[PC-BSD Testing] Problems creating slice in 9.0 builds, empty error message

[Kris Moore]

On 07/05/2011 11:47, Mahmoud Al-Qudsi wrote:
> On Jul 5, 2011, at 6:01 PM, Kris Moore wrote:
>> I'm going to take a look into this, I noticed it in the last snapshot as well, and it seems something is broken talking to the backend when creating partitions, which is why you aren't getting an error message.
>>
>>> ….
>> This option to install the boot-loader means it will install the FreeBSD boot0 MBR. Specifically by running the following command:
>>
>> # gpart bootcode -b /boot/boot0 ada0 (or whatever disk you are using)
>> -- 
>> Kris Moore
>> PC-BSD Software
>> iXsystems
> Kris, thanks for looking into this.
>
> My installer log was empty, so I'm not able to provide any logs for this issue, it only contained the one line "Running: find-update-parts" Perhaps more logging can be added here?
Thanks, I figured out the error, and it should be fixed in the next 
snapshot. Was a syntax bug causing the problem, which was why we had no 
log as well :)

> Dru pointed me to the boot0cfg man page, but I can find no reference to installing the btx (?) bootloader to the bootsector instead of (or even in addition to) the MBR. The reason this is required is that other bootloaders (namely, grub) can chainload a bootloader from the bootsector but not from the MBR. So if GRUB is first in the boot process, BTX cannot be chained if it's only in the MBR; though if it's written to the bootsector as well, it can be invoked from there directly. Do you know if it's possible to write the bootloader to the bootsector somehow?
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Mahmoud

If you choose to do a full-disk installation it will by default write 
something to the boot-sector of the disk, either boot0 (if you selected 
install boot-loader)

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/arch-handbook/boot-boot0.html

Or it'll install boot1 to the boot-sector, if this option isn't selected:

http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/arch-handbook/boot-boot2.html

This is for FULL-Disk setups. If you have just selected a single primary 
partition to install to, then it'll only install the boot0 file to the 
disk IF you selected to install the boot-loader, otherwise its left 
untouched, and we expect the user to setup their own boot-loader like 
grub, gag, EasyBCD, etc.

-- 
Kris Moore
PC-BSD Software
iXsystems