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From: peter@citylink.dinoex.sub.org (Peter Much)
Subject: Re: Slight flame from Linux user
Keywords: Linux FreeBSD
Organization: Buero fuer Sektenforschung und Qualitaetspruefung in der Esoterik
Message-ID: <D9M4x6.J6J@citylink.dinoex.sub.org>
References: <3ql3gd$je2@bell.maths.tcd.ie>
Date: Sat, 3 Jun 1995 20:00:42 GMT
Lines: 55
In article <3ql3gd$je2@bell.maths.tcd.ie>,
Timothy Murphy <tim@maths.tcd.ie> wrote:
>Having had some problems ("fatal signal 11" syndrome)
>on my Linux Pentium, I thought I'd try FreeBSD
>to see if it behaved better.
>
>I set aside a 300MB partition,
>and started to install FreeBSD.
>Unfortunately, I wasn't sure exactly what was happening;
>and so, not wanting to lose my Linux partitions,
>I abandoned the effort.
[...]
>From my experience I would have to say
>that FreeBSD is not presently in a state
>where it could reasonably be recommended to a non-guru --
>as Linux can, in my view.
>
>May I suggest that something like the Linux guides (in LaTeX)
>and the Linux HOWTO documents
>is urgently needed by, and for, FreeBSD ?
Want a written recipe? Well, I came to:
1. Use Linux fdisk to make up a FreeBSD partition, with typebyte a5 (unknown).
Nothing else needed, FreeBSD will divide it by itself.
Hold Your Linux boot-diskette handy since the installation might likely
overwrite the MBR (that is, Lilo).
2. Do Your FreeBSD installation onto that partition. FreeBSD will find it
by the typebyte and (hopefully - but You did make a backup, anyway) stay
inside it.
3. At the point when You shall reboot from harddisk, boot from the linux-
bootfloppy instead. Then under Linux, add another label "freebsd" to
Your Lilo-config, in the same format You would use for a DOS partition.
Name there the linux-device-path to the Partition with typebyte a5.
4. Rerun lilo to recreate the MBR.
5. Reboot from harddisk. You should get the additional freebsd option from
Lilo, and be able to boot linux as before. Then boot freebsd and continue
with the FreeBSD installation.
Summary: Lilo's view of a *BSD partition seems the same as of a DOS
partition.
Comment: If the FreeBSD installation did not succeed, i.e. did not write
it's boot-code to the appropriate place, lilo will report an error message.
In this case, put out the addidtional entry from the lilo-config and then
rerun lilo, to be able to boot linux again from hd.
General Comment: The *BSD install disks should make the decision more clear,
if the disklabel+bootcode will be written on the MBR, or inside the assig-
ned partition (or both).
Peter
--
Write to: Peter Much * Koelnische Str. 22 * D-34117 Kassel * +49-561-774961
peter@citylink.dinoex.sub.org much@hrz.uni-kassel.de p.much@asco.nev.sub.de