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Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Problem installing FreeBSD, tragedy!
Message-ID: <CF6D73.KEJ@latcs1.lat.oz.au>
From: wongm@latcs1.lat.oz.au (M.C. Wong)
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1993 02:49:50 GMT
Organization: Comp Sci, La Trobe Uni, Australia
Lines: 156
Hi,
Once again I run into some unexpected problem when I tried to install
FreeBSD-1.0 Epsillon from scratch. Please help!
I was running 386bsd-0.1 (pk-0.2.4) before, and here is the config :
Hardware :
----------
CPU - 486DX/33,
BUS - ISA+VLB,
RAM - 16M
CARD - GDE4000VL PLUS (VLB ET4000, VGA/IDE and multi i/o card
Appian Chipset P928 FastPeripheral Interface)
VLB ET4000,
Conner Peripheral CP3544 (544MB) HDD,
2 Floppy drives,
COM1, COM2, LPT1, Game Port.
- AHA1542C
Micropolis 2112 (1.05G) HDD.
- 3C503
- I/O card (COM3, COM4, LPT2)
Software (initially):
---------------------
PFDISK partition :
geometry 1023 16 63 (cyls heads sectors)
# ID First(cyl) Last(cyl) Name # start, length(sectors)
1 6 0 304 DOSbig # 63, 307377
2 0 0 0 empty # 0, 0
3 0 0 0 empty # 0, 0
4 165 305 1022 386BSD # 307440. 723744
I tried to re-installed (ie not upgrad) FreeBSD 1.0 Epsillon from scratch
by deleting away partition 4 . and recreate partition of 200M (cyl 616-1023)
during installtion. I believe the geometry as reported by PFDISK are the ones
used by DOS, as well as recognized by BIOS, ie translated one.
So I proceed with booting up the kcopy-aha-floppy, and filesystem-floppy. Then
I was prompt to go on with installtion, and I answer yes, and it prompts me for
Drive type, I simplt accept the default, IDE! This is what happen :
<*1>
Frist, we need to know the drive type. This can be one of
ESDI, SCSI, ST506, or IDE
Drive type? [IDE] IDE <--- (I type it in followed by CR)
Disk is of device type wd.
Please wait. Examining drive /dev/rwd0d...
uid 0 on /:file system full
/: write failed, file system is full
Hm - we can't seem to read that drive
Are you sure that ST506 is the correct type? [n]
<**1>
If I answer n, it will simply go back to <*1> and start all over again, ie
stuck in the loop!
If I answer y, here is what happen :
<*1>
Well, since we can't even open it, there isn't much hope
.
.
. [some deleted]
Now we want to build a data base entry in /etc/disktab describing
the geometry of the /dev/wd0 disk. ...
.
.
. [some deleted]
Disk label name (one word, please)?[mfr_model] CP3544 <-- (I type)
FreeBSD should use the same hardisk geometry as used by other
operating systems on the hard disk.
Number of bytes per sector? [512] 512 <-- (I type, as reported by my original
386bsd disklabel)
Total number of disk cylinders ? [1024] <-- (I type, as reported by pfdisk
and BIOS at boot time)
Number of disk heads (i.e., tracks/cylinder)? [12] 16 <-- (I type, as reported
by pfdisk and BIOS)
Number of disk sectors (i.e., sectors/track)? [17] 63 <-- (I type, as above)
Partitions Offset* Size* Name
0 0 0 (unused)
0 0 0 (unused)
0 0 0 (unused)
0 0 0 (unused)
* Sizea and offsets are in units of cylinders.
WARNING: partition table is either missing or corrupt.
Existing partitions will be lost.
<**2>
Since I have backup my DOS, I just proceed, and I was prompted for
the size of the FreeBSD partition, offset into disk for start of FreeBSD
partition, and I worked out those figures according to the disk geometry
, ie 407 cyl (size), 616 cyl (offset).
Next I was prompted the size of root, swap and /usr etc, and it copy
somethins onto wd, and next I was prompted to halt the system and boot from
kcopy-aha-floppy again. I just followed and when I get the kc > prompt I
just follow the instructions to copy kernel to wd0. That takes some time and
I was instructed to halt and reboot from hard disk.
So, I think, that's great, I have got FreeBSD installed! So I tried to
boot off the hard disk, and yes the 3 line label appear and I press return to
accept the default boot, and it hangs there forever! So I reboot the system
using as DOS floppy to examine the partition layout of my disk using fdisk
, and yes it cuases tragedy, my DOS partition is wipped out, and FreeBSD
partition is the only parition (number 1) exists and the size is 5% of th
overall disk = 24M !!
I knew something was very very wrong. So I tried the whole installtion
process after recreating my DOS partition as before, and go back to <*1> above
and try use ESDI, and the same thing happend again. It always create FreeBSD
partition as 5% of 504MB, ie 24MB! and I have to start all over agiain, and I
tried this forat least 5 hrs, them I gave up.
One thing note mention is before trying to install FreebSD from scratch,
the GDE4000VL card Appian p928 chip setup are always correct, but everytime
after I re-installed FreeBSD following the steps above , all the P928
parameters are changed, and upon booting up, the set up firmware loads up
and expect some valid values to be changed back to the default!
Here are the parameter before and after I tried installing FreeBSD
as reported by Appian P928 chipset firmware FastPeripheral Interface SETUP
UTILITIES :
BEFORE AFTER
IDE I/O CMD CLOCK CYCLES : 7 CLKS 10
IDE I/O CMD RECOVERY TIME : 8 CLKS 10
VGA I/O CMD CLOCK CYCLES : 3 CLKS 4
VGA I/O CMD RECOVERY TIME : 9 CLKS 6
VGA MEM CMD CLOCK CYCLES : 3 CLKS 4
VGA MEM CMD RECOVERY TIME : 3 CLKS 4
So, I wonder if anyone of you have a clue what happens there ? Did I screw
up the disk drive geometry or disk drive type in early installation step ?
But I was following all of the geometry as reported by pfdisk run from within
DOS before. How can I go wrong ?
Please help , this is urgent and disaster!
Many thanks in advance, and email replies please!
- wongm@latcs1.lat.oz.au (M.C Wong)
--
- wongm@latcs1.lat.oz.au