[SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

exapplegeek · 2012-06-24 18:30:59

Okay, so as I posted in my previous topic, I want to install FreeBSD on my MacBook that has ArchLinux installed on it.

So I was thinking how am I going to do that, and I've got an idea. Unfortunately I don't know if ArchLinux will still work after I do that.

So this is the idea:
To boot from LiveCD (eg. ubuntu) and use gparted to turn the partition with /home mountpoint to extended partition and then to create a /home partition, and the necessary FreeBSD partitions out of it.

I will have a backup of the system (and of /home too), but I am not sure that ArchLinux will know where to find the /home partition, so I need to make some changes, and edit some files right?

And also, is it possible to use a partition inside extended partition as a partition with /home mountpoint, and is it possible to boot from an extended partition?

Please help me.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Please read my last post.

Finally solved!

Last edited by exapplegeek (2012-06-25 14:56:30)

DSpider · 2012-06-24 19:26:16

I am not sure that ArchLinux will know where to find the /home partition, so I need to make some changes, and edit some files right?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fstab

is it possible to boot from an extended partition?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=is+it+possible+to+ … +partition

exapplegeek · 2012-06-24 19:37:51

And is it possible to move an existing partition to the extended partition (i.e. change it from primary to logical) and still retain the files?

2ManyDogs · 2012-06-24 20:12:43

exapplegeek wrote:

And is it possible to move an existing partition to the extended partition (i.e. change it from primary to logical) and still retain the files?

Yes, it is possible, but I don't think it will work for you. You already have four primary partitions. To create a new extended partition you will need to first delete one of your primary partitions, and this will cause you to lose the data in the deleted primary partition.

You said you had a backup of your /home, so you can delete your /home partition, then create an extended partition as big as your old /home, then create a new logical partiton for /home, and copy your backup into it. I assume your existing /home partition is not full.

You will then need to get the UUID for the new /home partiton and edit your Arch fstab so the new partition is mounted correctly.

exapplegeek · 2012-06-24 20:24:22

2ManyDogs wrote:

exapplegeek wrote:
And is it possible to move an existing partition to the extended partition (i.e. change it from primary to logical) and still retain the files?
Yes, it is possible, but I don't think it will work for you. You already have four primary partitions. To create a new extended partition you will need to first delete one of your primary partitions, and this will cause you to lose the data in the deleted primary partition.
You said you had a backup of your /home, so you can delete your /home partition, then create an extended partition as big as your old /home, then create a new logical partiton for /home, and copy your backup into it. I assume your existing /home partition is not full.
You will then need to get the UUID for the new /home partiton and edit your Arch fstab so the new partition is mounted correctly.

Exactly! That's what I am going to do. And I will share the same swap partition between Arch and FreeBSD.
I also plan to resize the "/" (root) partition because it has only 10 Gigs which is too little.

Thanks to all of you that helped me so far. I will try to do this, and I will report if I have any problems that need fixing. Otherwise, I will post my success report.

I pray and hope that everything will go good (as it surely will save me lots of time needed for reinstalling and configuring Arch for my MacBook with all the stuff like Gnome, X11, etc...)

2ManyDogs · 2012-06-24 20:50:07

exapplegeek wrote:

I also plan to resize the "/" (root) partition because it has only 10 Gigs which is too little.

Delete your existing /home first, then resize /root into the (now) unallocated space, and then create the extended partition for your new /home and FreeBSD.

Last edited by 2ManyDogs (2012-06-24 20:53:16)

exapplegeek · 2012-06-24 22:40:57

Praise the LORD!

Well, I had success with moving/resizing, and I created an extended partition, but I didn't backup the whole "/home", only the Downloads, so I didn't get the settings, but it doesn't matter, at least now I have a system ready for FreeBSD.

Tomorrow I am going to attempt install FreeBSD.

Thanks to all of you

nomorewindows · 2012-06-25 00:32:40

*BSD is a real stickler about being in the primary partition.

2ManyDogs · 2012-06-25 04:17:51

Thanks, I guess he'll find that out tomorrow...

FreeBSD's standard boot loader requires either a primary or GPT partition. (See Chapter 13 for more information about the FreeBSD booting process.) If all of the primary or GPT partitions are already in use, one must be freed for FreeBSD.

This is why I have four test machines; I never have to dual boot unless I really want to.

I almost asked him if he'd read the BSD install instructions yet...

Last edited by 2ManyDogs (2012-06-25 04:22:57)

exapplegeek · 2012-06-25 08:37:11

2ManyDogs wrote:

Thanks, I guess he'll find that out tomorrow...
FreeBSD's standard boot loader requires either a primary or GPT partition. (See Chapter 13 for more information about the FreeBSD booting process.) If all of the primary or GPT partitions are already in use, one must be freed for FreeBSD.
This is why I have four test machines; I never have to dual boot unless I really want to.
I almost asked him if he'd read the BSD install instructions yet...

Yeah, I've read that it wants the primary partition.. Well, I will make one primary partition with the root filesystem on it, and I will also use the swap from the extended partition, and will create another logical partition with the "/home" filesystem on it.

I hope this thing will work. If not, I will still use the the 1 remaining 'slot' for a primary and install FreeBSD there, with no separate "/home" and will make a shared storage partition between FreeBSD and Arch where I will keep documents, downloads, pictures, music, etc..

exapplegeek · 2012-06-25 13:08:04

Thanks to God, I successfully installed PC-BSD on a primary partition, but now I don't know how to configure GRUB to boot it.

I put something in it, as it says in the PC-BSD handbook, but it doesn't want to boot, it says there is some kind of partition problem.

Can you please help me?

UPDATE:

This is what I put in /boot/grub/menu.lst:

# PC-BSD
title  PCBSD 9
root   (hd0,3)
kernel /boot/loader

and this is what I get when I try to boot it:

Error 17; Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0xa5

EDIT:
Okay I installed Grub2 and added PCBSD to it, and it now works. Now I need to configure it. This thread can be closed.

Last edited by exapplegeek (2012-06-25 14:57:34)

nomorewindows · 2012-06-26 18:03:57

exapplegeek wrote:

Thanks to God, I successfully installed PC-BSD on a primary partition, but now I don't know how to configure GRUB to boot it.
I put something in it, as it says in the PC-BSD handbook, but it doesn't want to boot, it says there is some kind of partition problem.
Can you please help me?
UPDATE:
This is what I put in /boot/grub/menu.lst:
# PC-BSD
title  PCBSD 9
root   (hd0,3)
kernel /boot/loader 
and this is what I get when I try to boot it:
Error 17; Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0xa5
EDIT:
Okay I installed Grub2 and added PCBSD to it, and it now works. Now I need to configure it. This thread can be closed.

You copy the Windows entry in /boot/grub/menu.lst and modify it for use for *BSD; it's a chainloader into BSD's bootloader. You can still use BSD's bootloader to boot grub; it works both ways.

Last edited by nomorewindows (2012-06-26 18:05:36)

Arch Linux

#1 2012-06-24 18:30:59

[SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#2 2012-06-24 19:26:16

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#3 2012-06-24 19:37:51

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#4 2012-06-24 20:12:43

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#5 2012-06-24 20:24:22

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#6 2012-06-24 20:50:07

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#7 2012-06-24 22:40:57

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#8 2012-06-25 00:32:40

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#9 2012-06-25 04:17:51

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#10 2012-06-25 08:37:11

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#11 2012-06-25 13:08:04

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

#12 2012-06-26 18:03:57

Re: [SOLVED] GRUB & Partitioning / partition resizing/regrouping/editing

Board footer