Can't boot FreeBSD after successful installation.

This is a cross post as I haven't got any solution and I'm badly in need of one.

I've installed Slackware 14.2 in /dev/sda1 and x86Solaris 10 U6 in /dev/sda3 (sda2 is Linux swap)and boot menu was Solaris grub but, later deleted Solaris partition and installed FreeBSD12 (for i386) on the same partition.

I created separate partitions for /boot (1G), / (1G), /var (2G), /tmp (1G), swap (3G) and / (23G) in FreeBSD and the installation was seemed to be OK as there was no error msg.

But FreeBSD couldn't boot so I had to use Slack's installation disc to boot slack and used lilo -v to add slack in lilo table. Here lilo throws the following errors:

Warning: LBA32 addressing assumed
Reading boot sector from /dev/sda1
Using BITMAP secondary loader
Calling map_insert_data
Mapping bitmap file /boot/slack.bmp
Calling map_insert_file

Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-huge-smp-4.4.172-smp
Added Linux *

Boot other: /dev/sda3, on /dev/sda, loader CHAIN
Added FreeBSD

Writing boot sector.
/boot/boot.0801 exists - no boot sector backup copy made.
One warning was issued.

I also make /dev/sda1 as active in lilo using fdisk with a command. Now there are two partitions are marked active, /dev/sda1 for slack and /dev/sda3 for FreeBSD.

In lilo boot menu the following error message appears when FreeBSD is selected.

FreeBSD/x86 boot
Default: 0:ad(0,a)/boot/loader
boot: loader: not a config directory

FreeBSD/x86 boot
Default: 0:ad(0,a)/boot/loader
boot: _ <*here cursor blinks*>

I think it comes from a leftover of Solaris' grub but I'm not sure.

Here is the lilo.conf entry for slack and freebsd:

# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/sda1
label = Linux
read-only
# Linux bootable partition config ends
other=/dev/sda3
table=/dev/sda
label=FreeBSD

I use 486 with 1.5G memory and 180G ide type HDD.

How will I be able to boot FreeBSD?

P.S FreeBSD 4x to 8x installation was much much better. Nowadays everything seems to be foreign.
 
I created separate partitions for /boot (1G),
Assuming a traditional MBR partitioning with bsdlabel(8) partitions, this is your problem. Don't put /boot on a separate filesystem.

FreeBSD 4x to 8x installation was much much better.
Having used FreeBSD from around 3.0 onward, there's really not much difference. It never installed a separate /boot.
 
Assuming a traditional MBR partitioning with bsdlabel(8) partitions, this is your problem. Don't put /boot on a separate filesystem.


Having used FreeBSD from around 3.0 onward, there's really not much difference. It never installed a separate /boot.

Plz see the following pic.
Figure 2.14. Review Created Partitions
Review Created Partitions

I never created boot before. You are right because it's a general instruction to allocate 512KB for boot but, the space was not sufficient evern fo 500MB so I created 1Gig for /boot.
I installed it several times and first I used auto (no separate boot partion) but the problem was the same. The error messages were the same. Any guess.
 
Plz see the following pic.
Figure 2.14. Review Created Partitions
Review Created Partitions

I never created boot before. You are right because it's a general instruction to allocate 512KB for boot but, the space was not sufficient evern fo 500MB so I created 1Gig for /boot.
I installed it several times and first I used auto (no separate boot partion) but the problem was the same. The error messages were the same. Any guess.
That's a GPT boot partition (freebsd-boot), which is totally different from what you said you did, that is, creating a separate partition for the /boot directory.
I created separate partitions for /boot (1G), / (1G), /var (2G), /tmp (1G), swap (3G) and / (23G) in FreeBSD and the installation was seemed to be OK as there was no error msg.


As you can see in the screenshot, there's a single partition (ada0p2) that is allocated for the entire /.

If at first you didn't create a separate partition for /boot and you already had an error, it must have been another issue. One thing is certain, never create a separate partition for the /boot directory.
Now try removing all existing partitions and repeat the setup.
 
Yes, it's very important to distinguish between GPT or MBR as they boot slightly different. The freebsd-boot partition only exists on GPT and has, despite its name, nothing to do with the /boot directory. The freebsd-boot partition contains a binary image from gptboot(8) or gptzfsboot(8) depending on the rest being UFS or ZFS. The freebsd-boot partition does not contain a filesystem, the contents of the bootcode (gptboot(8)/gptzfsboot(8)) is written directly to disk.

Note that the freebsd-boot partition must not exceed 545 KB. The default size of 512K is more than enough.

In either case (GPT or MBR) /boot should not be a separate filesystem.
 
That's a GPT boot partition (freebsd-boot), which is totally different from what you said you did, that is, creating a separate partition for the /boot directory.



As you can see in the screenshot, there's a single partition (ada0p2) that is allocated for the entire /.

If at first you didn't create a separate partition for /boot and you already had an error, it must have been another issue. One thing is certain, never create a separate partition for the /boot directory.
Now try removing all existing partitions and repeat the setup.
Thank you. I realized my mistake just after the moment I'd sent SirDice the pic. It's a gpt scheme. Now I'm going to install it again without /boot. :)
 
Yes, it's very important to distinguish between GPT or MBR as they boot slightly different. The freebsd-boot partition only exists on GPT and has, despite its name, nothing to do with the /boot directory. The freebsd-boot partition contains a binary image from gptboot(8) or gptzfsboot(8) depending on the rest being UFS or ZFS. The freebsd-boot partition does not contain a filesystem, the contents of the bootcode (gptboot(8)/gptzfsboot(8)) is written directly to disk.

Note that the freebsd-boot partition must not exceed 545 KB. The default size of 512K is more than enough.

In either case (GPT or MBR) /boot should not be a separate filesystem.
I got it. Thank you very much. I'm going to reinstall it. Thanks again.
 
Wow, I didn't even know the 486 could address that much memory. Back in the day, I think the most you could get stuffed in a 486 board was 16 meg, which ran about $700 US.
 
That's a GPT boot partition (freebsd-boot), which is totally different from what you said you did, that is, creating a separate partition for the /boot directory.



As you can see in the screenshot, there's a single partition (ada0p2) that is allocated for the entire /.

If at first you didn't create a separate partition for /boot and you already had an error, it must have been another issue. One thing is certain, never create a separate partition for the /boot directory.
Now try removing all existing partitions and repeat the setup.
Now try removing all existing partitions and repeat the setup.
I reinstalled it without /boot.
Thank you very much for your kind help.
 
Yes, it's very important to distinguish between GPT or MBR as they boot slightly different. The freebsd-boot partition only exists on GPT and has, despite its name, nothing to do with the /boot directory. The freebsd-boot partition contains a binary image from gptboot(8) or gptzfsboot(8) depending on the rest being UFS or ZFS. The freebsd-boot partition does not contain a filesystem, the contents of the bootcode (gptboot(8)/gptzfsboot(8)) is written directly to disk.

Note that the freebsd-boot partition must not exceed 545 KB. The default size of 512K is more than enough.

In either case (GPT or MBR) /boot should not be a separate filesystem.
Now it's booting without any problem though lilo gives a warning as it doesn't find a valid boot record but it's working.
I reinstalled it without /boot.
Thank you very much for your kind help.
 
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