Hi all, I am attempting to install NetBSD 9.0 on my UEFI enabled laptop's GPT disk. This disk also contains windows and linux paritions, so I do not want to clear the partition table. I attempted installation using a usb drive with the install image 'NetBSD-9.0-amd64-uefi-install.img'. The laptop model is Acer Aspire E15 E5-575G-57D4. I have attempted many methods to correctly format the partition, but nothing seems to be working, and I am not sure if this is the result of bugs or user ignorance. From my perspective the problem appears to be Sysinst not cooperating with my GPT. My steps to attempt this installation are: 1. In linux, use gparted to create a new partiton which will contain NetBSD, I figured the file system type I select is arbitrary because Sysinst will format the partition to FFS
This is almost certainly the cause of your problems. NetBSD wants a GPT partition with the NetBSD GUID (49F48D5A-B10E-11DC-B99B-0019D1879648, unless you're creating an encrypted partition). Technically you'd want a separate GPT partition for swap as well (same GUID).
Any ideas on what is going on here? I really have no idea if it is me or Sysinst that is in the wrong here.
Step 3 fails because the GUID says the partition is not a
NetBSD. That's what the error means: newfs: /dev//rdk5/
partition type is not '4.2BSD'. It would be very bad form to
newfs a non NetBSD partition (i.e. that is it could erase user
data), so this seems like a reasonable sanity check.
Step 4 fails because sysinst is trying to label a GPT
partition that doesn't have the NetBSD GUID (I think).
Sysinst may not know to change the GUID for the partition.
I'm not sure about step 5, however I second the suggestion to delete the partition and let sysinst create new partition(s) with the appropriate types. The other option is changing the GUID in another OS or doing it from the command line. From the command line there are three steps. Backup the GPT table, find the index number of the partition you want to use, and then change the GUID.
For example:
#gpt backup -o /tmp/gpt-backup ld0
#gpt show ld0
start size index contents
0 1 PMBR
1 1 Pri GPT header
2 32 Pri GPT table
34 4062 4 GPT part -
bfbfafe7-a34f-448a-9a5b-6213eb736c22
^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4096 262144 1 GPT part - EFI System
266240 115343360 2 GPT part - NetBSD
FFSv1/FFSv2
115609600 6529024 3 GPT part - NetBSD swap
122138624 4063 Unused
122142687 32 Sec GPT table
122142719 1 Sec GPT header
I'm changing the GUID of the first listed GPT partition. (I created a (very small) partition for testing). It is index #4. Then
#gpt type -i 4 -T 49F48D5A-B10E-11DC-B99B-0019D1879648 ld0
(For you I think it would be -i 6, but check
first)
#gpt show ld0
root@liva2:~# gpt show ld0
start size index contents
0 1 PMBR
1 1 Pri GPT header
2 32 Pri GPT table
34 4062 4 GPT part - NetBSD
FFSv1/FFSv2
^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
4096 262144 1 GPT part - EFI System
266240 115343360 2 GPT part - NetBSD
FFSv1/FFSv2
115609600 6529024 3 GPT part - NetBSD swap
122138624 4063 Unused
122142687 32 Sec GPT table
122142719 1 Sec GPT header
Now the partition has the NetBSD GUID. Once the GUID is
correct, sysinst shouldn't have problems.
HTH,
Jason M.