Installation Issue : FreeBSD 7.0-RELEASE on Dell D630

[zelut]

I've been a long time Linux user and have recently started tinkering with FreeBSD. I downloaded the bootonly.iso and have done a few installations over FTP in both virtual machines (VirtualBox ftw) and on a home desktop. Today I thought I'd try to install it on my D630 laptop, but I'm having nothing but problems.

I saw on another thread that a user has it installed on the same model, which is promising, but the error I'm getting is during the initial installation. No matter how I do the partitioning, everything from auto-partition to manually creating a small swap and huge root partition I get "no space left on device" and "no more inode" errors.

Now I understand inodes vs blocks and all that, but can't figure out why it'd immediately be running out. This basically starts from the first chunk that gets pulled down from the FTP server.

Any suggestions on how I can get around this issue and actually get this installed?

[vermaden]

Welcome to daemonforums.org mate.

I have FreeBSD 7.1-BETA/PRERELEASE on Dell D630 with working fine.

Get that one and try again:
ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/sn...i386-disc1.iso

Personally I used 7.0-RELEASE for install and then upgraded to 7.1-BETA but that should not matter.

I created this partition scheme:

/     512m
swap 2g
/var  2g
/usr  10g
/tmp  512m --> mounted in SWAP by /etc/rc.conf

[zelut]

I created this partition scheme:

/     512m
swap 2g
/var  2g
/usr  10g
/tmp  512m --> mounted in SWAP by /etc/rc.conf

[/QUOTE]

I'll try again with the later release, but even copying your partition scheme had the same result. It seems odd. I've used the same CD to install on a desktop at home and in a VM multiple times with no problems. Based on that I get up the courage to install on my laptop and !BOOM! the sky falls down.

I'll try the later and get back to you..

[anomie]

Originally Posted by zelut

... I get "no space left on device" and "no more inode" errors

I have run into this issue while installing FBSD under some specific circumstances: If I begin a 'net installation and choose, oh "install from ftp server" and that doesn't work out (e.g. it times out), and then choose "install from ftp server in passive mode" these errors will occur.

Point is, the installer is a little finicky, and if you run into any weirdness that causes you to repeat a step, you might experience this. It's better to just restart the installation from scratch.

Might help, might not. Just my observation.

[zelut]

Point is, the installer is a little finicky, and if you run into any weirdness that causes you to repeat a step, you might experience this. It's better to just restart the installation from scratch.

Might help, might not. Just my observation.

Well I reinstalled last nite using the 7.1-BETA disc1 and everything worked just fine. I've now got everything installed and working, including wireless, and enjoying it.

Moral of this story? Use disc1, not the netinstall disc