From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Jan 19 17:11:27 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D429410656AE; Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:11:27 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from dan.naumov@gmail.com) Received: from mail-yw0-f172.google.com (mail-yw0-f172.google.com [209.85.211.172]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5851C8FC1C; Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:11:27 +0000 (UTC) Received: by ywh2 with SMTP id 2so1742622ywh.27 for ; Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:11:26 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:received:date:message-id:subject :from:to:cc:content-type; bh=m8xAPoNUEf7JoC3Ekzyc+4ry8GMnGdrNKJ+AaobFWnU=; b=gy0rdU9oh1XJgffgIZSBTIZf7WTr5jmvj9iHhkumx1j04qUtCmL+GYGfzBu1f2aNHa S90DkdAKGW8ZYYFW4KbIY/nCRId6GdWOwwSKMngXisxrQBib6rV6Ygva/UFkp814JtEU Sx2BLyiFoQE5M/TZBG64x3iSHnxSwVJTgpXL8= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:date:message-id:subject:from:to:cc:content-type; b=mFFUo4OqxCv66d8StOr9omm/vwotfe3riQqjTMvZDwO7uQBWAUezn0Yh1IbqDTBXhd rjmGUcAW8e8zC8d4K9hhjIUJLDM0JoiB4nGPyaCs/PhlB6fGDguNFHYUqw8uJOTcs1OD tqoJUY8o52lu6dY+rixkBR6IWbfmjUbzvvO0Q= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.101.44.14 with SMTP id w14mr12053734anj.139.1263921086362; Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:11:26 -0800 (PST) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:11:26 +0200 Message-ID: From: Dan Naumov To: FreeBSD-STABLE Mailing List , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org, freebsd-geom@freebsd.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Cc: rnoland@freebsd.org Subject: 8.0-RELEASE / gpart / GPT / marking a partition as "active" X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:11:28 -0000 It seems that quite a few BIOSes have serious issues booting off disks using GPT partitioning when no partition present is marked as "active". See http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/query-pr.cgi?pr=115406&cat=bin for a prime example. In 8.0-RELEASE, using gpart, setting a slice as "active" in MBR partitioning mode is trivial, ie: gpart set -a active -i 1 DISKNAME However, trying to do the same thing with GPT partitioning yields no results: gpart set -a active -i 1 DISKNAME gpart: attrib 'active': Device not configured As a result of this issue, I can configure and make a succesfull install using GPT in 8.0, but I cannot boot off it using my Intel D945GCLF2 board. I have found this discussion from about a month ago: http://www.mail-archive.com/freebsd-stable@freebsd.org/msg106918.html where Robert mentions that "gpart set -a active -i 1" is no longer needed in 8-STABLE, because the pmbr will be marked as active during the installation of the bootcode. Is there anything I can do to archieve the same result in 8.0-RELEASE or is installing from a snapshop of 8-STABLE my only option? Thanks. - Sincerely, Dan Naumov