# Need boot manager help: Win7, Ubuntu, FreeBSD on ZFS



## sim (Nov 28, 2010)

Hi

I'm trying to triple boot the following on my new Thinkpad T510:


Window 7 Pro (64bit)
FreeBSD 8-STABLE (amd64) Pure ZFS
Ubuntu 10.10 (ext4)

All three systems appear in the FreeBSD boot manager menu, but the problem is that it seems unable to boot the Linux partition. Instead the boot option prompt just sits there showing a hash sign.

Does the FreeBSD boot manager have a problem with ext4? If so, any suggestions?

I can't use GRUB because that doesn't see the ZFS FreeBSD partition. In anycase I don't like GRUB as it is prone to reconfiguring itself and always boots the first item by default, instead of the last used, which IMO is far more useful.

Not really sure what to try next. Ideas?

sim


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## wblock@ (Nov 28, 2010)

If you've got to deal with Windows 7, either alpha (Vista) or beta (Windows 7 sp1), EasyBCD is pretty nice.  ZFS probably complicates things.


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## sim (Nov 29, 2010)

Hi wblock

Ironically the Windows side is not giving me any problems either with the FreeBSD boot manager or (when I tried it) GRUB.

I'm wondering whether I installed Ubuntu incorrectly.  Should the FreeBSD boot manager be able to start it? ext3, ext4?

sim


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## wblock@ (Nov 30, 2010)

EasyBCD is just another boot loader, but it deals well with newer Windows variants.  It certainly can start FreeBSD and it would be surprising if it didn't handle Ubuntu.  The FreeBSD boot manager is so bare-bones that I generally don't use it.

The boot manager, whichever it is, shouldn't care about filesystems, just chain to the boot block of whichever partition is chosen by the user.  Then it's up to that loader to be able to deal with the filesystem on that partition.


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## aragon (Dec 1, 2010)

sim said:
			
		

> I'm wondering whether I installed Ubuntu incorrectly.  Should the FreeBSD boot manager be able to start it? ext3, ext4?


A boot manager shouldn't care about file system.  Unfortunately though, GRUB does, and linux installers seem to be tailored to assume you'll be running it in your MBR and don't put any boot code at the start of linux's boot partition.  Try reinstall it and specify that you want boot code installed at the start of your linux partition.


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## sim (Dec 3, 2010)

Hi aragon

That's what I thought, that the Boot Manager shouldn't care about file systems.   I have found a solution though.  I retained the FreeBSD Boot Manager (good), and reinstalled Ubunutu on what it calls /dev/sda3.  This time set it to install GRUB on the same partition (slice), sda3.  This means I go through two boot managers to get to Ubuntu but it works:


```
+ FreeBSD boot manager
  + Windows 7
  + FreeBSD
  + Ubuntu [GRUB]
    + Ubunutu
    + Windows 7
    + other GRUB options
```
I guess GRUB on sda3 could be replaced with a simple boot loader but for now it's fine.

Thanks for you input guys.

sim

PS am I being thick? Can't see how to set the thread as solved!


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## DutchDaemon (Dec 3, 2010)

sim: edit first post -> go advanced -> pull down next to title


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## aragon (Dec 3, 2010)

sim said:
			
		

> I guess GRUB on sda3 could be replaced with a simple boot loader but for now it's fine.


Lilo is pretty old fashioned these days, but I imagine it still works with modern kernels and ext3...


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## fronclynne (Dec 4, 2010)

aragon said:
			
		

> A boot manager shouldn't care about file system.



Well, if it's going to do anything more complicated than grabbing the first _N_ block(s) of the slice (or partition) and executing it, it must needs grok the filesystem.

In particular, with ZFS there's no guarantee that the boot code is even on the first drive that the boot-loader might encounter, hence a special ZFS bootloader.


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## Beeblebrox (Dec 7, 2010)

*grub2 boots zfs*

Grub2 will boot ZFS. Use insmod zfs


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