ZFS booting without partitions

Mon Jun 1 10:06:24 UTC 2009

Lorenzo Perone wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I tried hard... but without success ;(
> 
> the result is, when choosing the disk with the zfs boot
> sectors in it (in my case F5, which goes to ad6), the kernel
> is not found. the console shows:
> 
> forth not found
> definitions not found
> only not found
> (the above repeated several times)

This is the file /boot/loader from 7.2-STABLE which is wrong.

You can find a copy from 8.0-CURRENT and a script that I tested on a USB 
key) and is running for me:

http://verbier.restart.be/xfer/boot-zfs/

Put this directory somewhere, eg /tmp/boot-zfs

and run the script eg:
`cd /tmp/boot-zfs && sh -x make_usb_key.sh da6 kingston`

good luck

Henri
> 
> can't load 'kernel'
> 
> and I get thrown to the loader prompt.
> lsdev does not show any ZFS devices.
> 
> Strange thing: if I boot from the other disk, F1, which is my
> ad4 containing the normal ufs system I used to make up the other
> one, and escape to the loader prompt, lsdev actually sees the
> zpool which is on the other disk, and shows:
> zfs0: tank
> 
> I tried booting with boot zfs:tank or zfs:tank:/boot/kernel/kernel,
> but there I get the panic: free: guard1 fail message.
> (would boot zfs:tank:/boot/kernel/kernel be correct, anyways?)
> 
> Sure I'm doing something wrong, but what...? Is it a problem that
> the pool is made out of the second disk only (ad6)?
> 
> Here are my details (note: latest stable and biosdisk.c merged
> with changes shown in r185095. no problems in buildworld/kernel):
> 
> <snip>
> 
> Machine: p4 4GHz 4 GB RAM (i386)
> 
> Note: the pool has actually a different name (heidi
> instead of tank, if this can be of any relevance...),
> just using tank here as it's one of the conventions...
> 
> mount (just to show my starting situation)
> 
> /dev/mirror/gm0s1a on / (ufs, local)
> devfs on /dev (devfs, local)
> /dev/mirror/gm0s1e on /tmp (ufs, local, soft-updates)
> /dev/mirror/gm0s1f on /usr (ufs, local, soft-updates)
> /dev/mirror/gm0s1d on /var (ufs, local, soft-updates)
> 
> gmirror status
>       Name    Status  Components
> mirror/gm0  DEGRADED  ad4
> (ad6 used to be the second disk...)
> 
> echo 'LOADER_ZFS_SUPPORT=yes' >> /etc/make.conf
> 
> cd /usr/src
> make buildworld && make buildkernel KERNCONF=HEIDI
> make installkernel KERNCONF=HEIDI
> mergemaster
> make installworld
> shutdown -r now
> 
> dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/ad6 bs=512 count=32
> 
> zpool create tank ad6
> zfs create tank/usr
> zfs create tank/var
> zfs create -V 4gb tank/swap
> zfs set org.freebsd:swap=on tank/swap
> zpool set bootfs=tank tank
> 
> rsync -avx / /tank
> rsync -avx /usr/ /tank/usr
> rsync -avx /var/ /tank/var
> cd /usr/src
> make installkernel KERNCONF=HEIDI DESTDIR=/tank
> 
> zpool export tank
> 
> dd if=/boot/zfsboot of=/dev/ad6 bs=512 count=1
> dd if=/boot/zfsboot of=/dev/ad6 bs=512 skip=1 seek=1024
> 
> zpool import tank
> 
> zfs set mountpoint=legacy tank
> zfs set mountpoint=/usr tank/usr
> zfs set mountpoint=/var tank/var
> 
> shutdown -r now ...
> 
> at the 'mbr prompt' I pressed F5 (the second disk, ad6)
> .. as written above, loader gets loaded (at this stage
> I suppose it's the stuff dd't after block 1024?),
> but kernel not found.
> 
> /usr/src/sys/i386/conf/HEIDI:
> (among other things...):
> options KVA_PAGES=512
> 
> (/tank)/boot/loader.conf:
> vm.kmem_size="1024M"
> vm.kmem_size_max="1024M"
> vfs.zfs.arc_max="128M"
> vfs.zfs.vdev.cache.size="8M"
> vfs.root.mountfrom="zfs:tank"
> 
> (/tank)/etc/fstab:
> # Device        Mountpoint    FStype    Options        Dump    Pass#
> tank        /        zfs    rw        0    0
> /dev/acd0        /cdrom        cd9660    ro,noauto    0    0
> 
> </snap>
> 
> any help is welcome... don't know where to go from here right now.
> 
> BTW: I can't stop thanking the team for the incredible
> pace at which bugs are fixed these days!
> 
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Lorenzo
> 
> 
> 
> On 26.05.2009, at 18:42, George Hartzell wrote:
> 
>> Andriy Gapon writes:
>>> on 26/05/2009 19:21 George Hartzell said the following:
>>>> Dmitry Morozovsky writes:
>>>>> On Tue, 26 May 2009, Mickael MAILLOT wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> MM> Hi,
>>>>> MM>
>>>>> MM> i prefere use zfsboot boot sector, an example is better than a 
>>>>> long talk:
>>>>> MM>
>>>>> MM> $ zpool create tank mirror ad4 ad6
>>>>> MM> $ zpool export tank
>>>>> MM> $ dd if=/boot/zfsboot of=/dev/ad4 bs=512 count=1
>>>>> MM> $ dd if=/boot/zfsboot of=/dev/ad6 bs=512 count=1
>>>>> MM> $ dd if=/boot/zfsboot of=/dev/ad4 bs=512 skeep=1  seek=1024
>>>>> MM> $ dd if=/boot/zfsboot of=/dev/ad6 bs=512 skeep=1  seek=1024
>>>>>
>>>>> s/skeep/skip/ ? ;-)
>>>>
>>>> What is the reason for copying zfsboot one bit at a time, as opposed
>>>> to
>>>>
>>>>  dd if=/boot/zfsboot of=/dev/ad4 bs=512 count=2
>>>
>>> seek=1024 for the second part? and no 'count=1' for it? :-)
>>>
>>> [Just guessing] Apparently the first block of zfsboot is some form of 
>>> MBR and the
>>> rest is zfs-specific code that goes to magical sector 1024.
>>
>> Ok, I managed to read the argument to seek as "one block", apparently
>> my coffee hasn't hit yet.
>>
>> I'm still confused about the two parts of zfsboot and what's magical
>> about seeking to 1024.
>>
>> g.
>>
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