Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2019 01:44:33 -0700 From: David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Convert MBR Partitions to GPT Message-ID: <448b8e19-5cd4-df63-ca7b-9170f3f839ba@holgerdanske.com> In-Reply-To: <1ef6d7eb-a7c9-2a5d-12b2-20c4ef255523@wavecable.com> References: <1ef6d7eb-a7c9-2a5d-12b2-20c4ef255523@wavecable.com>
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On 9/1/19 7:47 PM, Thomas D. Dean wrote: > I have 5 disk drives, with two (same) OS's. Actually, two drives have > Windows 7 and its secondary plex. From an earlier post: > > sata6g_1 HD0 SSD ubuntu 18.04 > sata6g_2 HD1 WD5000 Ubuntu 18.04 > sata3g_3 HD2 WD5000 windows 7 - not used > sata3g_4 HD3 WD5000 backup > sata3g_5 HD4 WD5000 windows 7 secondary plex- not used > sata3g_6 DVD DRW-24B3LT > sata6g_E1 (empty) > sata6g_E2 (empty) > > I plan to keep the SSD Ubuntu install until I can get FreeBSD up and > running the way I want. > > So, for now, I want to install FreeBSD on sata3g_5 HD4. > > My motherboard, ASUS P9X79 PRO has support for UEFI boot. > > Is it worth the effort to change everything to GPT, or, should I just > use GPT on the FreeBSD disk? I am leaning toward the later, but, ... > > I think the future has a SSD for FreeBSD. I have a SOHO LAN with several phones/ laptops/ pads/ pods, a few workstations, a file/ version control server, and a maintenance/ backup/ archive/ image server, running Windows XP/ Vista/ 7/ 10, macOS, iOS, FreeBSD, and Debian GNU/ Linux. I use MBR partitioning and one drive for each Windows, BSD, and GNU/ Linux operating system image, and install a hard drive mobile dock in each workstation and server. My typical BSD and Linux system images are 1 GB boot, 1 GB swap, and 10 GB root, and fit on 16+ GB devices (HDD, SSD, USB flash drives). My Windows images are on 180 GB SSD's. A key benefit of this approach is that I avoid issues related to motherboard firmware (BIOS/ EFI/ UEFI), drive partitioning (MBR/ GPT), and bootloaders/ multi-boot (Windows, BSD, GRUB). The only time I need to run CMOS setup is to change the hardware clock. When I want to install an OS, I wipe the system drive/ insert a wiped drive and run the installer in the most straight-forward fashion. (I use complete installer images on USB flash drives.) When I want to change OS's, I power down, remove the system drive, install another system drive, and power up. I use GPT partitioning only for 2+ TB drives -- e.g. data drives and backup/ archive/ image drives. If you are trying to do everything with one computer, do yourself a favor and get another computer (preferably workstation/ server class with ECC memory). Also, get several large internal HDD's and matching mobile dock bays and trays for backups, archives, and images; and rotate them -- live, near-site, off-site. Learn a scripting language and automate administrative chores. Finally, the BSD books by Michael W. Lucas are very practical and TDAIOTFOS2 by McKusick, et al, is definitive. David
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