# Quick question regarding gpart



## overmind (Jun 17, 2011)

I want to install FreeBSD on a MacBook and I've removed the hard drive and I've installed it in my BSD laptop. I will manually install FreeBSD using the ./install.sh script from a FreeBSD USB live system. For now on the MacBook hard drive I have the following partitions (I've previously installed OSX and then shrunk the partition):


```
# gpart show da2
=>       34  976773101  da2  GPT  (466G)
         34          6       - free -  (3.0K)
         40     409600    1  efi  (200M)
     409640  358350848    2  apple-hfs  (171G)
  358760488  618012391       - free -  (295G)
```

I want to create FreeBSD partitions with *gpart*, I've looked into some tutorials and I have some questions:

1. If I create partition 3 (which is next) of type freebsd-boot, what size should it be?

2. Is it ok if I create it with this command?
[cmd=]gpart add -s 128 -t freebsd-boot da2[/cmd] 

3. From my understanding this partition is to hold bootstrap code. The partition should not be formatted, right?

4. If then I create the other FreeBSD partitions, and I use the command: 
[cmd=]gpart bootcode -b /mnt2/boot/pmbr -p /mnt2/boot/gptboot -i 4 da2[/cmd] then what should be the parameter *-i* value? The freebsd-boot partition or the FreeBSD root partition that also holds the /boot directory where the rest of the bootstrap code is located.

I never used GPT until now, I've read the gpart(8) man page, please advice more readings on this subject.


----------



## SirDice (Jun 17, 2011)

http://wiki.freebsd.org/AppleMacbook


----------



## overmind (Jun 17, 2011)

Thank you for that link.

I've read that but it handles the case where FreeBSD is installed directly on the MacBook from sysinstall. In my case I install it on a FreeBSD machine/live system, on a regular PC, and then I move the drive to the MacBook.

Still that page is useful for configuring drivers.

I want more info on GPT installations, if you have more links please tell me.


----------



## SirDice (Jun 17, 2011)

overmind said:
			
		

> I've read that but it handles the case where FreeBSD is installed directly on the MacBook from sysinstall.


No, read it again. Because OS-X uses GPT you can't even use sysinstall and you have to install by hand.


----------



## overmind (Jun 17, 2011)

Plain installation on MacBook Pro section uses sysinstall:


> Exit fixit mode and install FreeBSD into slice 3 using sysinstall.



There's also a section to install using ZFS but I don't need ZFS. My main question is what partition ID is used for the command:
[cmd=]gpart bootcode -b /mnt2/boot/pmbr -p /mnt2/boot/gptboot -i 1 da2[/cmd]

Is it the freebsd-boot partition or the freebsd-ufs partition where /boot directory is located? I am talking about the *-i* parameter.


----------



## SirDice (Jun 17, 2011)

> Is it the freebsd-boot partition or the freebsd-ufs partition where /boot directory is located?


The freebsd-boot partition will only contain the bootcode. The root filesystem (including /boot/) will be in the first UFS partition.


----------

