A New FreeBSD Server

[Bob Richards]

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Wow!

First I want to thank all of you who responded for the great information!

As I read it all, I became more and more excited about my decision to switch to FreeBsd!
And became more and more impatient with US Postal Mail!

So! I went and downloaded the floppy Install Set from freebsd.org, and created the floppy
install set.

I set up the Dell server thus:

19GB Drives 1 through 4 in a RAID 1/0 IE 2 sets of Mirrors, in a striped array, making up
the first (and bootable) container on the PERC 2 controller. The last 2 19GB Drives. I
simply Mirrored into a second 19GB container. So, from the BIOS percpective I had a APROX
 33GB Drive, and an additional 19GB drive available for the OS. Pretty much more than I
need! (for now)

So! I boot the box from boot disk, and boot is OK.... asked for Kernel 1 floppy, the
Kernel 2 Floppy..... all A-OK! Install starts, and I proceed.

I run through the FDISK portion of the install; Allocate the entire first "drive" to
FreeBsd, and say "AUTO"..... it allocates what appears to be a reasonable slice to each
mount-point, and I proceed, with a "full Install" Via FTP. FreeBsd, was intelligent enough
to find/use the DHCP server, and connected to "freebsd.org", and downloaded a mess of
stuff!.....


OK; Install "successfully" completed, want to add APPS? Sure! Why not! So I picked out
some editors and shells I use all the time, and PORTS went out to get them..... at this
point, my DSL connecton went down! Damn! I reset the router, and back up..... BUT An IP
change occurred and the download from the FTP site never continued!  I could do nothing
except "ABORT" the install! So fine! I aborted..... Since I had received the
"Congratulations" on an Install message, I "ASSUMED" all I had to do was re-boot from HD
and go to SYSINSTALL and complete the install. NOT!

On Boot, the boot-loader complained bitterly "Can't find a Kernel to boot", and dropped me
to an "OK" prompt. Damn says I! Murpheys law in effect!

So I just booted from the floppies again, and started the install again.... NOT SO! Even
after another FDISK, the system knew I had data on the drives, and simply went ahead and
finished what it had not completed..... On end, I "exited" Install, the system re-booted,
and again, it  could not find a Kernel to boot! The slice/allocation was percerved, even
after another "AUTO" Fdisk! Now I was upset! (BSD Damn well be more smart than LINUX!)
The FDISK never wiped out all the old data..... Someone NEVER thought-out this particular
scenario! What do I do? Re-Format the RAID Array? and for-sure wipe out the privious
install attempt?

Any sugestions as to where to start again?



TIA
Bob




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