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Date:      Tue, 22 Nov 2022 12:50:09 -0700
From:      Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com>
To:        Alan Somers <asomers@freebsd.org>
Cc:        John Kennedy <warlock@phouka.net>, FreeBSD FS <freebsd-fs@freebsd.org>,  Nathan Whitehorn <nwhitehorn@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: UEFI question
Message-ID:  <CANCZdfo7Zixx%2Bd_DkVi3ymbEjtd=f1yFYyJmMixjGCSFyP8h%2Bw@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <CAOtMX2g4-2PPTSSP-SfrG8m7gQDDqP0J%2BuwOKKutiQxryye6sw@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <20220531123221.n7ubs365ceeqo2d4@x1> <YpYzbgexVa0mULas@phouka1.phouka.net> <CAOtMX2g4-2PPTSSP-SfrG8m7gQDDqP0J%2BuwOKKutiQxryye6sw@mail.gmail.com>

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On Tue, Nov 22, 2022, 11:42 AM Alan Somers <asomers@freebsd.org> wrote:

> On Tue, May 31, 2022 at 9:27 AM John Kennedy <warlock@phouka.net> wrote:
> >
> > On Tue, May 31, 2022 at 02:32:21PM +0200, Julien Cigar wrote:
> > > I have a Dell R340 server on which installed a 13.0-RELEASE and then
> > > upgraded to 13.1-RELEASE (through freebsd-update). ZFS is used
> (raidz2).
> > >
> > > The system has the following partitions:
> https://gist.github.com/silenius/2defdd5480c5c1bc9ba2ff8940756466
> > > Some things regarding UEFI are not clear to me:
> > > - as you can see in the partition list, the installer created an EFI
> > > partition on all 4 drives, however it looks like only the first one has
> > > has been populated (an mounted):
> https://gist.github.com/silenius/1220c953f905d868c1615fd0e7122bbf .. why ?
> > > - if I understand well if my da0 disk dies the system becomes
> > >   unbootable (
> https://gist.github.com/silenius/51d202053295270eaaeb2c02316165ee)..
> correct?
> > > - what's the correct way to fix this? should I newfs_msdos on each EFI
> > >   partition and copy /boot/loader.efi as /EFI/BOOT/BOOTX64.EFI? or
> > >   should I use efibootmgr?
> > >
> > > Thanks for enlightening me :)
> >
> > I use UEFI to multi-boot a lot myself, but not through efibootmgr (vs
> > picking it via UEFI/BIOS on boot manually).  I'm multi-booting windows
> > and FreeBSD, so I'm being (justifiably) paranoid, but not based on
> > being burnt in recent memory.
> >
> > Depending on how your system works (drives are enumerated at startup),
> > in theory any of your disks could be da0.  If you've only got a working
> > EFI partition on one, that is probably hedging your bets a bit but yes,
> > if that drive died, you'd probably be dead.
> >
> > In my dual-disk setups, I'd see an EFI and a freebsd-boot (BIOS)
> partition
> > on both disks, I split my total swap between the two (not mirrored), and
> > did ZFS "raiding" (mirroring-ish, usually) across the freebsd-zfs
> partitions.
> >
> > In my case, using the UEFI/BIOS from the motherboard, I could manually
> > pick a disk to boot from which let me vet UEFI or ZFS bootblock changes
> > for sanity before committing to both.  But yes, I'd upgrade them both to
> > the same thing once I was sure it would work.
>
> I just noticed the same problem.  For mirrored installs, the
> 13.1-RELEASE installer only formats the efi partition on one hard
> disk.  Shouldn't it do both?
>


We go back and forth on this question.... I think we should, but others got
grumpy when I suggested it. Maybe just all the drives in the zpool used for
the BE?

Warner

>

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<div dir=3D"auto"><div><br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" =
class=3D"gmail_attr">On Tue, Nov 22, 2022, 11:42 AM Alan Somers &lt;<a href=
=3D"mailto:asomers@freebsd.org">asomers@freebsd.org</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div=
><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1=
px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">On Tue, May 31, 2022 at 9:27 AM John Kenned=
y &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:warlock@phouka.net" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"norefe=
rrer">warlock@phouka.net</a>&gt; wrote:<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; On Tue, May 31, 2022 at 02:32:21PM +0200, Julien Cigar wrote:<br>
&gt; &gt; I have a Dell R340 server on which installed a 13.0-RELEASE and t=
hen<br>
&gt; &gt; upgraded to 13.1-RELEASE (through freebsd-update). ZFS is used (r=
aidz2).<br>
&gt; &gt;<br>
&gt; &gt; The system has the following partitions: <a href=3D"https://gist.=
github.com/silenius/2defdd5480c5c1bc9ba2ff8940756466" rel=3D"noreferrer nor=
eferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://gist.github.com/silenius/2defdd5480c5c1b=
c9ba2ff8940756466</a><br>
&gt; &gt; Some things regarding UEFI are not clear to me:<br>
&gt; &gt; - as you can see in the partition list, the installer created an =
EFI<br>
&gt; &gt; partition on all 4 drives, however it looks like only the first o=
ne has<br>
&gt; &gt; has been populated (an mounted): <a href=3D"https://gist.github.c=
om/silenius/1220c953f905d868c1615fd0e7122bbf" rel=3D"noreferrer noreferrer"=
 target=3D"_blank">https://gist.github.com/silenius/1220c953f905d868c1615fd=
0e7122bbf</a> .. why ?<br>
&gt; &gt; - if I understand well if my da0 disk dies the system becomes<br>
&gt; &gt;=C2=A0 =C2=A0unbootable (<a href=3D"https://gist.github.com/sileni=
us/51d202053295270eaaeb2c02316165ee)" rel=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=
=3D"_blank">https://gist.github.com/silenius/51d202053295270eaaeb2c02316165=
ee)</a>.. correct?<br>
&gt; &gt; - what&#39;s the correct way to fix this? should I newfs_msdos on=
 each EFI<br>
&gt; &gt;=C2=A0 =C2=A0partition and copy /boot/loader.efi as /EFI/BOOT/BOOT=
X64.EFI? or<br>
&gt; &gt;=C2=A0 =C2=A0should I use efibootmgr?<br>
&gt; &gt;<br>
&gt; &gt; Thanks for enlightening me :)<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; I use UEFI to multi-boot a lot myself, but not through efibootmgr (vs<=
br>
&gt; picking it via UEFI/BIOS on boot manually).=C2=A0 I&#39;m multi-bootin=
g windows<br>
&gt; and FreeBSD, so I&#39;m being (justifiably) paranoid, but not based on=
<br>
&gt; being burnt in recent memory.<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; Depending on how your system works (drives are enumerated at startup),=
<br>
&gt; in theory any of your disks could be da0.=C2=A0 If you&#39;ve only got=
 a working<br>
&gt; EFI partition on one, that is probably hedging your bets a bit but yes=
,<br>
&gt; if that drive died, you&#39;d probably be dead.<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; In my dual-disk setups, I&#39;d see an EFI and a freebsd-boot (BIOS) p=
artition<br>
&gt; on both disks, I split my total swap between the two (not mirrored), a=
nd<br>
&gt; did ZFS &quot;raiding&quot; (mirroring-ish, usually) across the freebs=
d-zfs partitions.<br>
&gt;<br>
&gt; In my case, using the UEFI/BIOS from the motherboard, I could manually=
<br>
&gt; pick a disk to boot from which let me vet UEFI or ZFS bootblock change=
s<br>
&gt; for sanity before committing to both.=C2=A0 But yes, I&#39;d upgrade t=
hem both to<br>
&gt; the same thing once I was sure it would work.<br>
<br>
I just noticed the same problem.=C2=A0 For mirrored installs, the<br>
13.1-RELEASE installer only formats the efi partition on one hard<br>
disk.=C2=A0 Shouldn&#39;t it do both?<br></blockquote></div></div><div dir=
=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">We go bac=
k and forth on this question.... I think we should, but others got grumpy w=
hen I suggested it. Maybe just all the drives in the zpool used for the BE?=
</div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">Warner</div><div dir=3D=
"auto"><div class=3D"gmail_quote"><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=
=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
</blockquote></div></div></div>

--0000000000007a15c505ee147bcb--



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