From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Sep 16 09:42:21 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B40CB106566B for ; Sun, 16 Sep 2012 09:42:21 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from utisoft@gmail.com) Received: from mail-lb0-f182.google.com (mail-lb0-f182.google.com [209.85.217.182]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2C8458FC14 for ; Sun, 16 Sep 2012 09:42:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: by lbbgg13 with SMTP id gg13so4408732lbb.13 for ; Sun, 16 Sep 2012 02:42:19 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:sender:in-reply-to:references:from:date :x-google-sender-auth:message-id:subject:to:cc:content-type; bh=UZVxr3eXVULvO2uFpXVsWJ+cQEyDKDJkW4TyfFB9WJI=; b=n8ITm64rJzR9oHzq0rheLS0alqaFw8imaDih1QuIjpJocOXEJA3ZRB2NBIyouvHl3A sWAOlQA0Xc4Dv3PfEQW4ukM0WAjsyhXagGDJ/I9rGDUBY176WEQFOB4jmPSaN2RxHzS1 bNEmDGYnE6qmpc6iToMeAokmBYwef9dawmi0Qk2cfBjubCZBpgxvDvsldZ2d5Yv+e8oa PxOdGZbPDGMWW3SeAlfAc1j3OezuCM0+cwmuzviybvSmDOaPCpL1Ju3+kxE0hxT3ZasU TYRV+GyjLl3M8js7hVa2jmuIRKxeu3wj+3kOymXF2oZvc3b6XCJOLQacKE7CoGTNHJA2 NYYw== Received: by 10.112.26.197 with SMTP id n5mr2913448lbg.18.1347788539604; Sun, 16 Sep 2012 02:42:19 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 Sender: utisoft@gmail.com Received: by 10.112.43.199 with HTTP; Sun, 16 Sep 2012 02:41:49 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <201209160923.q8G9N3oJ085587@fire.js.berklix.net> References: <201209160923.q8G9N3oJ085587@fire.js.berklix.net> From: Chris Rees Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2012 10:41:49 +0100 X-Google-Sender-Auth: UxUzopR-9Wtr8FaIbnknY0xUk74 Message-ID: To: "Julian H. Stacey" Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Cc: Yuri , Benjamin Kaduk , freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Why fdisk can't open root disk with MBR for writing? X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2012 09:42:21 -0000 On 16 September 2012 10:23, Julian H. Stacey wrote: > This is a resend as Benjamin Kaduk > dropped the > Yuri > from CC line, & Yuri was the original first poster in thread who > my patch would presumably have helped. > > Reference: >> From: Benjamin Kaduk >> Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2012 14:49:41 -0400 (EDT) >> Message-id: > > Benjamin Kaduk wrote: >> On Sat, 15 Sep 2012, Julian H. Stacey wrote: >> >> > I have been applying this diff to my man fdisk: >> > >> > http://berklix.com/~jhs/src/bsd/fixes/FreeBSD/src/gen/sbin/fdisk/ >> > >> > *** 8.0-RELEASE/src/sbin/fdisk/fdisk.8 Sat Mar 14 22:32:16 2009 >> > --- new-generic/src/sbin/fdisk/fdisk.8 Sat Mar 14 22:35:10 2009 >> > *************** >> > *** 462,464 **** >> > --- 462,468 ---- >> > The >> > .Xr bsdlabel 8 >> > command must be used for this. >> > + .Pp >> > + When running multi user, you cannot write unless you first run this: >> > + .br >> > + sysctl kern.geom.debugflags=16 >> > >> > I never submitted it as a send-pr, >> > anyone think I should submit it to help save people ? >> >> We have had a long discussion about kern.geom.debugflags starting here: >> http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-current/2011-October/028090.html >> My understanding from that discussion is that your patch should not be >> accepted. > > Got to travel now, will read that thread later, > > A shame if we would leave fdisk crippled undocumented, when so easy > to doc. the solution. Fdisk is known across many OSs Unix & beyond, > our BSD tools may be better nicer, but fdisk it what many will first > reach for, > a shame not to help newer people & visitors used to fdisk. > We inside FreeBSD crippled fdisk by adding these flags. Outsiders > wont expect the weirdness & get impression FreeBSD has a bug. I think you have a point, but at the moment fdisk really doesn't work properly at all; I find so many people complaining on IRC about "Why doesn't fdisk work?" To be honest, I'd be happy with replacing fdisk with a huge warning "USE GPART!!"; fdisk isn't really standard anyway. The alternative of course is to fix fdisk... *properly*. Chris