From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Mar 8 00:56:20 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 58318106566C; Tue, 8 Mar 2011 00:56:20 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from nwhitehorn@freebsd.org) Received: from agogare.doit.wisc.edu (agogare.doit.wisc.edu [144.92.197.211]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 292638FC27; Tue, 8 Mar 2011 00:56:19 +0000 (UTC) MIME-version: 1.0 Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Content-type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII; format=flowed Received: from avs-daemon.smtpauth2.wiscmail.wisc.edu by smtpauth2.wiscmail.wisc.edu (Sun Java(tm) System Messaging Server 7u2-7.05 32bit (built Jul 30 2009)) id <0LHP00A00RXUYX00@smtpauth2.wiscmail.wisc.edu>; Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:56:18 -0600 (CST) Received: from comporellon.tachypleus.net (adsl-75-50-89-165.dsl.mdsnwi.sbcglobal.net [75.50.89.165]) by smtpauth2.wiscmail.wisc.edu (Sun Java(tm) System Messaging Server 7u2-7.05 32bit (built Jul 30 2009)) with ESMTPSA id <0LHP00HB1RXSR520@smtpauth2.wiscmail.wisc.edu>; Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:56:18 -0600 (CST) Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:56:16 -0600 From: Nathan Whitehorn In-reply-to: To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org, freebsd-sysinstall@freebsd.org Message-id: <4D757EB0.1010009@freebsd.org> X-Spam-Report: AuthenticatedSender=yes, SenderIP=75.50.89.165 X-Spam-PmxInfo: Server=avs-14, Version=5.6.0.2009776, Antispam-Engine: 2.7.2.376379, Antispam-Data: 2011.3.8.4224, SenderIP=75.50.89.165 References: <4D6BB5E3.6020408@freebsd.org> User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; FreeBSD amd64; en-US; rv:1.9.2.15) Gecko/20110305 Thunderbird/3.1.9 Cc: Subject: Re: Request for review/testing: switching the default installer X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:56:20 -0000 On 03/07/11 14:14, Freddie Cash wrote: > On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 6:49 AM, Nathan Whitehorn > 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. > >> 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. > > > 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. :) Thanks for testing, and sympathies for the hardware trouble! > 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 Can you suggest a better way to do this? In other words, when and in what circumstances would you want to see them 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 This is bad. I can modify it to check if a filesystem has been mounted at /mnt, and maybe if the fstab file exists and restart the disk editor menu if they have not. > - 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 That's a clear bug. It should probably only validate the setup if 'Save' is selected. The issue of whether it should allow you to save without defining a / partition when invoked from a shell is a more complicated one, and one I'll have to think about (suggestions welcome). > - 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 Yes, this should be prettified. It's running a few things (passwd, adduser) in a chroot, and I figured getting things working there was more important than making them pretty for now. > 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 ... Thanks! -Nathan