Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:45:33 -0600 From: Tim Judd <tajudd@gmail.com> To: Michael David Crawford <mdc@prgmr.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Partitioning for multiple systems Message-ID: <ade45ae90904261445g719a7770va12416f434ec43ef@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <49F4ABB3.6000808@prgmr.com> References: <49F4ABB3.6000808@prgmr.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Sun, Apr 26, 2009 at 12:45 PM, Michael David Crawford <mdc@prgmr.com>wrote: > I have a machine I plan to use solely for testing. I have FreeBSD > 8.0-CURRENT on it right now, and would like to add FreeBSD 7.2-RC2 as well > as CentOS 5.3 Linux. > > Presently I have three Master Boot Record primary partitions - "slices" in > the FreeBSD parlance, if I understand correctly: > > - A Linux slice to be used for CentOS' /boot > - A BSD slice subdivided into partitions that hold 8.0-CURRENT > - A big FAT slice (so to speak) meant to be split up for 7.2 and CentOS > > A PC-style Master Boot Record can hold a maximum of four primary > partitions, or it can hold three primaries and a single extended partition > that is subdivided into logical partitions. > FreeBSD's standard bootloader (not boot0) will only boot off the first 0xA5/dec.165 partition it finds. I've never tried multibooting with boot0. I don't recall FreeBSD supporting extended partitions... at all The 4-entry MBR will be the problem GPT (GEOM Partition Table) bumps that limit up to like 127 entries. you'd have to use an external non-native (terms of boot0 versus 'standard') boot loader to start working. You might utilize a 5.25" HDD enclosure as a solution to run multiple OSs on a box. The enclosures are pretty inexpensive and I have enjoyed working them that way. > The geometries of the logical partitions aren't given in the MBR, but exist > as a linked list. > > I *should* be able to split that FAT slice up into a primary for 7.2 and an > extended partition that will hold CentOS' other partitions; however: > > In Googling about this, I have read some dire warnings about FreeBSD being > unable to understand logical partitions; apparently installing FreeBSD > *before* an extended partition will result in all your logicals getting > trashed. One is advised to put all the FreeBSD MBR partitions *after* the > extended partition. > > Is that the case? Have you any advice for me? > > One more thing: if it's possible, I'd like for the /home directory to be > shared between both of my FreeBSD installations. In a normal installation, > there is a real /usr/home directory, with /home being a symbolic link. > > If I'm running FreeBSD out of one MBR partition (or slice), can I mount a > directory that's in a different one? > > Thanks for your help! >
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?ade45ae90904261445g719a7770va12416f434ec43ef>