Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Jos Chrispijn]

Thanks for this very informative suggestion.
I think I need to study it thouroughly, but will certainly head for that 
solution.


kind regards,
Jos Chrispijn

Polytropon:

That would work, and could be performed easily even using
the slice editor of the sysinstall program.

Of course, make sure that all partition references work
properly for _each_ slice. Using labels is a comfortable
way to achieve this. But it would be no problem to use
the device names (as long as the disk won't be moved).

For example:

Slice 1: Installation OS 8.2
-> boots to /dev/ad0s1a (kernel is in ad0s1a:/boot/kernel)
-> performs root mount of /dev/ad0s1a
-> mounts OS partitions /dev/ad0s1[defg]
-> mounts data partition /dev/ad0s3

Slice 2: Installation OS 9.0
-> boots to /dev/ad0s2a (kernel is in ad0s2a:/boot/kernel)
-> performs root mount of /dev/ad0s2a
-> mounts OS partitions /dev/ad0s2[defg]
-> mounts data partition /dev/ad0s3

Slice 3: Users' home directories

You also use the fdisk command to set the active partition manually,
or write a short skript that "flips the switch" to boot from "the
other slice" the next time (comparable to the nextboot command in
relation to kernels); see "man fdisk" for details.

That won't work in "Windows" mode, as you cannot click on the slice. :-)




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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Polytropon]

On Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:47:07 +0200, Jos Chrispijn wrote:
> Polytropon:
> > Per definition, you can only mark one slice bootable. If you manage to 
> > mark more than one slice bootable, the start loader (from BIOS) will 
> > boot into the first one it finds, and that will possibly be the one of 
> > the 1st slice. 
> I know, but I was referring to the update installation of a new BSD 
> version; if I have installed it on the empty slice, I only have to make 
> that slice bootable (and removing that function from the original one).
> Does that make sense (still in Windows mode here J-) ?

That would work, and could be performed easily even using
the slice editor of the sysinstall program.

Of course, make sure that all partition references work
properly for _each_ slice. Using labels is a comfortable
way to achieve this. But it would be no problem to use
the device names (as long as the disk won't be moved).

For example:

Slice 1: Installation OS 8.2
-> boots to /dev/ad0s1a (kernel is in ad0s1a:/boot/kernel)
-> performs root mount of /dev/ad0s1a
-> mounts OS partitions /dev/ad0s1[defg]
-> mounts data partition /dev/ad0s3

Slice 2: Installation OS 9.0
-> boots to /dev/ad0s2a (kernel is in ad0s2a:/boot/kernel)
-> performs root mount of /dev/ad0s2a
-> mounts OS partitions /dev/ad0s2[defg]
-> mounts data partition /dev/ad0s3

Slice 3: Users' home directories

You also use the fdisk command to set the active partition manually,
or write a short skript that "flips the switch" to boot from "the
other slice" the next time (comparable to the nextboot command in
relation to kernels); see "man fdisk" for details.

That won't work in "Windows" mode, as you cannot click on the slice. :-)


-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...
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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Jos Chrispijn]

Polytropon:
Per definition, you can only mark one slice bootable. If you manage to 
mark more than one slice bootable, the start loader (from BIOS) will 
boot into the first one it finds, and that will possibly be the one of 
the 1st slice. 
I know, but I was referring to the update installation of a new BSD 
version; if I have installed it on the empty slice, I only have to make 
that slice bootable (and removing that function from the original one).

Does that make sense (still in Windows mode here J-) ?

regards,
Jos Chrispijn

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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Polytropon]

On Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:24:03 +0200, Jos Chrispijn wrote:
> > When you come to upgrade to the next FreeBSD release just install it into 
> > the
> > spare second slice and boot from that instead of the first. If you 
> > experience
> > any serious problems with the upgrade then nothing has been lost and you can
> > just revert to booting of the first slice until things are sorted out.
> that sounds goo to me! So I then have to only make that slice bootable 
> and install, right?

Per definition, you can only mark one slice bootable. If you
manage to mark more than one slice bootable, the start loader
(from BIOS) will boot into the first one it finds, and that
will possibly be the one of the 1st slice.




-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...
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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Jos Chrispijn]

Mike Clarke:

My approach would be to go for 3 slices. Slice 1 would be a suitable size to
hold the OS and swap, I have quite a lot of ports installed on my desktop PC
so would go for about 20 to 30 GB. This could be less for a server but with
1TB you can afford to be generous. This can then be partitioned to suit with
whatever combinations of /, /usr, /usr/local, /var. /tmp and swap suits your
fancy.
Intererestig suggestion. In my opinion overkill, but if I have to use 
them, I's rather do it good then K-)


thanks,
Jos Chrispijn


The second slice would be the same size as the first and be left empty for now
as a spare.

ok

The third slice, the rest of the disk, would be for all of your data and could
be partitioned (or not) to suit your needs for /home and any other local data
requirements. If there's to be any large mysql databases then I'd put them
here with symlinks from /var where mysql normally expects to find them.

When you come to upgrade to the next FreeBSD release just install it into the
spare second slice and boot from that instead of the first. If you experience
any serious problems with the upgrade then nothing has been lost and you can
just revert to booting of the first slice until things are sorted out.
that sounds goo to me! So I then have to only make that slice bootable 
and install, right?

The above is all assuming you're using UFS. If you're going to use ZFS then
there are other possibilities like using sysutils/beadm from ports
 to manage multiple boot
environments in a single partition.

Will use the server UFS only, but the /sysutils/beadm makes me curious...

thanks for your suggestions,
Jos Chrispijn
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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Mike Clarke]

On Sunday 14 October 2012 19:05:32 Jos Chrispijn wrote:

> The slice one and two idea is perhaps Windows related, but I thought if
> I want to update my FreeBSD9 t0, let's say 10 or 11, I only have to
> clean slice one and put BSD on that again (having the backup slice
> untouched).

My approach would be to go for 3 slices. Slice 1 would be a suitable size to 
hold the OS and swap, I have quite a lot of ports installed on my desktop PC 
so would go for about 20 to 30 GB. This could be less for a server but with 
1TB you can afford to be generous. This can then be partitioned to suit with 
whatever combinations of /, /usr, /usr/local, /var. /tmp and swap suits your 
fancy.

The second slice would be the same size as the first and be left empty for now 
as a spare.

The third slice, the rest of the disk, would be for all of your data and could 
be partitioned (or not) to suit your needs for /home and any other local data 
requirements. If there's to be any large mysql databases then I'd put them 
here with symlinks from /var where mysql normally expects to find them.

When you come to upgrade to the next FreeBSD release just install it into the 
spare second slice and boot from that instead of the first. If you experience 
any serious problems with the upgrade then nothing has been lost and you can 
just revert to booting of the first slice until things are sorted out.

The above is all assuming you're using UFS. If you're going to use ZFS then 
there are other possibilities like using sysutils/beadm from ports 
 to manage multiple boot 
environments in a single partition.

-- 
Mike Clarke
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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Warren Block]

On Sun, 14 Oct 2012, Jos Chrispijn wrote:


I was intending this on my 1TB hard disk (FreeBSD only):

Two slices of 500G

Slice one:
1g/


Don't use less than 2G here.  You have room.


4gswap
7g/var


Way more than is needed, unless you plan to store non-FreeBSD stuff 
there.  mysql does that, I've heard.  For a normal FreeBSD install, 2G 
for /var is plenty, maybe more if you want to keep lots of log files or 
mail.

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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Jos Chrispijn]

I was intending this on my 1TB hard disk (FreeBSD only):

Two slices of 500G

Slice one:
1g/
4gswap
7g/var
1g/tmp
487g  /var

Slice two:
500g  /backup

I question myself why I should use a 1TB hard disk, but it came with the 
hardware J-)
I might better use 2x350G hard disks, but the server I use can only 
physical contain one piece.


The slice one and two idea is perhaps Windows related, but I thought if 
I want to update my FreeBSD9 t0, let's say 10 or 11, I only have to 
clean slice one and put BSD on that again (having the backup slice 
untouched).


thanks,
Jos Chrispijn

Polytropon:

On Sat, 13 Oct 2012 19:59:22 +0200, Jos Chrispijn wrote:

When setting up my 1TB harddisk for FreeBSD 9.0, I have some questions
about partioning:
I think of creating two partitions of 5Gb; one for the standard FreeBSD
file layour and a second one with a /backup slice on it.
Does this make sense?

What exactly do you intend to backup (and why) onto a second
partition on the same disk? Sure, it is possible to do so,
but you should make yourself clear _what_ you want to do and
why, then it will imply _how_ will do it the best way -- even
though there might be more than one best way... :-)

Also depending on your needs, 5GB may be too few to hold a full
installation of OS and programs (even though I've managed to
get a full 5.2 installation plus tons of programs on a 6 GB disk,
with 50% of free space afterwards).

What do you do with the remaining 900 GB of the disk? :-)

Also, please make yourself familiar with the terminology of what
a partitions and what a slice is, and see it in the proper context
of MBR vs. GPT partitioning.

If I take your use of the TT (termini technici) literally, you
would have one partition containing everything rooted to /, and
a second partition that contains the same. You would either manually
have a backup mechanism from the 1st to the 2nd partition, or you
could configure them in some automated mirroring mechanism. But
I don't see a real use case when doing so on the _same_ disk.
Still it would be possible, and it could even be helpful in some
bad case scenario.




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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Denise H. G.]

On 2012/10/14 at 01:59, Jos Chrispijn  wrote:
> 
> When setting up my 1TB harddisk for FreeBSD 9.0, I have some questions
> about partioning:
> I think of creating two partitions of 5Gb; one for the standard
> FreeBSD file layour and a second one with a /backup slice on it.
> Does this make sense?
> 
> BR,
> Jos Chrispijn
>  

If you intend to use ZFS, then backup would not be very difficult. I've
just tried backing up my ZFS filesystem onto an external USB harddrive
with just a few steps. 

-- 
10 PRINT "HELLO, WORLD"
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Re: FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Polytropon]

On Sat, 13 Oct 2012 19:59:22 +0200, Jos Chrispijn wrote:
> When setting up my 1TB harddisk for FreeBSD 9.0, I have some questions 
> about partioning:
> I think of creating two partitions of 5Gb; one for the standard FreeBSD 
> file layour and a second one with a /backup slice on it.
> Does this make sense?

What exactly do you intend to backup (and why) onto a second
partition on the same disk? Sure, it is possible to do so,
but you should make yourself clear _what_ you want to do and
why, then it will imply _how_ will do it the best way -- even
though there might be more than one best way... :-)

Also depending on your needs, 5GB may be too few to hold a full
installation of OS and programs (even though I've managed to
get a full 5.2 installation plus tons of programs on a 6 GB disk,
with 50% of free space afterwards).

What do you do with the remaining 900 GB of the disk? :-)

Also, please make yourself familiar with the terminology of what
a partitions and what a slice is, and see it in the proper context
of MBR vs. GPT partitioning.

If I take your use of the TT (termini technici) literally, you
would have one partition containing everything rooted to /, and
a second partition that contains the same. You would either manually
have a backup mechanism from the 1st to the 2nd partition, or you
could configure them in some automated mirroring mechanism. But
I don't see a real use case when doing so on the _same_ disk.
Still it would be possible, and it could even be helpful in some
bad case scenario.


-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...
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FreeBSD9 - Fresh install (2)

[Jos Chrispijn]

When setting up my 1TB harddisk for FreeBSD 9.0, I have some questions 
about partioning:
I think of creating two partitions of 5Gb; one for the standard FreeBSD 
file layour and a second one with a /backup slice on it.

Does this make sense?

BR,
Jos Chrispijn
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