Questions on first-time installation
Bob Schwartz
bob at bschwartz.com
Wed Nov 8 16:42:09 UTC 2006
>>Sorry for top posting, but I think, given the conditions you specify,
probably the best thing for you to do is buy another drive - and replace one
of the others to experiment with FreeBSD for a while.<<
Kindly see my post of this am and tell me, please, if you still think this
is necessary. I do have another scsi drive that I can daisychain off of the
adaptec legacy card, but as it is, I don't think the system is showing me
all the drives for install anyway, even as it is picking them up 'earlier"
in the hardware inventory process.
And the scsi drive is a redundent backup drive already...as I use the
"freestanding" 73 gig drive for backups now....so I have already removed its
partition and it sits waiting for the install. Once I understand what I am
really seeing as drive install options...my other post will, I hope, make
that clear enough for someone here to tell me....and assuming I am seeing
what I think, it looks as if I can just go ahead?
>>...I have successfully used Partition Magic on NTFS partitions to make
room
for a FreeBSD slice. <<
Provided that I don't understand why you suggest I use a different drive if
the scsi drive I have works, I do have Partition Magic and, indeed, used it
to remove the partition on this disk already.
Thanks very much
////jerry
>
> >>You're on the right list, but it helps to use a subject line.<<
>
> Noted and done.
>
> >>You should not install on that machine, then. Its not uncommon for
> >>first
> time users to hose other installations. Based on your "under no
> circumstances" statement, you need to ask yourself two questions:
> 1) Do I have a complete and reliable backup of my Windows stuff?<<
>
> Yes.
>
> >>2) Can I afford the time to restore from backup if I do something
> >>wrong?<<
>
> No<s>.
>
> >>1) Recruit a trusted friend who has done this before to help.<<
> Don't have one where I am...indeed, don't have one who knows what I
> need to learn on this topic.
>
> >>2) Don't use that machine for your first install.<<
>
> Other than my laptop it is the only one I have...and I have spent so
> much downtime on problems with large and complex windows installs that
> I have decided it is "cheaper" to get started on getting away from it
> than to do something else.
>
> That said, I do sufficient volunteer work myself combined with my
> normal "activity nightmarish" life<g>, that I also don't have months
> to get this together..
>
> But, at risk of appearing arrogant, I'll offer that I am a fast learner.
>
> If I can find someone who might, at my expense if necessary, spend a
> little time with me either on-line or on the phone, so I can get past
> the install process of properly IDing what bsd reports about my
> drives..so I know I am on the right drive and not destroying something,
that would be wonderful.
>
> >>The BSD boot manager _will_ displace any other boot manager,
> >>although it
> works just as well in every instance I've done it.<<
>
> That was my guess....and I don't care if it replaces it as long as I
> still have the functionality
>
> >>There's a lot of detail missing here. Have you gone through the
> >>handbook
> section on installation?<<
>
> Sorry and "yes".
>
> >>If that doesn't help with your questions, you're going to have to
> >>provide
> more information. You say you have 3 - 73G drives and a 146G drive,
> but you don't describe how they are laid out. <<
>
> Indeed, your're right....two of the three 73 gigs are on a new SAS
> raid 1 array and the third is by itself, non-raid.
>
> The scsi drive is on a separate scsi card by itself and I have been
> using it for backups of backups.
>
> >>What do you think you should see, and what do you actually see?<<
>
> Because this new SAS raid (new to me; I'm an old hand at conventional
> SCSI) involves some kind of virtual disk, at least as it is desribed
> in the DELL docs and bios...and I have just gotten this 690
> workstation and don't know the ins and outs of SAS vs. conventional
> SCSI...I am not sure that what I see in the screen print when I
> attempt to install is even giving me an option to install on the scsi
drive only.
>
> Finally, I will go thru the install again today or tonight and write
> down what I see...as I could not print it from the screen itself...but
> in no way did it give me the listing of drives that even the install
> process did earlier in the process itself..where it showed me four drives.
>
> If I can just figure out what drive I am supposedly seeing, that would
> get me to the next steps.
>
> Also, your (or someone else's) suggestion that I disconnect the others
> for the moment is a good one...and I guess that that would do, except
> that I would not end up with a boot manager when I hook the others
> back up afterwards?
>
> Also, what, if anything, would that do to any of the data on the other
> drives after the fact?
>
> Whatever the result of this thread, I appreciate everyone's
> time...thank you.
>
> bob
>
>
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