How to Install from Live iso

Questions about the installation of FreeBSD
mtnblue97
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by mtnblue97 »

FYI, I installed GhostBSD 4.0 via the live session. It failed the first time re some kind of mount problem. So I redid it but launching the installer via sudo gbi, and it installed successfully!! << kudos to you re this trick.

It must be noted that I experience the exact same problem with FreeBSD 10.1

PC-BSD 10.1 is OK.

It may be a timing issue: I noted when the GhostBSD 4.0 Live was booting up, that I saw an x server failure just before the MATE desktop launched. The xorg logs did not contain any failure though.
mtnblue97
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by mtnblue97 »

More data.

While booting up GhostBSD 4.0, I noticed that when the boot was done it goes to a login prompt. Very shortly after that the system auto logs in and the desktop starts up.

For GhostBSD 10.1 it gets to this same login prompt, but then just sits there. I thought I had to log in manually and then start up X, and the desktop, but maybe what is going on is, the auto login is just not happening. Still a problem, but a different one than we were thinking.
ASX
Posts: 988
Joined: Wed May 06, 2015 12:46 pm

Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by ASX »

mtnblue97 wrote:FYI, I installed GhostBSD 4.0 via the live session. It failed the first time re some kind of mount problem. So I redid it but launching the installer via sudo gbi, and it installed successfully!! << kudos to you re this trick.

It must be noted that I experience the exact same problem with FreeBSD 10.1

PC-BSD 10.1 is OK.

It may be a timing issue: I noted when the GhostBSD 4.0 Live was booting up, that I saw an x server failure just before the MATE desktop launched. The xorg logs did not contain any failure though.
PC-BSD and GhostBSD-10.1-Beta2 (Live sessions only) are both using the "vt/newcons" system console, as opposed to "syscons" which is the default
for FreeBSD-10.1 and it is also the default one after installing GhostBSD. That's why I suggested to test the switch to "vt" console in my previous post, I would like to know if you tried it, because the current results seems to suggest that "vt" console might work, while "syscons" doesn't.
mtnblue97
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by mtnblue97 »

Yes, I did try that.
But, I tried it again, and when the login prompt appeared after the reboot, and I waited, the terminal screen went completely blank, with a small grey 'cursor' like mark at the top left corner.
Nothing happens.
Hitting the enter key does nothing.

That's the story so far.

Btw, thanks for going thru my logs!
ASX
Posts: 988
Joined: Wed May 06, 2015 12:46 pm

Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by ASX »

please try this too, add in /boot/loader.conf:

Code: Select all

machdep.disable_mtrrs=1
and reboot
mtnblue97
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by mtnblue97 »

Here is what I did:
Created a new VM; clean install of GhostBSD 10.1 Live.
sudo gbi to install
got to log in prompt; it went no further: verifying the failure mode
Added the following to loader.conf:

hw.vga.textmode=1
kern.vty=vt
machdep.disable_mtrrs=1

reboot

It got to the login prompt, waited a couple of seconds, then went to a black screen with a little gray square at the top left corner.
This is similar to the last try.
The thing to note is that this is how it behaves when it works (PC-BSD), but the black screen quickly becomes the desktop.
I tried after another reboot to login at the prompt, and it did accept my userid and went to the pw line, but the black screen took over before I could log in.

As an aside, I did an install of PC-BSD and chose TrueOS (FreeBSD) instead of PC-BSD and I got it to install and run. My first look at FreeBSD.
mtnblue97
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by mtnblue97 »

Well I waited 2 years to try this again. I was inspired by the fact that I got GhostBSD running on a VirtualBox guest, whose hypervisor is (unfortunately) running on Win10. GhostBSD runs so nicely, I figured it was time to try again on qemu/kvm. I really wanted to make this my go-to OS.

Here are my results:

The GhostBSD Live iso simply boots to a blank (but colorful) screen. No combinations of video settings in qemu make any difference.

Given how nicely GhostBSD runs on VirtualBox, is there no way to make this even work on a live iso on qemu?

My trials 2 years ago were a bit different, in that the live iso actually worked out of the box, but would not install to a working xorg.
A likely accidental case of FreeBSD current (at the time) did work though (as in it would install to a working display).

But now, FreeBSD, TrueOS, and GhostBSD do not work in qemu.

Is this by design? Please don't take offence at my question. If this is a losing game I will give it up.

I have numerous guest OSs working perfectly in qemu: Centos, Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, and flavors of each.

I would use VirtualBox, however one cannot run both VirtualBox and qemu/kvm on the same metal, and I have oodles of VMs on qemu.
mtnblue97
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 2:07 pm

Success with Vbox: Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by mtnblue97 »

I took a step back and decided to move over to vbox for all my VMs. It has so many good features, and above all GhostBSD works out of the box!
While I did not receive any responses on this forum for my recent post, it did help to focus me on a solution. Banging my head on qemu will not fix it.
I now have a GhostBSD operating, as well as Arch, and Xubuntu, on vbox. I may run into a showstopper but I have high hopes this will be a full solution.
My problems with qemu are very likely rooted in the guest driver area. But Ubuntu works with vbox without any installation of drivers. Arch requires driver installation but their wiki is the best linux resource one can find.
I am on to Centos as a guest now, and I believe this requires a bit more work but we'll see.

I will end this thread now. I consider the qemu a non-starter for any FreeBSD variant. I consider vbox the way to go at this point with further use cases to go.

Stan
mtnblue97
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: How to Install from Live iso

Post by mtnblue97 »

Well almost 2 years have gone by and I have an update.
My trials with vbox ended, as I simply could not keep up with the constant new versions of the host, and then updating the guest additions. I have standardized on Centos, and the ga is regularly broken for Centos.
So, back to qemu on Centos hypervisor.
Freebsd still will not work out of the box. Xorg will not start. Tried all the advice I could find.
Will give Ghost another try as it is the smoothest spin.

But one key question: why are there zero responses to this issue? Does no one use any BSD as a guest on qemu? Are my questions so basic that no one can find it in themselves to tell me? (it wouldn't be the first time a solution is right before me).

Anyway, can someone *please* give me some tips on how to get any variant of BSD running as a guest on a Centos base.

Let's see how Ghost works though .....
Post Reply