# Installing FreeBSD image from disk



## balanga (Jul 25, 2018)

Is there any way to install FreeBSD from an installation image which resides on a hard disk which can be selected as an option from Grub?

I'd prefer to have all the installation images in one place rather than having several USB sticks or CDs.


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## Phishfry (Jul 25, 2018)

I can only help so much, but I been messing with `mdconfig` for mounting images.
You really ought check it out. `mdconfig`the image and mount the partition.

I asked one time here about images and mdconfig "can you grow an image" and the answer was yes. No explanation.
So then I had no real need but now I see how you do it.
When you create an memdisk{md0} for a disk image --usually you just let mdconfig size the memdisk to the image size. But with mdconfig you have a size option where you make the mdconfig memdisk size bigger than the image you put on the md0, then the image has somewhere to grow,
Just make sure to exit properly with a `umount` and  `mdconfig -d -u 0`

This might not all be relevant to you but I had to get if off my chest!!!

Messing with NanoBSD I used to burn every image to disk and check if it worked.
With mdconfig I edit and correct all problems before even booting the image.

Find out how to launch images with grub on FreeBSD would be my advice. Creating the memory disk is easy.
Still after mounting I don't know how you would bring up the installer. Obviously it's`bsdconfig` but I have not went that far.

So in a way I have the same question, from a FreeBSD USB stick with FreeBSD installed, How can I use this as a FreeBSD installer.

Don't you have regular FreeBSD memstick with a full install that makes a good tool for something like this?
I have a USB stick with a desktop and the full /src directory..Makes a perfect rescue disk!
Why grub? I am presuming this is for your laptop 32bit conversion???


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## balanga (Jul 25, 2018)

Phishfry said:


> I can only help so much, but I been messing with `mdconfig` for mounting images.
> You really ought check it out. `mdconfig`the image and mount the installer.
> 
> I asked one time here about images and mdconfig "can you grow an image" and the answer was yes. No explanation.
> ...



This is brilliant and works a treat!

My grub menuentry consists of:-

```
menuentry "mfsBSD" {
    insmod ufs2
    insmod part_gpt
    set root=(hd0,9)
    kfreebsd /boot/loader
}
```

I created a 512MB partition (ada0p9) and copied the contents of the mfsBSD ISO image to it.

The same menuentry can be used for any FreeBSD installation, all you need to change is 'root'.


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## Phishfry (Jul 25, 2018)

UEFI Install might need a different installer stick. I would make two. One with 32bit grub for legacy and a UEFI GRUB version..
Heck it would not suprise me if you could boot the EFI image from the UEFI BIOS...It sees storage as fs0, fs1 ect...
/EFI partition is needed on FreeBSD UEFI installs. 
The BIOS can read from here for its own menu system found on some EFI boards.

My command looks like this for my NanoBSD memdisk on md0:
`mdconfig -a -t vnode -f nanobsd_apu2udi_mmcsd0.img -u 0`


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## balanga (Jul 25, 2018)

Phishfry said:


> My command looks like this for my NanoBSD memdisk on md0:
> `mdconfig -a -t vnode -f nanobsd_apu2udi_mmcsd0.img -u 0`


nanobsd is something I know nothing about. Can I install it on a PC?


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## Phishfry (Jul 25, 2018)

Please pay attention to the very bottom example of the mdconfig(8) manpage.
You might need to use `gnop` one day.


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