Subject: Re: bootselector questions
To: None <port-i386@netbsd.org>
From: Jukka Salmi <j+nbsd@2005.salmi.ch>
List: port-i386
Date: 05/28/2005 19:37:53
Andy Ruhl --> port-i386 (2005-05-27 11:05:30 -0700):
> On 5/27/05, Jukka Salmi <j+nbsd@2005.salmi.ch> wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > is it possible to configure the NetBSD bootselector to have it always
> > boot the last partition booted instead of the default partition? GRUB
> > has such a feature, but I don't know where it stores the information
> > about which partition was booted last.
> > 
> > Since the NetBSD bootselector can boot the active partition this problem
> > could probably be worked around by marking the partition it boots as
> > active. Could this break anything?
> 
> I thought this was the way it worked already?
> 
> FreeBSD does too, whatever the last partition you selected was, that
> is what will be booted. My NetBSD box works this way. This is -current
> as of maybe a few months ago.

I'm using -current built using sources from 2005/05/23, and I don't see
what you describe. I have four MBR partitions: one for Win XP (type 135),
one for NetBSD (169), an extended partition (5) for Linux, and a hiber-
nation partition (160). My NetBSD partition is active, and it stays
active even if I boot NT or Linux. Nothing changes in the MBR, no matter
what the bootselector selects.

So maybe I'm missing something, but I can't get it to work as you
described...

Another question: why is it not possible to set a logical partition
as active? From within Linux, I set the Linux /boot partition as active,
rebooted into NetBSD, and set the NetBSD partition active. This resulted
in two active partitions...


Cheers, Jukka

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