From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Aug 2 21:43:45 2014 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [8.8.178.115]) (using TLSv1 with cipher ADH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id E99F11D0 for ; Sat, 2 Aug 2014 21:43:45 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mx02.qsc.de (mx02.qsc.de [213.148.130.14]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (Client did not present a certificate) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id A9F9021F7 for ; Sat, 2 Aug 2014 21:43:45 +0000 (UTC) Received: from r56.edvax.de (port-92-195-69-249.dynamic.qsc.de [92.195.69.249]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mx02.qsc.de (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 7D4AD24C70; Sat, 2 Aug 2014 23:43:43 +0200 (CEST) Received: from r56.edvax.de (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by r56.edvax.de (8.14.5/8.14.5) with SMTP id s72Lhh9J003107; Sat, 2 Aug 2014 23:43:43 +0200 (CEST) (envelope-from freebsd@edvax.de) Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2014 23:43:43 +0200 From: Polytropon To: "William A. Mahaffey III" Subject: Re: FreeBSD 9.3 new install problems .... Message-Id: <20140802234343.c4243aae.freebsd@edvax.de> In-Reply-To: <53DD533D.7090700@hiwaay.net> References: <53DAFCF2.2070909@hiwaay.net> <53DB9797.1010702@hiwaay.net> <20140801164335.GA16376@slackbox.erewhon.home> <53DBF71D.3080807@hiwaay.net> <20140801232843.GB17393@slackbox.erewhon.home> <53DCF32A.30700@hiwaay.net> <20140802185442.GA28910@slackbox.erewhon.home> <53DD533D.7090700@hiwaay.net> Reply-To: Polytropon Organization: EDVAX X-Mailer: Sylpheed 3.1.1 (GTK+ 2.24.5; i386-portbld-freebsd8.2) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: FreeBSD Questions !!!! X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.18 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 21:43:46 -0000 On Sat, 02 Aug 2014 16:08:13 -0500, William A. Mahaffey III wrote: > P.S. sorry for me klutzy nomenclature, I am calling /dev/ada0p3 a > partition, when as you correctly observe it is a device .... my bad, & > maybe the source of confusion in my posts :-/ .... You're _not_ doing it wrong. :-) The _file_ /dev/ada0p3 represents a GPT partition (the 3rd GPT partition of the 1st SATA disk). It's valid to refer to /dev/ada0p3 as a partition. A partition carries a file system. For comparison: /dev/ad0s1 would be called a slice, which is synonymous for a "DOS primary partition", or MBR partition. The _real_ partition carrying a file system would be /dev/ad0s1a, for example (the 1st partition of the 1st slice of the 1st ATA disk). If a dedicated approach would have been taken, i. e., the slicing part omitted, /dev/ad0a would be a partition (the 1st partition of the 1st ATA disk). While a slice can carry many partitions (file systems) - 'a' = bootable, 'b' = swap, 'c' = the whole thing, 'd', 'e' and so on -, a GPT partition only carries one partition (a file system) - 'c', and this letter is simply omitted. ad0, da0, ada0 -> disk ad0p1 -> GPT partition ad0s1 -> MBR partition = slice (carries partitions) ad0s1a, ad0s1d -> partition ad0a -> bootable partition (dedicated) ad0 -> partition (dedicated, "data partition"), it's ad0c Note that all non-GPT partitioning has little meaning today, but it's worth knowing the difference and history in order to use the correct terminology with confidence. :-) -- Polytropon Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...