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Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2013 12:21:14 -0700 (MST)
From: Warren Block <wblock@wonkity.com>
To: "Mike." <the.lists@mgm51.com>
Subject: re: [10.0RC2] partition labels during install
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On Mon, 23 Dec 2013, Mike. wrote:

> On 12/22/2013 at 1:56 PM Warren Block wrote:
>
> |On Sun, 22 Dec 2013, Mike. wrote:
> |
> |> OK, I looked and did not see anything under /dev/ufs or
> |> /dev/gpt.
> |
> |> I'll use glabel outside of the bsdinstall process to put
> labels
> |> on the partitions.  I've used that process on another box,
> and
> |> it works fine.
> |
> |Both GPT and UFS labels do not take up extra metadata space
> that can be
> |overwritten if the user is not careful about devices.  You did
> not say
> |whether this was a GPT disk, but UFS labels are fine also.
> |
> |In other words: don't use generic glabels unless there is no
> other
> |choice.
> =============
>
> I followed the example here:
>
> http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/geom-gl
> abel.html#idp80664496
>
> with results similar (i.e., /dev/label/rootfs , etc. ) to those
> in the example.

That will work, but is not as nice as GPT labels.

>> You did not say whether this was a GPT disk,
>
> Is there a way to check this?

The first line of 'gpart show' output for a disk identifies the 
partitioning scheme:
   % gpart show ada0
   =>       34  500118125  ada0  GPT  (238G)
   ...

GPT labels can be set with 'gpart modify -l mynewlabel ...'.  On MBR, I 
use UFS labels where possible, and glabel only where the partition has 
no built-in metadata, like swap.