If you are sharing a hard drive between OpenBSD and Linux, install OpenBSD first. Both Linux and FreeBSD can recognize OpenBSD partitions and will easily work around them.
Linux can read OpenBSD file systems, if you have a Linux kernel that supports BSD disklabels. Similarly, OpenBSD can read EXT2FS file systems. OpenBSD also recognizes file systems from FreeBSD 4 or earlier, and FreeBSD recognizes OpenBSD file systems. If you want to dual-boot FreeBSD 5 or later with OpenBSD, you need to create your FreeBSD partitions as UFS1. OpenBSD does not support FreeBSD’s UFS2. In any of these combinations, you may have to edit the OpenBSD, Linux, or FreeBSD disklabels to include the sector information for the other operating system partitions to actually be able to mount those partitions, however.
Hang on, you’re almost there! Now that you have the files on your disk, you just need to answer a few last questions.
Do you expect to run the X Window System? [y]
Answering “y” enables the kernel settings for running an X server locally. If you plan to have the GUI running on this system, answer “y.” If you are using this machine without a GUI, answer “n”. You can use X remotely on this system without a GUI, you simply cannot run the local XFree86 server.
Saving configuration files......done.
Generating initial host.random file ......done.
What timezone are you in? ('?' for list) [US/Pacific]
The installer will easily set your initial time zone for you. If you don’t know your correct time zone, enter a question mark. The installer will list the time zones it knows of and allow you to choose one. OpenBSD expects the BIOS clock to be set in UCT.
After choosing your time zone, you will see a flurry of messages as the install rebuilds device nodes, installs bootblocks, and in general cleans up after itself. Finally, you will see the completion message.
CONGRATULATIONS! Your OpenBSD install has been successfully completed!
To boot the new system, enter halt at the command prompt. Once the
system has halted, reset the machine and boot from the disk.
# halt
Enter the word “halt,” and the system will shut itself down. Do not just power off the computer! You want to shut the system down gracefully.
syncing disks... done
The operating system has halted.
Please press any key to reboot.
One press of the ANY key, and your system will reboot into OpenBSD!
Over the years, i386 systems have been expanded time and time again to surpass their own limits. They’re based upon an architecture that could originally handle a maximum of 640KB of RAM, after all! The OpenBSD kernel — indeed, all modern operating system kernels — work around these limits in a manner mostly transparent to the user, but when the system is first booting you’re trapped with the BIOS limitations.
Many old i386 systems have a 504MB limit on hard drives, on which the BIOS cannot get at anything beyond the first 504MB of data on a disk. If your BIOS cannot find your operating system kernel in that first 504MB, it cannot boot the system. Check your hardware manual; if it makes any references to a 504MB limit, this affects you. You absolutely must place your entire root partition within the first 504MB of disk.
Additionally, for some time i386 systems had a similar (not identical) 8GB limit. OpenBSD still obeys that 8GB limit. Even if your system is not susceptible to the 504MB limit, your entire root partition must be completely contained within the first 8GB of disk.
Of course, if you follow my advice and make your root partition 500MB you will never have to worry about either of these restrictions and the potential damage that they can inflict.
If you break these rules, your system will probably appear to work. The second you upgrade your system, or move the file /bsd, the computer will quite probably refuse to boot. Save yourself much pain; make the root partition 500MB, and the first partition on the disk, and this problem will never affect you.
Incoming search terms: