Newbie trying to add swap space on 32 bit 10.0

N

nate88

Hello my new friends!

I've been waiting a while for the stable version of the stable FreeBSD 10.0 - and I was totally thrilled that there is a 32 bit version. So I took a couple of days and ended up spending nearly a week attempting to add X.Org to the 32 bit. I couldn't get the pkg_add utility to work - but that's ok since I'm totally thrilled with the complete control that the portsnap function gives the end user/admin over the install process.

Here is my situation: all I really want to do is to make a nice lightweight desktop like Fluxbox or something similar; and then add an admin panel if I decide to configure lightweight server applications like an FTP server, or maybe a streaming audio video server; hence every time I attempt to install X.Org, I get various error messages that keep alluding to the fact that X.Org can't find a swap file. I am using a Dell 32 bit with only 500 megs MB of RAM and the processor is at least a gigahertz or better. I have used Vector Linux (Slackware based), Manjaro Linux, and a few other Linux distributions that ran fine on the old Dell.

I realize that the latest support is leaning towards the 64 bit architecture and I am not complaining about progress, and I am most definitely going to put version 10.0 on a 64 bit server rack at some point, but right now I am convinced my only problem is that I am not finding any current up-to-date information on how to simply add the correct amount of swap space. I've read some commentary that the help files are being updated also (I'm a FreeBSD newbie- so I've been shyly lurking quietly in the shadows until now LOL).

So do I need to use a program like "Gparted" (or the BSD friendly alternative) to enlarge the original swap partition, or do I need to add a swap file also? And if I need to merely add a swap file, how do I do so, correctly?

Every article/ blog/ tutorial manual page method I've read (and tried) doesn't seem to work on the latest version. (Or perhaps I have not understood what I was reading.) I am proficient in Linux terminal commands, and have realized that the command lines are similar - so I am not alarmed or particularly afraid of the terminal. Yet. I do just require a lightweight desktop windows manager that I can kill and restart when I need to. I am almost positive (crossing fingers) that as soon as I enlarge my swap size or add a swap file, that my issues will subside and I can go back to compiling applications and load my harddrive up with the precise and correct case-specific solutions for my everyday office and Internet surfing needs.

By the way I am loving this O.S. - and am very excited about the awesome potential of FreeBSD 10.0 and am not giving up any time soon. Your wisdom and advice will not be lost on this newbie.

Thanks in advance.

Fraternally,
-Nate
 
Hi @nate88 and welcome to FreeBSD :) I also migrated from GNU/Linux and haven't looked back. FreeBSD 10.0-RELEASE should run fine on 32-bit i386 architecture, so no worries there. There was quite a lot of content in your post, so I'm going to focus on your immediate issues.

Firstly, you mentioned that pkg_add(1) wasn't working. That utility is part of the old binary package management tools. In FreeBSD 10.0 and later it has been replaced by pkg(1). See this page in the handbook for an introduction to the new binary package management tool, PKGNG. In short, you can install the binary package for X.Org by running # pkg install xorg.

Secondly, you're not sure you have swap space enabled and were seeing some errors. This page in the handbook describes how to add swap space. Your post indicates you already have a swap partition. What size did you choose? For this to be used automatically, you will need an entry in /etc/fstab.

Let's have a look at your system. We can look at how you partitioned your system using gpart(8). Can you post the output of # gpart show /dev/ada0?

The last part of the command, /dev/ada0, identifies the hard disk where you installed FreeBSD. It might be /dev/ada1 or /dev/ada2 if you have multiple hard disks.

We can use swapinfo(8) to look at the swap space you have set up. Can you also run and post the output of # swapinfo -h?

To check your swap space will be used automatically, can you also post your /etc/fstab? # cat /etc/fstab
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hey, @asteriskRoss, thanks for the prompt response - and sorry for the delay in response on my end. So here's my current update:

I updated PKGNG and it installed X.Org correctly and installed Fluxbox. I think those bizarre errors I was getting may have had something to do with using older commands, and that may have caused some sort of code panic. So far I haven't received any error commands. HOWEVER, I think I need to add my keyboard and mouse to either X.Org and/or Fluxbox; as when Fluxbox starts, nothing happens - even if I hit the tab key OR the move the mouse, so I need to turn those on before I can send you any more data. I'm pretty certain that after that; all I may have to do is then check to see if my sound card works.

When I installed the system, each time it gave me a little over 600 megs MB swap to get rolling (I couldn't figure out how to tab over the number it chose for me, so I was forced to trust it's digital wisdom LOL). I may still require expanding the swap size, maybe roughly 3 gigabytes to give that 500 meg ram MB RAM chip some breathing room hahaha.

So I'm going to attempt to add the mouse and keyboard, to X.Org/Fluxbox. I think that should get me rolling, as that seems to be my only current hold-up. Uh, how do I do that exactly? How is that done? (I am no good [yet] at navigating headlessly.) And is there a soundcard audio soundclip to test the audiocard? I usually google something like "Law and Order" sound effect (haha yes its in stereo) just to see if that's the last piece of hardware being stubborn. usually all the latest operating systems find it pretty quickly with preset drivers. (not stressing, just trying to be thorough)

Thanks again in advance - and have wonderful week.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm pleased to hear you're making progress. FreeBSD has a steeper learning curve than most GNU/Linux distributions, particularly for desktop use. One of the things I like most about it is how much control I have about what is running on my system and how. The flip-side of this is that it takes time to learn how to configure your system and applications. If you haven't heard of it, you might also want to look at PC-BSD, which is based on FreeBSD but aimed specifically at desktop users. Given the forum we're talking on you can guess which way I chose to go :)
PC-BSD is a desktop operating system based on FreeBSD. Rather than having the user build their own environment from the base operating system, PC-BSD aims to make the FreeBSD experience easy and achievable for the average "casual" computer user.
Click to expand...

Swap space
The swap space you already have sounds like plenty and the maximum I would consider on one of my systems with 512 MB RAM would be 1024 MB. Until recently I had an i386 with 512 MB RAM happily running X.Org, Xfce and desktop applications. It's up to you, of course, but I would leave your swap space alone for the moment. As @SirDice says in the signature of his posts: "Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it." When I first started using FreeBSD in earnest, I found I ended up reinstalling it after I began to understand what I actually needed.

X.Org
Have you followed the instructions in the FreeBSD handbook? The section doesn't contain instructions for x11-wm/fluxbox though I see the Fluxbox website has some instructions for how to configure it.

Sound card
The FreeBSD handbook (I keep mentioning it -- an excellent resource and well worth a cover-to-cover read) has a section on setting up a sound card. If the driver for your sound card isn't already in the GENERIC kernel (the one that gets installed by default) then I would recommend loading a kernel module rather than compiling your own kernel at the moment.

If you get stuck and manual pages and searching the web aren't helping, the folks on this forum are very helpful. Just post to what looks like the appropriate place with as many details about the issue (system details, exact error messages, log files, configuration files) as you have :) There are also the mailing lists (including non-English speaking ones).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top