vmware OVF template and FreeBSD 8.2/9

[tamasm]

Hello everyone,

Exported OVF templates of FreeBSD 8.2 or FreeBSD 9 systems do not want to boot properly after being deployed from the exported template in vmware.

The 8.2 says:

The following filesystem had an unexpected inconsistency:
ufs: /dev/da0s1f (/usr)
Unknown error;

When I get to the console and run fsck it says:

Bad superblock

I booted the original VM (which I made the template of) back in and all filesystems came up clean. So I tried it again, but the same error.

It seems to me the last partition on the slice gets corrupted somehow but I did not find any differences between the original and the template when I was checking the disks with disklabel or gpart. I can reproduce this error any time.

I'm wondering if someone would be so kind and try exporting an 8.2 or 9 into an OVF template and re-import it into vmware and check whether the same error comes up.

Any advice/help appreciated.

Regards

 

[tamasm]

I have managed to create a working ovf template from 8.2. If I created one big / filesystem instead of separate /var, /usr, etc. it worked. Boots up just fine.

I'm not so lucky with 9.0 yet. If I use GPT the comes up with:

GPT primary table is corrupt, suggest recovery.

If I use BSD partition table instead of GPT then it says:

Bad super block: values in super block disagree with those in first alternate
Inappropriate ioctl for device
/dev/da0a: can't read disk label

Any ideas?

 

[tamasm]

I have sorted the 9.0 issues as well.
I needed to use MBR instead of GPT/BSD while partitioning the disk.

 

[swills@]

Be sure to install open-vm-tools(-nox11) version 425873,1 in your template VM so you don't have to install it later and always have it.

 

[tamasm]

Hello,

I'm always using stock vmware-tools and compile the kernel modules if necessary (on 9.0).
I never use the open-vm-tools.

Regards