From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Dec 13 16:05:32 2009 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 331CA1065692 for ; Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:05:32 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk) Received: from smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk (gate6.infracaninophile.co.uk [IPv6:2001:8b0:151:1::1]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 808A88FC0C for ; Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:05:31 +0000 (UTC) Received: from happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk (localhost [IPv6:::1]) (authenticated bits=0) by smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id nBDG5PHY024214; Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:05:25 GMT (envelope-from m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk) X-DKIM: Sendmail DKIM Filter v2.8.3 smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk nBDG5PHY024214 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=simple/simple; d=infracaninophile.co.uk; s=200708; t=1260720325; bh=a2DFX9exPc4XgDnhHqxezOa5O13idZOs+AULnvHqwZE=; h=Message-ID:Date:From:MIME-Version:To:CC:Subject:References: In-Reply-To:Content-Type:Cc:Content-Type:Date:From:In-Reply-To: Message-ID:Mime-Version:References:To; z=Message-ID:=20<4B2510BE.2040007@infracaninophile.co.uk>|Date:=20S un,=2013=20Dec=202009=2016:05:18=20+0000|From:=20Matthew=20Seaman= 20|Organization:=20Infracaninophi le|User-Agent:=20Thunderbird=202.0.0.23=20(X11/20091129)|MIME-Vers ion:=201.0|To:=20AG=20|CC:=20fre ebsd-questions@freebsd.org|Subject:=20Re:=20New=20installation=20o f=20FreeBSD=20with=20Debian=20dual=20boot|References:=20<4B24E44C. 5010609@gmail.com>|In-Reply-To:=20<4B24E44C.5010609@gmail.com>|X-E nigmail-Version:=200.95.6|Content-Type:=20multipart/signed=3B=20mi calg=3Dpgp-sha256=3B=0D=0A=20protocol=3D"application/pgp-signature "=3B=0D=0A=20boundary=3D"------------enig33F27D00BD52BBC4C1BADD8F" ; b=hvKtmkYkd0oJjeMv8MerzvC5bniCFIBgN2mwkZ6EgUHlb/Gfltq8FljPorWJfGoDX lbbrX35FIhuV+5Jy1whddl2AkQ9+yjAB0Xo+6FmwtTx8gpVhZEtvVJ1uMrO05k4qYn Y9rLC3XjjLMT8tzzmiYbXX0LTN3kpmKqPn/hsdzI= X-Authentication-Warning: happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk: Host localhost [IPv6:::1] claimed to be happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk Message-ID: <4B2510BE.2040007@infracaninophile.co.uk> Date: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:05:18 +0000 From: Matthew Seaman Organization: Infracaninophile User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.23 (X11/20091129) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: AG References: <4B24E44C.5010609@gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <4B24E44C.5010609@gmail.com> X-Enigmail-Version: 0.95.6 Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha256; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="------------enig33F27D00BD52BBC4C1BADD8F" X-Virus-Scanned: clamav-milter 0.95.3 at happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk X-Virus-Status: Clean X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.0 required=5.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00,DKIM_SIGNED, DKIM_VERIFIED,NO_RELAYS autolearn=ham version=3.2.5 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.5 (2008-06-10) on happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: New installation of FreeBSD with Debian dual boot 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: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:05:32 -0000 This is an OpenPGP/MIME signed message (RFC 2440 and 3156) --------------enig33F27D00BD52BBC4C1BADD8F Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable AG wrote: > Hello all >=20 > I'm looking to install FreeBSD 8.0 on my system today, where it would=20 > dual boot with Debian. I have the *.iso all ready to go, so just wante= d=20 > to check a couple of points before I log out of Debian and boot into th= e=20 > DVD to install. Perhaps some veterans can advise me on the following: >=20 >=20 > (1) The Debian is the only OS on my system, so I will have to resize th= e=20 > partitions (I currently have /, swap, and /home). I am assuming that = > (after backing up) there shouldn't be any problems in doing so, but is = > the partition editor (i.e. the tools that one uses to allocate partitio= n=20 > space) reasonably sane and plays nicely with a GNU/Linux distro? Sure. The FreeBSD partition type in fdisk is 165 IIRC. Linux uses parti= tions from the MBR pretty much directly, but FreeBSD expects to have one big ch= unk of space (known in FreeBSD-speak as a *slice*) within which you create OS= -level partitions. Thus for SATA drives, Linux's /dev/hda1 (1st partition on th= e=20 master drive (hda) on the first SATA bus) would be known to FreeBSD as /d= ev/ad0s1 (slice one on the first drive (ad0)). If that slice contained a FreeBSD = install, then it would be sub divided into partitions /dev/ad0s1a [traditionally t= he root fs], /dev/ad0s1b [swap], /dev/ad0s1c [a legacy thing -- a partition cover= ing the whole of s1, not generally used for anything much nowadays] and /dev/ad0s= 1[d-z] [data partitions or whatever you will]. The FreeBSD installer can only install into a primary partition and (I th= ink) FreeBSD can only boot from a 1ary partition, but otherwise it is possible= to access logical partitions.=20 Note that this is assuming you use the defaults available through the Sys= install program on the FreeBSD installation media. There are a number of new par= titioning schemes / disk management systems now available (gpart, ZFS) and also new= disk drivers (ada(4), ahci(4)) but these are not yet possible to set up throug= h the Sysinstall program and require things like booting off removable media an= d then hacking around with the command line inside a chroot to get going. (Prob= ably not something you should attempt on your first install). FreeBSD has support for Linux ext3 filesystems, except it doesn't do jour= nalling. It's probably good enough for passing files between OS images though. Fa= iling that, you can use the MS-DOS derived FAT-32 filesystem as the lowest common den= ominator. Another trick is to fire up one of the OSes in a VM hosted on the other O= S, and set up network shares or the like between the two. > (2) I use a Seagate FreeAgent USB drive to hold media files and back=20 > ups. With Debian I had to edit some rules and install a driver for=20 > this. What's the situation like under FreeBSD for supporting these=20 > kinds of external (NTFS) drives? It should just work -- appropriate drivers will be autoloaded when you pl= ug the device in. The OS should find any disk partitions on the device, but= you'll still have to set up something to mount the filesystems. I think this ca= n be done automatically by suitable use of amd(8), but you'll have to google for th= e details. > (3) If I wanted to share files between Debian and FreeBSD, aside from=20 > using a data stick are there any ways that I can access my Debian drive= =20 > from FreeBSD and vice versa? Oh, many weird and arcane ways, but I've already described most of the pr= actical ones. > (4) I do intend to use the installation handbook, accessed via a=20 > different computer, while I install. Are there any gotchas in FreeBSD = > 8.0 (for i386 architectures) that aren't covered in the handbook? The Handbook is really very good. Of course,there are always problematic= bits of hardware: laptops are often a bit tricky to install correctly and= hard to get all the hardware working right, but desktops and servers are a lot= more forgiving and will either work straight away, require you to tweak = some BIOS=20 settings / update your BIOS / turn off ACPI and then work fine or else ba= sically some critical device won't be supported and the whole thing will be a non= -starter. It's generally best with FreeBSD to aim to get the OS installed and boote= d up with minimal extras at first, then work from within the OS to install X, = desktop environments, applications, setup user accounts etc. This will r= equire a reasonable degree of competence with the Unix CLI, and you'll need to rea= d up on such things as the ports, csup(1), portsnap(8), freebsd-update(8), pkg= _add(1), pkg_info(1), portupgrade(1) or portmaster(8) all of which are covered in = the Handbook pretty well. Cheers, Matthew --=20 Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 7 Priory Courtyard Flat 3 PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey Ramsgate Kent, CT11 9PW --------------enig33F27D00BD52BBC4C1BADD8F Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: OpenPGP digital signature Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="signature.asc" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.13 (FreeBSD) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iEYEAREIAAYFAkslEMUACgkQ8Mjk52CukIyltACglGbmlgoMjMB31jm46FdtadUU GD8An12jGwbJwQ7Ss89aZFYr763j0jNj =aviK -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------enig33F27D00BD52BBC4C1BADD8F--