Date: Tue, 26 Nov 1996 12:44:14 -0600 (CST) From: Joe Greco <jgreco@brasil.moneng.mei.com> To: bde@zeta.org.au (Bruce Evans) Cc: jgreco@brasil.moneng.mei.com, mark@grondar.za, freebsd-current@FreeBSD.org, jkh@time.cdrom.com, joerg_wunsch@uriah.heep.sax.de, phk@critter.tfs.com, rgrimes@GndRsh.aac.dev.com Subject: Re: 2.2-ALPHA install failure Message-ID: <199611261844.MAA17367@brasil.moneng.mei.com> In-Reply-To: <199611260122.MAA19052@godzilla.zeta.org.au> from "Bruce Evans" at Nov 26, 96 12:22:12 pm
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> >My standard procedure is to use a DOS boot disk to > > > >fdisk /mbr > >fdisk <= create DOS partition > >format <drive>: > > > >and then boot FreeBSD. I have never had a problem with sysinstall that > >I can recall, when doing this... it always "discovers" a usable geometry. > > This won't work with geometry-detecting SCSI BIOSes if the partition > table has suitable non-garbage in it. Try it with a X/1/1 prepared by > a previous installation of FreeBSD. The kernel must be kept entirely > below 512KB for booting with such a geometry. Well, all I can say is that I can not recall ever having any problems once I have done this... I will tuck away the rest of this for future reference... :-) sounds like a lot of work :-( > >I will probably switch to Rod's X/64/32 thing for SCSI disks, as I have > >used that occasionally in the past and never seemed to have any problems, > >but I wasn't too sure about it. > > The kernel must be kept entirely below 1GB for booting with a X/64/32 > geometry. This is usually arranged by keeping the boot partition entirely > below 1GB. > > My standard procedure for new SCSI disks is to use a FreeBSD boot disk to: > > boot with -v > note (vendor-supplied) geometry for future reference > back up MBR for future reference > write 0's to MBR > reboot > boot with -v > note default geometry for future reference > fdisk. Specify a geometry of X/255/63. Create a dummy partition with > start = 63 and size = ((some multiple of 255*63) - 63). > reboot > boot with -v > fdisk. Check that geometry is now X/255/63. If not, try another geometry... > fdisk, sysinstall: enter this geometry if the default is wrong. The default > is likely to be wrong only if you've cleared the dummy partition. > > new IDE disks is easier: > > run BIOS setup and choose the biggest available geometry > boot with -v and check that this geometry is used > fdisk, sysinstall: enter this geometry if the default is wrong. The default > is likely to be wrong if you haven't entered a dummy partition or if the > partition table has garbage in it. > > For disks with existing partitions that must be preserved: > > boot with -v and note the current geometry > run fdisk or sysinstall and check that the default geometry is the same. If > it is different, then you have a serious configuration error (perhaps for > a dedicated disk :-). Fix it before continuing. > > Bruce >
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