amd64/160801: zfsboot on 8.2-RELEASE fails to boot from root-on-zfs in MBR slice

[John Baldwin]

The following reply was made to PR kern/160801; it has been noted by GNATS.

From: John Baldwin <jhb at freebsd.org>
To: freebsd-amd64 at freebsd.org
Cc: Camillo SXrs <ged at iki.fi>,
 freebsd-gnats-submit at freebsd.org
Subject: Re: amd64/160801: zfsboot on 8.2-RELEASE fails to boot from root-on-zfs in MBR slice
Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:02:59 -0400

 On Sunday, September 18, 2011 9:01:11 am Camillo SXrs wrote:
 >=20
 > >Number:         160801
 > >Category:       amd64
 > >Synopsis:       zfsboot on 8.2-RELEASE fails to boot from root-on-zfs in=
 =20
 MBR slice
 > >Confidential:   no
 > >Severity:       serious
 > >Priority:       low
 > >Responsible:    freebsd-amd64
 > >State:          open
 > >Quarter:       =20
 > >Keywords:      =20
 > >Date-Required:
 > >Class:          sw-bug
 > >Submitter-Id:   current-users
 > >Arrival-Date:   Sun Sep 18 13:10:07 UTC 2011
 > >Closed-Date:
 > >Last-Modified:
 > >Originator:     Camillo S=E4rs
 > >Release:        8.2-RELEASE
 > >Organization:
 > >Environment:
 > FreeBSD free 8.2-RELEASE FreeBSD 8.2-RELEASE #0: Thu Feb 17 02:41:51 UTC=
 =20
 2011     root at mason.cse.buffalo.edu:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC  amd64
 >=20
 > >Description:
 > /boot/zfsboot when installed fails to boot from root-on-zfs in MBR slice,=
 =20
 set up according to this:
 >=20
 > <http://wiki.freebsd.org/RootOnZFS/ZFSBootPartition>
 >=20
 > I upgraded from 8.1 to 8.2-RELEASE, and consequently upgraded my zfs root=
 =20
 pool to version 15.  Upgraded the bootloader in Fixit prompt to allow booti=
 ng=20
 from v15 pool.  After this, the system fails to boot, and freezes after the=
 =20
 "Boot:  F1" prompt with "-" on the screen.  See this thread for example=20
 screenshot:
 >=20
 > <http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=3D22105>
 >=20
 > MBR is used because of BIOS incompatibility with GPT as installed by=20
 =46reeBSD.
 > >How-To-Repeat:
 > Set up root-on-ZFS in MBR slice on 8.2-RELEASE according to:
 >=20
 > <http://wiki.freebsd.org/RootOnZFS/ZFSBootPartition>
 >=20
 > Reboot - system halts on "-".
 > >Fix:
 > Install zfsboot from 9.0-BETA2, where the problem is fixed.
 
 Can you test 8.2-stable?  The various fixes made to zfsboot in 9 were merge=
 d=20
 to 8 after 8.2-release.
 
 =2D-=20
 John Baldwin