Vinum for root.

[Malcolm Kay]

On Sun, 14 Sep 2003 10:23, Lewis Thompson wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking to setup my new FreeBSD 5.1 server with a mirrored vinum
> volume.  I've read through the necessary handbook entries but it doesn't
> seem to answer my question:
>
>   I'm wanting to do this at install time -- is this possible?  The
> ``Using Vinum for the Root Filesystem'' chapter doesn't seem to cover
> this (as far as I can see).  If it is possible, some hints would be
> greatly appreciated.
>
>   I'm booting from a mini ISO and the console is pretty limited (I
> couldn't kldload vinum).  Is this right?
>

I did this with 4.8 -- bare outlines only -- certainly not the quickest 
approach but probably the easiest conceptually (at least for me).

1) Install a conventional minimal installation on the first disk.
    This will be overwritten later so don't fuss too much about details.
2) Use to partition the second disk in a vinum compatible configuration
    using disklabel (bsdlabel, I believe in 5.x) but including conventional
    partitions for the system beginning 265 sectors inside the vinum
    partition (which in turn should start 16 sectors inside the slice; ie 16
    sectors inside partition c -- saves disklabel from being over written).
3) Go back to your installation CD and install the system you want on the
    conventional partitions you created in step 2). Be careful not to edit
    the slice or partition mapping during installation! 
4) Boot into the new system. Map the conventional partitions to vinum 
    volumes. Start vinum -- replace fstab entries with corresponding vinum
    volume references and configure /boot/loader.conf to boot into vinum.
5) You should now be able to boot directly into vinum; but no mirror yet.
    While in that system remap the slices and partitions on the first disk to
    match those on your second disk. You should now be able to create
    the mirror plexes here and append them to the vinum volumes already
    created.

Apart from filling in the detail using information in the handbook and man
pages you should now be there!

Malcolm