port-xen: Re: perplexing installation error

Subject: Re: perplexing installation error
To: Greg Troxel <gdt@ir.bbn.com>
From: Johnny Lam <jlam@pkgsrc.org>
List: port-xen
Date: 11/14/2005 12:52:08

Greg Troxel wrote:
> I have a (vanilla P4 intel mobo) machine running current from last
> week, and up to date xentools and xenkernel, booting into dom0 just
> fine.
> 
> I am trying to install a domU in a 16G file, created with dd and
> /dev/zero sparsely (wrote last k or so, rest is a hole).
kern/29838 says that vnd(4) on a sparse file won't work. When I created 
my "disks", I filled the whole space with /dev/zero.
> The domU boots the -current install iso, and correctly figures out
> that the disk is 16G. When it starts to write to the disk, it fails with:
> 
> 
> Status: Command failed
> Command: disklabel -w -r -f /tmp/disktab xbd0 '[redacted].ir.bbn.com'
> Hit enter to continue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> disklabel: can't read filecore boot block: No such file or directory
> 
> Do I need to make a disklabel first? I would think netbsd could
> install to a totally blank disk. I will read disklabel sources, but
> would appreciate any clues.
It never occurred to me to install onto the files without creating a 
disklabel first. FWIW, it *does* work that way. I don't know whether 
the disklabel should be required or not -- that is probably not a 
Xen-specific question.
	Cheers,
	-- Johnny Lam <jlam@pkgsrc.org>