Re: Installing a NetBSD DomU on a file-backed disk

[metalliqaz%fastmail.fm@localhost]

On Tue, Jun 12, 2012, at 11:13 AM, Blair Sadewitz wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 11:01 AM, Manuel Bouyer 
> <bouyer%antioche.eu.org@localhost>
> wrote:
> 
> > I guess a small ext2 partition with the config file and netbsd kernel
> > at the start of the virtual disk should be enough.
> >
> 
> That's what I thought--and that's why I think I must be doing
> something wrong.  The instructions most applicable to my situation are
> these:
> 
> http://wiki.prgmr.com/mediawiki/index.php/NetBSD_as_a_DomU
> 
> Do note that I have no /dev/xvda as is mentioned there.  This system
> is setup without any partition table, just an ext3 filesystem.  By
> partition, did you mean slice in a disklabel or actual partition a la
> fdisk?
> 
> If there's anything you'd like to see from my next attempt, just let me
> know.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> --Blair

I actually wrote most of the stuff on that wiki page.

It is a moderately complicated procedure.  If you're totally new to all
this, you may want to just run one of the provided Linux images.  You do
have to wipe the entire disk.  If your provider doesn't support these
procedures, then just give it up.

My procedure went something like this:
* Re-partition the disk with FDISK.
* Make a small boot partition right at the beginning of the disk, make
it ext2, and drop your kernels there.
* disklabel the disk manually during the NetBSD install.
* use the rest of the disk for BSD as you see fit.
* install grub manually on the boot partition.

I'm leaving a lot out from that procedure.  I can say that on my own
system with NetBSD in a DomU, I don't bother with all that business and
I just copy my kernel to the Dom0 and do it the old fashioned way
(without grub).

-d