# Geom musings.



## jb_fvwm2 (Jan 27, 2012)

I was about to submit a email to the freebsd-geom list, but their current problem report roster is *already* huge. (open PR's). I've disks which I used to fdisk, newfs etc, but now due to inexperience with gpt/mbr workings, and terse error messages (input/output error, could not write... invalid superblock,... ) none of the tools seem to always work reliably anymore[1].  No reason for
anyone to answer this post (I'm done wondering at the moment, and have no issues I cannot workaround), but maybe some person or group may put a 
guide or lengthy manpage for gpart together explaining to newbies, myself, and others specifically
the steps from a raw disk >>> result in a much more detailed manner, similar to the 100-page 
brochures which used to arrive with early Windows shareware.  OTOH such person or group may be
lacking in testing hardware and/or time.  
([1] I can eventually get them to work as expected, but it takes too much time, that should not
be the case; and workarounds present themselves before a solution per se does. )
...
Or maybe the forum will acquire a few howto's in the years to come that are equivalent.


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## fonz (Jan 27, 2012)

jb_fvwm2 said:
			
		

> Or maybe the forum will acquire a few howto's in the years to come that are equivalent.


Since 9.0-RELEASE has just been out, I suppose we will see some new HOWTOs in the days to come indeed.

Fonz


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## wblock@ (Jan 27, 2012)

gpart(8) is pretty nice.  I find it easier to use than fdisk(8)/bsdlabel(8).  Easiest with GPT, MBR is somewhat confusing.

If you have a repeatable error, please enter a PR.

For reference:

Wikipedia has a pretty good reference on GPT.

These are all mine, sorry to neglect others but didn't keep track:

Disk Setup On FreeBSD sets up MBR with fdisk(8) and bsdlabel(8), then the second half sets up the same disk with GPT using gpart(8).

Using bsdinstall to set up an MBR split-partition disk (legacy, GPT is preferred).

Creating split-filesystem partitions with bsdinstall (new goodness, with GPT).

gmirror With Disk Partitions (GPT)


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## jb_fvwm2 (Jan 28, 2012)

Yes, that split-filesystem thread, in particular, is much appreciated.  The problem is some disks (data and/or base) are GPT, some are MBR, and all the target disks I've used already have data (in this instance, somewhat similar results recently restoring from a backup); here, I was attempting to modify/create a second partition, whereupon the terse errors.  Not willing to muck around much with it, since there is a lot of data on the first partition already. (And the number of open PR's appear substantial already, some of which may solve the main issues when resolved.)


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## fonz (Jan 28, 2012)

jb_fvwm2 said:
			
		

> (And the number of open PR's appear substantial already, some of which may solve the main issues when resolved.)


That's early adoptation (shouldn't that be adoption btw?) for you. Point-zero releases may mark a step forward from the previous major version number, but one still gets one's fair share of teething problems to experience/suffer/report/fix (strike out what is n/a).

Fonz


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