Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 21:21:06 +0100 From: Ross Kendall Axe <ross@axe.homelinux.net> To: Alex Zbyslaw <xfb52@dial.pipex.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: /boot on a separate partition Message-ID: <42DEB232.60105@axe.homelinux.net> In-Reply-To: <42DE2029.3090805@dial.pipex.com> References: <42DC1173.6020307@axe.homelinux.net> <20050718142635.E7170@border.crystalsphere.multiverse> <42DC53BE.6040205@axe.homelinux.net> <6.1.0.6.2.20050718190554.11fe1e10@cobalt.antimatter.net> <Pine.LNX.4.62.0507190324550.2953@purplehaze.axe.homelinux.net> <42DCC88E.1010207@dial.pipex.com> <42DDF7A2.8050206@axe.homelinux.net> <42DE2029.3090805@dial.pipex.com>
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Alex Zbyslaw wrote: > Ross Kendall Axe wrote: > >> I admit, I didn't know the /boot was new in FreeBSD, but then, I am a >> BSD virgin. As for reasons to support a /boot partition, how about BIOS >> bugs/quirks? There's no shortage of those. > > Well, until someone proves otherwise, I don't believe in them anymore. > I believe they *used* to exist, but that comments about "cannot boot > past cyl 1024" only exist in documentation because this *used* to be > true and no-one really knows whether it can safely be deleted, so it's > left in. Sure, if you get an old enough PC it could still be true, but > as you've proved (congrats, by the way, enjoy FreeBSD) the oldest PC you > considered it worth installing FreeBSD on did not have this problem. The situation certainly has improved. _New_ machines generally work perfectly. On the other hand, I have a Celeron machine from 1998 here that hangs at bootup if the BIOS spots a >32GB drive. Still quite old, I know, but I view getting the most out of old hardware as one of the advantages of free OSes. I don't see the BIOS problem ever fully going away until the BIOS is as replaceable as the OS. Still, it shouldn't be the job of the OS to fix that. > Your 486 might have this trouble, then then it would probably have > trouble addressing a disk that big at all. (Btw, there are minimum > memory requirements for 5.X, 32Mb?, if you ever do decide to try FreeBSD > on that 486). It just happens that this 486 has exactly 32MB of RAM, so.... ;-) >>> The oldest PC I have that runs FreeBSD (also a Pentium) has a 4 and an >>> 8Gb disk, and no problem booting off the ends of either. >> >> >> Pffft. I've got a 486 with a 1/4GB hard disk around here _somewhere_. >> >> > I didn't mean that as a pissing contest :-) I just meant that there > must be bucketloads of PCs out there similar to yours, unused, unwanted > and unloved, that could do what you thought yours couldn't. I know what you mean. People will quite happily throw away stuff just because they got something better. I don't because I enjoy making good stuff out of would-be junk :-) > I've never used it myself, but NetBSD gets mentioned as a suitable OS > for a router. I stick with FreeBSD just for compatibility across all my > machines, but if you're interested in trying stuff out you might want to > see what it offers. > > --Alex > Trying stuff out is what I'm here for. I'd noticed I'd started talking about Linux like it was the only OS in the universe, so I thought I'd broaden my mind a little. Ross -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.7 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFC3rIw9bR4xmappRARAv6+AJ90T+Fx16Fwirqp9SL46e3Kssb4xgCgyHl5 SjiaPrSHstmdG/6Ellpjyuo= =7EQW -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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