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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