DragonFly bugs List (threaded) for 2007-03
DragonFly BSD
DragonFly bugs List (threaded) for 2007-03
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Re: Installer: no option to set geometry/corrupts partition table


From: "Simon 'corecode' Schubert" <corecode@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 11:00:44 +0100

On 05.03.2007, at 04:04, randux@noreply.org wrote:
It's tangential that modern machines 'don't use' c/h/s; the issue is that the partition table is designed around c/h/s values and that's how space gets allocated. When you use fdisk you can certainly allocate things in terms of tracks or cyls or megs or what have you, but the partition table contains c/h/s values and the map is built around this geometry. There's no other common point of control for multiple OS coexistence; how else can partition boundaries be respected?

There is simply *no way* to address more than 8 GB with CHS. After that you're simply out of bits. You have two options after that: either fill all bits with ones to mark that you reached this limit, or you simply don't care about the additional bits and wrap around the values.


What is the result of this? You *have* to use logical block addressing. And really, once you're there, you can't care less about CHS values and alignment anymore.

However, I do agress that changing existing table values is a really bad thing, so the installer shouldn't do this in any case.

All the other BSDs installers make provisions for preventing this...that being the case, I don't understand the skepticism or the surprise! It hardly seems reasonable that all these other variants make a provision to deal with an issue that is obsolete or irrelevant. Rather, it seems extremely critical. If I understand correctly that the DFly installer was taken from the FreeBSD installer, then I am hoping it will be a very simple matter to add the G option to DFly's installer.

No, you are mistaken. The DragonFly installer is really the BSDinstaller, but a rather oldish version. Possibly you mistake the source of scepticism. We're just too few people to do everything people could possibly need. If you want to fix this issue, please go ahead! We appreciate every helping hand!


cheers
  simon

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