writable disks in the > system, you must select at least one optional component, and the doc build > is not currently connected to the releases. <snip> After much finnaggling and gnashing of teeth around hardware (not related to installer), I have managed to get a bootable 9-CURRENT image with BSDInstall, and used it to get a bootable install of FreeBSD 9-CURRENT. :) Here are my thought and experiences using the new installer. Things I really like: - that the install CD is a LiveCD with a fully functional system; while it won't replace a Frenzy CD, it's very close - very streamlined install without a lot of extra "fluff" that just gets skipped anyway (like everything underneath Standard in the first sysinstall screen) - the ability to use features like GPT, gmirror, zfs right from the get-go - the ability to drop to a fully functional shell at various stages of the install, with access to proper man pages Things that irritated me: - when you drop to a shell from the disk editor screen, it lists the instructions at the top, but then never repeats them ever again - if you get lost in the disk editor shell and type "exit" to get back to the disk editor ... it thinks you are finished partitioning and carries on with the install, which then errors out due to no writable filesystems, requiring you to restart the entire process - the disk editor is very limited, especially in its error handling; I found myself stuck in a loop trying to exit the screen without a / filesystem listed, but I was doing everything from the shell - screen flips between a nice blue background (the curses interface?) and a black background (running shell commands?) which is quite jarring and slightly confusing; - screen elements go from nicely centred (curses interface?) and then jump to the top-left corner of the screen (shell commands?) which is also quite jarring and slightly confusing The last two may be limitations in the curses setup? But it would be nice if "shell command" I/O could be centred like the rest, and if the background could remain a single colour. Not huge issues, just things that irritated me. :) Overall, I am quite impressed with the new installer, as it is *just* an installer and not a system configuration creator (or breaker) like sysinstall. Now that I understand the "new world order" of GPT-based partitioning and booting, I think I'm going to like FreeBSD 9.0 a heck of a lot. ... off to play with dedupe and other ZFSv28 goodies ... -- Freddie Cash fjwcash@gmail.com
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?AANLkTi=gf%2BLbtx-SS83ypT2Vcimsiumy%2BSOWv%2BybSj4o>