"... use it for serious work." Hah, sure bro. Seems more like you're just trying to set a personal record for most bootable OSes on a single system.
On Fri, Jul 14, 2023 at 12:03 AM Rob Schmersel <r...@schmersel.net> wrote: > On Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:53:24 -0500 (EDT) > "Jay F. Shachter" <j...@m5.chicago.il.us> wrote: > > > Esteemed Colleagues: > > > > Every time I install OpenBSD (the latest version, 7.3), it trashes > > GRUB, and renders my computer unbootable. I am guessing, and please > > correct me if I am wrong, that this is because OpenBSD puts its > > subpartition table in disk storage that has not been given to it. > > > > The internal hard drive is an MBR-partitioned disk belonging to a > > computer that is configured to do Legacy boot. Microsoft Windows, > > Linux, and Haiku are already installed. Microsoft Windows uses all > > three primary partitions for itself, because that is what Windows > > does, and every other operating system has to find a place for itself > > within the extended partition. > > > > The bootloader is GRUB2, and has been, since I installed the Linux > > system. The Linux system resides on two logical volumes (root and > > swap) carved out of an LVM volume group that resides on the first > > logical slice of the extended partition (which Linux calls /dev/sda5). > > GRUB2 boots it by means of: > > > > insmod lvm > > set root=(lvm/m5-springdale) > > linux /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/m5/springdale > > initrd /boot/initramfs.img > > > > Haiku resides on the third logical slice of the extended partition, > > which in Linux is called /dev/sda7, and is booted by means of: > > > > set root=(hd0,7) > > chainloader +1 > > > > OpenBSD was installed -- repeatedly -- in the second logical slice of > > the extended partition, which in Linux is called /dev/sda6 (and I > > intend to install NetBSD in /dev/sda9, I have a very subtle sense of > > humor), and there is already a stanza in my GRUB menu that has been > > made ready for it: > > > > set root=(hd0,6) > > chainloader +1 > > > > although I am also ready to boot it by means of kopenbsd, if > > necessary. > > > > I never got to execute that stanza in the GRUB menu, however, because > > the OpenBSD installation has always rendered my system unbootable. It > > just didn't boot, not even into the GRUB menu. I had to repair my > > system by booting from a recovery CD, mounting /dev/m5/springdale on, > > e.g., /mnt, furnishing /mnt with appropriate proc, sys and dev > > filesystems, doing a chroot to /mnt, and then doing a "grub2-install > > /dev/sda". Which failed, complaining, inter alia, about a disk with > > multiple partition tables. But if I did > > > > dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 skip=1 count=2 > > > > then grub2-install ceased complaining about a disk with multiple > > partition tables, and it succeeded, and I could then reboot into the > > GRUB menu. But now OpenBSD was unbootable. > > > > All of this has led me reasonably to theorize that OpenBSD puts its > > subpartition table outside of the area that belongs to it, which is > > the second logical slice of the extended partition, which is where I > > tell it to install itself -- in particular, that it puts its > > subpartition table near the MBR table, which is an area of disk that > > does not belong to it, but, rather, to GRUB, which is, consequently, > > trashed. > > > > If this is what is happening, then it is totally bogus. > > > > I have nothing against subpartitioning. Linux doesn't do it, but many > > respectable operating systems do, like FreeBSD, NetBSD, and Solaris, > > although Solaris, practically speaking, is usually installed so as to > > use ZFS rather than UFS, so the entire concept of subpartitioning is > > obsolete. > > > > (Parenthetically, when is OpenBSD going to support ZFS, and join the > > category of operating systems in which I can do serious work, i.e., > > Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD, and NetBSD? NetBSD didn't use to be in that > > category, because its implementation of ZFS was brain-damaged, but > > now it has a good implementation of ZFS, and now it is a member in > > good standing of the category of operating systems in which I can do > > serious work. OpenBSD is not, and in that regard it resembles Haiku, > > or SkyOS, or Icaros, and that is regrettable, because OpenBSD has > > other good features that would otherwise make me want to use it for > > serious work. But I digress.) > > > > But my FreeBSD systems manage to do subpartitioning without trashing > > GRUB and rendering my computers unbootable. I assume that is because > > FreeBSD doesn't overwrite disk storage that doesn't belong to it, but > > that, rather, it keeps its subpartition table in the area of disk > > where it has been told to install itself. > > > > Now, I do not know for certain that OpenBSD overwrites parts of GRUB > > with its subpartition table. I am only theorizing, based on strong > > circumstantial evidence. What I do know is that every time I install > > OpenBSD, it renders my computer unbootable. How do I get it to stop > > doing that? > > > > Thank you in advance for any and all replies. > > > > Jay F. Shachter > > 6424 North Whipple Street > > Chicago IL 60645-4111 > > (1-773)7613784 landline > > (1-410)9964737 GoogleVoice > > j...@m5.chicago.il.us > > http://m5.chicago.il.us > > > > "Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur" > > > Did you read the FAQ: > https://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html#Multibooting ?? > >
