There is no partitioning required for FBA disks. (Though, last I checked, a PC partition table would be honored, if present.)
What normally happens is that the FBA driver fakes a "partition one". This is useful because some tools are built so that some kind of partition is expected. For example, the installer may presume partitions (ie: dasdx1 instead of dasdx). In absense of a real partition table, the FBA DASD driver presents /dev/dasdx1 at an offset (12k, if i recall correctly) into the disk /dev/dasdx. Don't try to delete these automatic partitions. Even if you don't want them, just let them be for the moment. While partitioning is required on CDL ECKD disks, it is not required on FBA disks. Once you get past the installer, you may be able to live happily on /dev/dasdx instead of /dev/dasdx1, but you'll probably have to get their manually. Low level formatting is, of coruse, impossible. There simply are no tracks or records (or counts or keys). It's just blocks. Higher level formatting includes either 'mkfs' or 'pvcreate', whichever you prefer. Again, the installer may REQUIRE /dev/dasdx1 pseudo partitioning. Sad, but true. -- R; <>< On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 14:08, Keith Gooding <[email protected]> wrote: > Thank you for you quick reply Mark. > > I am not using AutoYast so it must be a manual install - I just created the > parmfile and used the sample VM exec provided with the Redbook to punch the > kernel+parmfile+intrdr and ipl from the card reader. I can see the FBA devices > on the DASD Disk Management screen and they appear as type 9336 with > 'formatted=yes' after I click 'activate'. The install fails if I try to format > them. On the subsequent 'Installations Settings' panel under "Partitioning" > there is a red message "No automatic proposal possible.Specify mount points in > the 'Partitioner' dialogue". It seems to think there is a full-volume > partition > /dev/dasda1 etc on each volume (I have not created any partitions) and an > attempt to delete the partition results in message 'Operation not permitted on > disk /dev/dasda. The partitioning on your disk is either not readable by partd > or is not supported by this tool. etc. I used 'expert' mode to delete the > partition before adding new ones but eventually the install filed with > 'unsupported disk type'. > > Maybe I should consider Autoyast as a way to set up (near) clones. I found > that > using native FCP was awkward when making clones and VM EDEVICES seemed to > provide an easier method (I am not sure how inefficient edevices are but in > many > cases it does not matter) > > Keith Gooding > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Mark Post <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Tue, 31 August, 2010 18:11:44 > Subject: Re: Installing SLES 10 SP3 on z/VM emulated FBA disks > >>>> On 8/31/2010 at 01:00 PM, Keith Gooding <[email protected]> wrote: >> Has anyone had any success in installing SLES 10 onto z/VM emulated 9336 >> mini-disks ?. I have been trying to follow the IBM 'SLES 10 SP2 Cookbook' >> Redbook, but using emulated FBA (9336) mini-disks instead ECKD disks. But >> the >> installer only appears to support CKD disks or iSCSI (or ZFCP?) disks. >> >> Or should I give up and use CKD for the system and emulated FBA for other >> file >> systems ? > > Are you trying to use AutoYaST, or are you doing a manual install? If a > manual > install, you should be seeing the FBA devices in the activation screen. If an > AutoYaST install, then you might have run into Bug 591601 - Unable to get > AutoYaST to successfully use FBA DASD for LVM PVs. > > > Mark Post > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit > http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For more information on Linux on System z, visit > http://wiki.linuxvm.org/ > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit > http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For more information on Linux on System z, visit > http://wiki.linuxvm.org/ > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For LINUX-390 subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO LINUX-390 or visit http://www.marist.edu/htbin/wlvindex?LINUX-390 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information on Linux on System z, visit http://wiki.linuxvm.org/
