From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Oct 16 00:09:26 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 632A5DEA for ; Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:09:26 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from freebsd@edvax.de) Received: from mx01.qsc.de (mx01.qsc.de [213.148.129.14]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1E3238FC0C for ; Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:09:26 +0000 (UTC) Received: from r56.edvax.de (port-92-195-110-131.dynamic.qsc.de [92.195.110.131]) by mx01.qsc.de (Postfix) with ESMTP id 17C703CE53; Tue, 16 Oct 2012 02:09:24 +0200 (CEST) Received: from r56.edvax.de (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by r56.edvax.de (8.14.5/8.14.5) with SMTP id q9G09NBv002053; Tue, 16 Oct 2012 02:09:23 +0200 (CEST) (envelope-from freebsd@edvax.de) Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 02:09:23 +0200 From: Polytropon To: Jos Chrispijn Subject: Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2) Message-Id: <20121016020923.68d15b3f.freebsd@edvax.de> In-Reply-To: <507C21EB.2040908@webrz.net> References: <5079ABFA.8050607@webrz.net> <20121013210513.80676821.freebsd@edvax.de> <507AFEEC.2030609@webrz.net> <201210142129.24479.jmc-freebsd2@milibyte.co.uk> <507BC823.9060606@webrz.net> <20121015120321.21ff48f4.freebsd@edvax.de> <507C21EB.2040908@webrz.net> Organization: EDVAX X-Mailer: Sylpheed 3.1.1 (GTK+ 2.24.5; i386-portbld-freebsd8.2) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list Reply-To: Polytropon List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:09:26 -0000 On Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:47:07 +0200, Jos Chrispijn wrote: > Polytropon: > > Per definition, you can only mark one slice bootable. If you manage to > > mark more than one slice bootable, the start loader (from BIOS) will > > boot into the first one it finds, and that will possibly be the one of > > the 1st slice. > I know, but I was referring to the update installation of a new BSD > version; if I have installed it on the empty slice, I only have to make > that slice bootable (and removing that function from the original one). > Does that make sense (still in Windows mode here J-) ? That would work, and could be performed easily even using the slice editor of the sysinstall program. Of course, make sure that all partition references work properly for _each_ slice. Using labels is a comfortable way to achieve this. But it would be no problem to use the device names (as long as the disk won't be moved). For example: Slice 1: Installation OS 8.2 -> boots to /dev/ad0s1a (kernel is in ad0s1a:/boot/kernel) -> performs root mount of /dev/ad0s1a -> mounts OS partitions /dev/ad0s1[defg] -> mounts data partition /dev/ad0s3 Slice 2: Installation OS 9.0 -> boots to /dev/ad0s2a (kernel is in ad0s2a:/boot/kernel) -> performs root mount of /dev/ad0s2a -> mounts OS partitions /dev/ad0s2[defg] -> mounts data partition /dev/ad0s3 Slice 3: Users' home directories You also use the fdisk command to set the active partition manually, or write a short skript that "flips the switch" to boot from "the other slice" the next time (comparable to the nextboot command in relation to kernels); see "man fdisk" for details. That won't work in "Windows" mode, as you cannot click on the slice. :-) -- Polytropon Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...