>Number:         12631
>Category:       install
>Synopsis:       sysinst on NetBSD/macppc needs to offer option of leaving partition info intact
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       critical
>Priority:       high
>Responsible:    install-manager
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Fri Apr 13 10:36:00 PDT 2001
>Closed-Date:
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     Michael Wolfson
>Release:        NetBSD 1.5.1_BETA
>Organization:
>Environment:
N/A, I'm using the macppc boot.fs from the 1.5.1_BETA snapshot on the ftp.netbsd.org
>Description:
sysinst works properly for pre-OpenFirmware 3 machines (it overwrites the whole disk and installs a bootloader on the drive), and the destination drive is bootable.

sysinst does not work properly for OpenFirmware 3 machines (all models released in the last 3 years).  These models need the bootloader to be placed on an HFS partition, which we are unable to create.  Therefore, as part of the installation process, the user partitions their drive in MacOS and copies this file to their drive, thus making it bootable.

The problem is that sysinst does not have an option to leave the previous partitioning information intact, and is unable to create a disklabel which leaves the drive bootable.  It always overwrites the partition map created under MacOS.

PLEASE FIX THIS BEFORE 1.5.1.  

Without this fix, at least half of the macppc users will be unable to use sysinst, and it will make their machines unbootable.
>How-To-Repeat:

>Fix:
In sysinst, offer the user a choice (with a small description) of leaving the partitions intact (to make Open Firmware 3 machines bootable), or of creating a new disklabel and installing the bootloader (to make the drive bootable on OpenFirmware 1 and 2 machines).
>Release-Note:
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: