Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 14:26:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Julian Elischer <julian@elischer.org> To: Mark Valentine <mark@thuvia.demon.co.uk> Cc: Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@critter.freebsd.dk>, "M. Warner Losh" <imp@bsdimp.com>, freebsd-arch@freebsd.org Subject: Re: cvs commit: src/lib/libdisk Makefile chunk.c write_alpha_disk.c write_i386_disk.c write_pc98_disk.c Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0210251415390.7147-100000@InterJet.elischer.org> In-Reply-To: <200210252110.g9PLAsxP081665@dotar.thuvia.org>
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On Fri, 25 Oct 2002, Mark Valentine wrote: > > From: Julian Elischer <julian@elischer.org> > > Date: Fri 25 Oct, 2002 > > Subject: Re: cvs commit: src/lib/libdisk Makefile chunk.c write_alpha_disk.c write_i386_disk.c write_pc98_disk.c > > > On Fri, 25 Oct 2002, Mark Valentine wrote: > > > The GEOM naming scheme therefore removes my ability to specify the partition > > > in the most natural way for this platform. > > > > I dispute that. > > The install code has been using ad0s1a for about 5 years I think. > > That doesn't make it correct. I fix it when it bites me. > > > Very few systems have ad0a in /etc/fstab as we specifically have been > > telling people to not do that for ages.. > > My fstab is the way it is because otherwise I have problems, due to a > mismatch between the way FreeBSD sees the MBR partition table and the > way the rest of the world does. In other words, you ignored the warnings for 5 years and instead of explaining teh problem to people that could think about what is needed, you just covered it up using somethign we've been telling you not to do. Ok, so, better late than never.. exactly WHY do you need to use ad0a (or whatever)? I can't think of any reasons for keeping that old compat stuff other than giving people more time to fix their fstabs. Enlighten me.. > > There is currently a mechanism for making FreeBSD play ball better with > the systems it shares a disk with. > > GEOM in its current state removes this mechanism, with no replacement. I fail to see how using ad0a makes it play better with other systems. > > > Most systems other than BSD and Linux only ever see their own > > partitions. We are trying to set things up so we can > > read anything anywhere any time. > > > > Anyway I had a machine where the -current root partition was ad1s4e. > > How does the old scheme help me? ad1s3 was also a BSD slice (FBSD3.x) > > You're simply describing the obscure usage I mentioned earlier. Modulo > the 8 partition limit, there's nothing here a single disklabel can't do; > in fact that's all we have on most BSD platforms. in which case it's correct naming would be ad0a ad0b ad0c ad0d etc. and GEOM isn't going to change that. > > > if you don't know where your root is you are in trouble. > > I know where my root is - it's BSD partition 'a' on the MBR partition of > type 0xa5. There is no guarantee as to which partition table entry might > refer to that partition at any given time. That is not my choice, it's > based on the assumptions made by DOS (which originally implemented the > MBR partition table). If you are going to repartition your disk, then fix the fstab before you reboot for goodness' sake! It's not so complicated! It still doesn't help you to have the shortcut if you decide to reuse an earlier partition as extra BSD storage. > > All I need is a way to tell the system where it is so that my FreeBSD > systems will continue to boot. it's on ad0s3a or where-ever you put it. If you can't remember where you put it, well, that's not something we are going to break a good abstraction for. This is a case that will happen 4 times a year in the entire world in my opinion. Once with you and 3 times with bruce because he will want to prove it's a problem. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-arch" in the body of the message
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