Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2000 17:03:56 +0100 From: Stijn Hoop <stijn@win.tue.nl> To: FreeBSD <freebsd@kiwi-computer.com> Cc: Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group <Cy.Schubert@uumail.gov.bc.ca>, stable@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Removal of Disklabel Message-ID: <20001120170356.C74393@pcwin002.win.tue.nl> In-Reply-To: <200011201458.IAA44992@KIWI-Computer.com>; from freebsd@kiwi-computer.com on Mon, Nov 20, 2000 at 08:58:50AM -0600 References: <200011201332.eAKDWTB68389@cwsys.cwsent.com> <200011201458.IAA44992@KIWI-Computer.com>
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On Mon, Nov 20, 2000 at 08:58:50AM -0600, FreeBSD wrote: > The problem with the fdisk slices is that there is only room for 4 ... > disklabel gives us 8, no wait.. 6 if you have a swap and 5 if you don't. > > I've never been a fan of this. May I make a recommendation (flame away, > boys): redo disklabel while we're at it. it seems counter-intuitive to > me, as well as wasteful, to make partition "c" the whole disk and skip "d" > altogether. IMHO, "da0s1" should refer to the whole disk, "da0s1a" should > be the first physical partition, "da0s1b" the second partition, etc. down > to "h". This gives us 8 partitions of any type: swap or FS. Hear, hear! I would really like to see this. Installing FreeBSD is that much more confusing due to the two-layered hierarchy... And even more so due to the conventions with the partitions (c, d, etc). If we cannot do away with the two layers, at least make the second layer more intuitive. What argument, other than 'it's been this way for ages' is there for the confusing a-h convention? And what arguments are there for disklabel on the i386 anyway? I'd like to see FreeBSD do the same as Linux on the i386 - use only the partition table, along with extended partitions. Do away with disklabel *on that platform*. Yes of course the alpha would differ from i386 in disk geometry then. But since the differences in setting up the alpha/i386 are already there, why the pretense in keeping them 'the same'? One of the most FAQs I've heard from linux'ees that tried FreeBSD is 'why can't I install to an extended partition?' Fact is when I hear that question, I also wonder myself... Please note that I do not consider myself to be more than just a face in the crowd so don't take my opinions as informed ones. I'm also not looking to start a major flame war. I just want to know why it's been done the way it is. --Stijn To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message
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