Re: loader prompt doesn't work

on 02/04/2009 03:27 User Wblock said the following:
> On Tue, 31 Mar 2009, Andriy Gapon wrote:
>> on 31/03/2009 03:50 User Wblock said the following:
>>> On Mon, 30 Mar 2009, Andriy Gapon wrote:
>>>> There was a significant fix to boot code made recently by jhb. It is
>>>> now in head, stable/7 and stable/6. So you need to update to the
>>>> recent resources. What you also need (and what was not emphasized
>>>> enough, IMO) is to actually install new boot code (/boot/boot) to
>>>> your active slices after installworld completes.
>>>>
>>>> E.g.:
>>>> $ gpart bootcode -b /boot/boot adXsY
>>>
>>> The gpart manpage just makes me more confused about this.
>>
>> Your reply is quite confusing too - you put many different things into
>> the same heap.
> 
> Okay, I'll try again.

Thank you!

>>> I don't know
>>> what a "protective" MBR is, or if I've got one.
>>
>> If you think that you have to know, then google is your friend.
> 
> The question is "How can I tell if 'gpart bootcode -b /boot/boot adXsY'?
> is needed?  The gpart man page is apparently not the place to start.

Well, it is needed if you want to update your btx / boot2 code and not
needed otherwise. The manual page can't know your intentions :)

>>> Can you expand on this a little?
>>
>> On "this" what?
> 
> On your statement above:
> 
>>>> What you also need (and what was not emphasized enough, IMO) is to
>>>> actually install new boot code (/boot/boot) to your active slices
>>>> after installworld completes.
> 
> Would it be more accurate if that sentence read:
> 
> "What you also need *if you experience problems with the boot loader
> prompt* (and what was not emphasized enough, IMO)..."

Yes, this will definitely be more accurate. OTOH, I think it was clear
enough from the context of this thread (e.g. see subject line).

>>> For instance:
>>>
>>> * When did it happen?
>>
>> "it" what?
> 
>>>> There was a significant fix to boot code made recently by jhb.
> 
> Hoping for something more specific than "recently".

http://svn.freebsd.org/viewvc/base/head/sys/boot/i386/btx/btx/
You can easily continue from here.

>>> * Who needs to do this--everyone who has updated to a recent -CURRENT or
>>> -STABLE?
>>
>> If you don't have the problems described earlier in this thread than you
>> don't have to do anything.
> 
> Does not having the problem mean the latest boot code is in place, or
> just that the particular system hasn't triggered the problem?  Is there
> a way to tell if the installed boot code is up to date?

It can mean either. The people who did/do have the problem experienced
it very consistently.
As for telling - I know of no easy way. You can dd first 8k of your boot
slice, hexdump it and then compare with hexdump of /boot/boot installed
by installworld.

>>> Or just those using certain partitioning features?
>>> * There's no mention in /usr/src/UPDATING.  Was it mentioned anywhere?

BTW, I think it was not mentioned in UPDATING because only a very small
minority of users was affected or at least reported the problem.


-- 
Andriy Gapon