/boot like linux!

[Laurence Sanford]

Jesse Guardiani wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I'm a FreeBSD 5.3 user as well as a Gentoo Linux user.
>In Gentoo linux, you only have to create 3 partitions:
>
>/boot
>swap
>/
>
>In FreeBSD, you seem to have to create many more:
>
>/
>swap
>/usr
>/var
>/tmp
>
>In particular, it seems that /boot MUST be on the same
>partition as /. This stinks, as now you have to create
>separate partitions for /usr and /var, which wastes space.
>
>I tried to make /boot it's own partition, and I succeeded,
>to a certain extent. I actually made /boot/boot, because
>the FreeBSD 5.3 boot manager wants to look under the /boot
>directory for "loader". If /boot is it's own partition, then
>you need a /boot/boot/loader.
>
>Anyway, that worked. The kernel boots now, but it prompts
>me at the beginning of the rc process for the root device.
>I give it:
>
>ufs:ad1s1d
>
>Which is my / partition, and it boots successfully.
>Is it possible to automate this process so that the loader
>knows to use ad1s1d as my root device?
>
>Thanks!
>
>  
>
I'm not sure I understand the problem. If you don't want to create more 
partitions, then don't. You can make an 80gb (or 300gb, or whatever) 
drive into two partitions - a swap partition (2gig) and a / partition 
(78 gig) and install FreeBSD just fine. It's *best* to make more 
partitions (esp for /var) so that if something goes out of control 
logging, or you just neglect your logs, it doesn't go and fill up your 
only (ie / ) partition. Like most *nix OS's, it can be as simple or as 
complicated as you want it to be.