[OpenIndiana-discuss] Install / Partition Help

[Andrew Gabriel]

Wallbank, Mark wrote:
> Hi
> I am trying to install openindiana (x86) and would like to customise the partitions/slices. I would like to have a solaris2 fdisk for the whole of the disk but when it comes to the format partitions I would like to have about 10 to 30 Gig at the start of the disk for the os; then setup another slice for the data to be shared, however the installer only lets me set one value. I have tried setting up the partitions first by hand but there doesn't appear to be an option to leave the fs intact and point it at a slice (format partition). Hope this makes sense. Any ideas..?
>   

I think the installer will use all of the Solaris2 primary fdisk 
partition for the rpool, without going you any ability to configure that.

What you can do (at least in the Oracle installer, which I suspect will 
be the same in the OI installer) is to create additional primary fdisk 
partitions, and these can be used directly for additional zpools, or 
swap devices, or dump devices, etc. (which you'll have to create after 
installation). You should not have more than one primary fdisk partition 
of the same type on a disk, so choose any partition type which Solaris 
and all other software on the system isn't going to treat specially 
("other" is OK, but if you want more than one extra, you may have to 
pick another one too). When specifying the device nodes, the four 
primary fdisk partition device names are *p[1-4] (with *p0 being the 
whole disk irrespective of any partitioning - don't use that by mistake, 
and don't use the Solaris2 one which has the VToC slices in it (normally 
*p1)).

There's a separate discussion to be had about how sensible it is (or 
isn't) to have more than one zpool on a disk, and it certainly defeats 
some of the aims of ZFS.

-- 
Andrew