Re: installboot killing disklabel?

[Mouse <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>]

> I'm trying to use an amd64 system to install NetBSD/Alpha on a 120
> gig SSD. Here's the disklabel:

> 16 partitions:
> #        size    offset     fstype [fsize bsize cpg/sgs]
>   a:   8388608         0     4.2BSD      0     0     0  # (Cyl. 0 - 8322*)
>   b:   8388608   8388608       swap                     # (Cyl. 8322*- 16644*)
>   d: 234441648         0     unused      0     0        # (Cyl. 0 - 232580)
>   e: 217664432  16777216     4.2BSD      0     0     0  # (Cyl. 16644*- 232580)

> I newfs'd /dev/sd0a as ffsv1, mounted, untargzipped the alpha sets,
> then copied usr/mdec/boot to the root of that filesystem, then
> usr/mdec/bootxx_ffs to the outside of that filesystem.

What is "the outside of" a filesystem?  In particular, what does it
mean to copy a file there?  (I don't recall anything like hp300's LIF
from the days back when I played with alphas, but that means little.)

> I then unmounted and ran installboot:

> installboot -vv -m alpha /dev/sd0d bootxx_ffs /boot

> Checking the disklabel then shows:

> 4 partitions:
> #        size    offset     fstype [fsize bsize cpg/sgs]
>   a: 234441648         0     4.2BSD      0     0     0  # (Cyl. 0 - 232580)
>   d: 234441648         0     unused      0     0        # (Cyl. 0 - 232580)

> Why is installboot killing the disk's disklabel?

Is it?  Did you check the disklabel immediately before the last step,
or do you know only that _something_ in the steps you list damaged the
disklabel?

Also, do you know whether the first-quoted disklabel was present on the
disk, or just in core?  If the former, I've seen, on other ports and
other versions, the in-core disklabel thrown away (and thus effectively
reset to what's on disk) at certain times; I think it tends to happen
when no partitions are open, but I haven't investigated in detail.  I
speculate wildly that something of the sort might be behind this.

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