Do NOT add, edit, delete, or create primary partitions with PC-BSD
Yes, the tools are there to do it, but install failure rate and boot failure rate are high if you do. Create your 1-4 primary partitions using something else, then install PC-BSD totally inside 1 primary partition. You install all your mount points inside 1 primary partition.
This is not only a PC-BSD problem, many distros have issues with editing primary partitions.
In my opinion the biggest problem with installing pc-bsd is in setting partitions(primary partitions) and slices(mount points that are installed as something like a logical partition). Its really 2 problems i think:
Problem 1 has to do with the terminology used for partitions and slices which lead to confusion and poor installs because many new users dont know yet. Problem 2 is the pc-bsd installer is not good at editing or adding actual primary partitions.
I wrote extensively about problem 1 here in "Installer Developement":
http://forums.pcbsd.org/showthread.php?t=14170
Basically the installer shows primary partitions as "slices". And maybe leads users to think slices are partitions also.
Note* my wording of partitions and slices conflicts with what you will read on the installer.
For my purposes we will call primary partitions as "partitions". Partitions are the 1-4 primary partition that hard drives can have.
We will call the mount points (/boot, / , /var, /home and so on) as "slices". Slices are something like logical partitions that you install inside of 1 primary partition. You can install all slices inside of one partition, including /boot and swap. if fact i recommend it as it is more efficent use of your partitions. Also disk encryption works with /boot on a seperate slice, but still on the same partition, just be sure never to encrypt /boot.
Problem 2: as stated in the begining of the guide( it needs repeating ! ):
Do NOT add, edit, delete, or create primary partitions with PC-BSD
Use another utility or another os to create your partition first. If you have a known way to do that, thats great. If you are not sure i have 2 suggestions (plus you can google):
Windows partition manager works very well at creating primary partitions. If you have windows installed on the same pc as the hard drive you intend to install PC-BSD to, then its quite simple:
start button > control panel > administrative tools > computer management > storage.
Once you are on the storage page you have options to shrink, add, delete and so on. just click on the bar graph of the freespace or partiton you want to change, then click "all tasks" to see the available options to create, edit, delete. . .
It will install the ntfs file system by default, but that does not matter, as any os you install on that partition later will overwrite the ntfs with its own file system.
aptosid linux's live dvd is dead useful, not just for partitioning, but other things, which i'll get to in other guides.
Four reason's i suggest it for partitioning: 1.Its a light weight dvd and boots to desktop as a live dvd faster than any distro iv found. 2. You dont need to install aptosid to your hard drive for the partitioning tool to work. Partitons are fully created before aptosid writes its install to disk. 3. aptosid seems to work on all hardware old and new, as per my testing anyway.
4. The partitions always work. The only problem i have encountered is if i "apply" more than 1 partition change at once. I found it best to fully "apply" 1 partion, so that it is 100% complete, then apply another, if i need to.
To use it: run the aptosid live dvd to desktop. click the install icon. click the partition tab. click the "execute" button. Click the hard drive you want to edit. click the partition/freespace you want to edit. click add, delete, create or whatever. set the size you want, and you can set the file system though this doesn't matter as you will overwrite the file system later. click ok. click apply.
when the screen tells you "100% completed successfully" you're done. close it all out, restart. This usually takes totally 5-10 minutes totally. Put your PC-BSD install disk in. Install pc-bsd to 1 primary partition.
Note* The "execute" button is triggering the KDE partition manager on the live dvd.
you can find the aptosid mirror links here:
http://aptosid.com/index.php?module=...unc=view&pid=2
KDE The KDE partition manager works great if you use KDE on another os on the same computer. For best results fully apply 1 partition change at time. to find it: start button > system > KDE partition manager
Installing Slices:
Again i am saying "slices" are the mount points that work as something like a logical partition inside of a primary partition.
You will never see slices while looking at your partitions from another os, you will only see the single partition.
If you choose the automatic setup i believe it will install the slices automatically to a partition you choose.
I recommend creating them yourself. This way you know exactly what was there if there is any problems. also you are installing in a way you prefer.
To do this: Click "customize disk partitions" on the "disk" page of the installer. Now on the new page you can only add/edit slices. you can not add/edit actual partitions on this page, which is good. To add slices click the green "+" symbal. A new window will appear. From the drop down box select the partition you want this slice to go into. choose file system, size, and mount point. click ok when you are finished. Many slices can be added to 1 partition. You will see the "available mb" of the partition get lower after each slice is added.
Feel free to test and install anyway you like, but for a higher success rate of install and boot/login rate success, i recommend the following:
1. Install PC-BSD to totally 1 primary partition (the partition created elsewhere)
2. Use one of the options below as your mount point (slice) setup:
In the options below, we will guess you are using a partition with 100gb. Regardless of your actual partition size, always install /boot on a 500mb slice using ufs.
Note** always install a 500mb /boot and use ufs file system only, or the installation or start up will probably fail. Always install the swap slice as the last slice, or your install may fail.
Option 1: (1)100gb partition
500mb /boot ufs (only this !!) do not encrypt /boot
97.5gb / , /var , /usr , /home zfs (with zfs you can add all 4 mount points to this single slice) encrypt or not, both work well
2gb swap do not encrypt swap
Option 2: (1)100gb partition
500mb /boot ufs (only this !!) do not encrypt /boot
97.5gb / ufs+s (encrypt or not, both work well)
2gb swap do not encrypt swap
Option 3: (1)100gb partition
500mb /boot ufs (only this !!) do not encrypt /boot
12gb / ufs+s do not encrypt
10gb /var ufs+s do not encrypt
75.5gb /usr ufs+s (encrypt or not, both work well)
2gb swap do not encrypt swap
Of course you can choose your own options, but use a 500mb /boot ufs and always install swap last (atleast until some changes/bug fixxes are made). also i would not encrypt more than 1 slice, 2 reasons. 1st its a pain to enter more than pw for disk encryption during start up. and 2nd, encrypting a 2nd slice has has mixxed install results combined with 2nd pw not working (as of this writing).
If you install all of PC-BSD to 1 partition no one can casually enter that partition if 1 slice is encrypted anyway:
http://forums.pcbsd.org/showthread.php?t=14266
Partitions and Slices
Quick Question on Partition size.
Linear Mode
