[Help] OpenBSD Install Questions (fdisk/disklabel)

[Kartman]

Hello All,

I am trying to install OpenDSB on on a computer with a single 20GB physical disk with XPpro sitting on a 3GB primary partition. Before rebooting (out of XP), I used Partition Magic Pro7 to create a second, but hidden, primary partition, which I chose not to format. I then popped in the floppy31.fs OpenBSD install floppy and rebooted into the Open BSD install utility.

One of the first things the install utility does if you do not want the install program to consume the entire physical disk is to drop you into fdisk(8). This is fine and I changed the second primary partition type from Unknown to A6, which is the OpenBSD partition type. I then set it to Active, and exited the fdisk(8) program, saving changes as I left. Upon leaving fdisk(8), the installer drops you into disklabel.

What I am having a difficult time is understanding the output from print command in disklabel. Am I looking at the partition geometry for just one of the primary partitions on the physical disk (and if so, which one?), or the geometry of the entire disk? I've been consulting the OpenBSD Install FAQ, but they use the geometry of a floppy disk, yeah right, and assume you only want to install OpenBSD using the entire disk. I have also read the Install.pt document, but thats just a run of the mill 101 on partitions in general.

While in disklabel I do wish to follow along with the FAQ's example, but I also do not wish to blow away my XP install. Its not that I cannot afford to lose XP as this is all on a PC that I use for experimentation anyway, but the point is to prove to myself OpenBSD can be installed onto a single physical disk with another OS on it.

Also, the inital portion of the print output states the device as being /dev/rwd0c where I know from fdisk(8) wd0 is the physical disk. Confused? I am! The OpenBSD install routine makes installing Linux look like the easiest dang thing in the world! I posted this problem on dslreports, too, in the Unix section.

 

[n0cmonkey]

OpenBSD's install is easy. You are making it more difficult than it really is

rwd0c is the raw device or soemthing. wd0 is the disk, c is the entire disk.

I havent installed in 6 months, so Im forgetting what disklabel looks like, post the output and Ill see what I can do.

EDIT: I took a look at what I think is your post on bbr, different username? Anyhow, c is the entire disk. It mentions this in the instructions and says DO NOT DELETE C a couple of times.

 

[Kartman]

I will. I have this morning off and since this PC is a non-production unit I'll simply all the install routine to consume the entire disk and I can then 'learn' from there. When I am reasonable sure I know what to 'expect', I start over again, load XP first, and then have another try at it.

n0cmonkey, you said that you haven't installed 6-months. Was this Open, Free, of Net? Also, do you mind my asking the application for which yuo installed? I'll be looking to setup a DNS, POP, SMTP, FTP, and NNTP server via a personal static-IP/registered-domain framework. This will be strictly personal (not business).

BTW, thanks for the reply.

Why will this thing not let me post?

 

[Kartman]

Ok, I did a default install, which included an FTP download. After installing, defaultly, I restarted the install to look at the fdisk(8) reported disk geometry and found something not expected:

fdisk> print

Disk: wd0 geometry: 2495/255/63 [40082175 Sectors]
Offset: 0 Signature: 0xAA55
Starting Ending
#: id C H S - C H S [ start: size]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0: ] unused
1: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0: ] unused
2: 00 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 [ 0: ] unused
*3: A6 0 1 1 - 2494 254 63 [ 63: ] OpenBSD

Why did fdisk(8) use the last (4th) slot? Ok, I then Exited (to exit without saving changes) to have a look of the output from the disklabel utility:

>p
device: /dev/rwd0c
type: ESDI
disk: ESDI/IDE disk
label: WDC WD205BA
bytes/sector: 512
sectors/track: 63
tracks/culinder: 16
sectors/cylinder: 1008
culinders: 16383
total sectors: 40088160
free sectors: 0
rpm: 3600

16 partitions:
# size offset fstype [fsize bsize cpg]
a: 164241 63 4.2BSD 1024 8192 16
b: 614880 164304 swap
c: 40088160 0 unused 0 0
d: 164304 779184 4.2BSD 1024 8192 16
e: 164304 943488 4.2BSD 1024 8192 16
g: 2097648 1107792 4.2BSD 1024 8192 16
h: 36876735 3205440 4.2BSD 1024 8192 16
>

I guess c: is defining the entire disk's geometry, or the only partition on the disk. I also suppose that the FAQ's activity centered around the 'd a' followed by the 'a a' was simply to have an 'a:' that did not consume the entire A6 partition, but the replacement slice(?) maintains its offset. Hmm, interesting.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Kartman
I will. I have this morning off and since this PC is a non-production unit I'll simply all the install routine to consume the entire disk and I can then 'learn' from there. When I am reasonable sure I know what to 'expect', I start over again, load XP first, and then have another try at it.

I have never dual-booted OpenBSD (and never used XP).

n0cmonkey, you said that you haven't installed 6-months. Was this Open, Free, of Net? Also, do you mind my asking the application for which yuo installed? I'll be looking to setup a DNS, POP, SMTP, FTP, and NNTP server via a personal static-IP/registered-domain framework. This will be strictly personal (not business).

BTW, thanks for the reply.

Why will this thing not let me post?

I use OpenBSD. 3.1-stable on 2 machines right now. When I get some motivation I will have a 3.2 machine (install over ftp). I have run dns and http on the machines, plus the firewall machine. Nothing fancy.

 

[Kartman]

Well, I got it installed, on a second partition, and it boots. Cool! And I have to say that the FTP install went very, very smoothly.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Kartman
Well, I got it installed, on a second partition, and it boots. Cool! And I have to say that the FTP install went very, very smoothly.

Make sure you patch before connecting it directly to the net. There was a nasty bug in OpenSSH in 3.1-release.

 

[Kartman]

Ok, since I am use to patching Linux through KDE is there a non-GUI patch utility or should I simply download the respective tgz and let it rip? BTW, the MicroShaft instructions for adding another OS to the boot.ini/ntldr does add the entry, but XP's boot manager is not pointing it in right direction. I manually went into the MBR and changed the [A]ctive partition and can manually boot both OS's.

 

[tgillitzr]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: Kartman
Well, I got it installed, on a second partition, and it boots. Cool! And I have to say that the FTP install went very, very smoothly.

Make sure you patch before connecting it directly to the net. There was a nasty bug in OpenSSH in 3.1-release.

Why yes there was, and someone neglected to patch his system(me). Someone got in, screwed things up pretty badly.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Kartman
Ok, since I am use to patching Linux through KDE is there a non-GUI patch utility or should I simply download the respective tgz and let it rip? BTW, the MicroShaft instructions for adding another OS to the boot.ini/ntldr does add the entry, but XP's boot manager is not pointing it in right direction. I manually went into the MBR and changed the [A]ctive partition and can manually boot both OS's.

Read the anoncvs page on openbsd.org.