Here are some tips about installing FreeBSD...
FreeBSD Documentation (In HTML form: Handbook and FAQ)
Hard Disk Partitions
Disk Types
Machine Requirements
Installation Methods
To Install FreeBSD from a DOS partition
To Install FreeBSD from Diskettes
Using INTERLNK to Copy Files Between Machines
Further information on FreeBSD
Documentation for FreeBSD is available from the FreeBSD site. There is a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document in HTML, PostScript and ASCII (text) form. Likewise, there's a Handbook in those three forms.
Here on our web site, DJE Systems carries the Handbook and FAQ in HTML form especially for DOS and Windows users. Click on this Handbook HTML link or this FAQ HTML link to download the .ZIP archive for either or both. (You may need to right-click the link, and choose an option to save it to disk.) See the PKware Home Page for PKUnzip for DOS and/or PKZip for Windows if you need one or both of these. The shareware versions can be downloaded freely, but may only be used without paying for a brief trial period. See the UNZIP page for links to places where you can find the freeware UNZIP program for DOS and the WiZ program (ZIP/UNZIP for Windows).
Like DOS, FreeBSD uses "partitions" on your hard disk. That is, you can have one or more logical "disks" on your single physical disk.
For example, you can have a DOS partition (or more than one DOS partition) and one or more FreeBSD partitions. You can also devote the entire disk to FreeBSD, if you want to. In general, though, it's advisable to keep a small DOS partition (32 to 64 MB) in case you need to set up an expansion card using a DOS program.
Generally speaking, you can only have four partitions (DOS partitions, Extended Partitions, non-DOS partitions) on each hard disk.
Note that FreeBSD generally assumes that you will be using some type of SCSI hard disk. While SCSI is (much!) faster than IDE, it is unlikely to be found on most home PCs. If you're selecting a machine with the intention of dedicating it to FreeBSD, SCSI (especially a PCI SCSI adapter) is the recommended choice.
FreeBSD supports floppy disks, IDE and SCSI. Parallel port disk and tape drives are not currently supported.
We've found some problems using the On-Track "manager" for large IDE hard disk (Samsung 1.6 GB in a Packard Bell 486). Otherwise, most any IDE hard disk should do nicely. If your BIOS supports a large hard disk without help, you should be fine.
ISA-bus machines are supported as are EISA and PCI. However, MCA (Micro Channel Architecture) machines (many PS/2s), are not supported as of this writing (October, 1997).
The installation process supplied on the boot floppy, the CD-ROM or in the install kernel requires a minimum of 5 MB or RAM. If you are going to use an old 386 machine, make sure you've got at least 5 MB of RAM. 30 pin SIMMs are pretty cheap now, so don't let this cost stop you. See the FreeBSD site for further hardware requirements, but just about any DOS compatible machine with VGA video should do.
The most trouble-free installation will probably be achieved using the CD-ROM. See the FreeBSD site for ordering information. This will require, at the least, a diskette drive and some kind of CD-ROM drive which is usable in DOS (that is, outside of Windows and NOT in a DOS window). See the FreeBSD site for compatibility information. We can tell you that most CD-ROMs using SoundBlaster cards will work, but you can't boot from them. Otherwise, Mitsumi and Sony CD-ROMs should work as well as some ATAPI adapters and CD-ROM drives. Again, see the FreeBSD site for more complete compatibility information.
You can also install from a DOS partition by copying (or downloading) the files to the DOS partition of the machine on which you will be installing FreeBSD. See our Files You'll Need To Install FreeBSD page for a list of files to download. See the following topic on installing from a DOS partition for more information. All you'll need to do then is to make a boot diskette and boot from it, then follow the FreeBSD instructions to install from a DOS partition.
As a "last resort", you can also install FreeBSD from diskettes. Again, see our Files You'll Need To Install FreeBSD page for a list of files to download. See the following topic on installing from diskettes for more information. All you'll need to do then is to make a boot diskette and boot from it, then follow the FreeBSD instructions to install from diskettes.
DJE Systems can provide you with a diskette distribution for a nominal charge. You'll find the details on our Files You'll Need To Install FreeBSD page.
The Getting Started with FreeBSD page contains hints about making room on your hard disk for FreeBSD, making and booting from a boot diskette.
To Install FreeBSD from a DOS partition:
Make any changes to hard disks partitions that you may need to make.
Create a new directory in the DOS partition on your hard disk called \FREEBSD.
Download the INSTALL.BAT, INSTALL.TXT, FBSDBOOT.EXE and KERNEL files to this directory. If you have the CD-ROM, you'll find them in the root directory of the CD-ROM. (We didn't find an INSTALL.BAT on the web, so we made one for you. The KERNEL file was taken from the 2.2.5-RELEASE boot floppy. If these present any problems, just boot from the boot diskette!)
Create a new directory in the DOS partition on your hard disk called \FREEBSD\BIN. Download the BIN Distribution to this directory.
Create a new directory in the DOS partition on your hard disk called \FREEBSD\MANPAGES. Download the MANPAGES Distribution to this directory.
Review the INSTALL.TXT file.
Invoke the INSTALL.BAT procedure to load and run the installation kernel (or boot from the FreeBSD boot diskette). Refer to the FreeBSD documentation for further information.
If you have the CD-ROM, and happen to have two PCs - one with a CD-ROM, one without - you can copy these files to the hard disk of the machine with the CD-ROM, then copy them to the machine without the CD-ROM using INTERLNK. See the INTERLNK topic on this page for details.
To Install FreeBSD from Diskettes
Download the BIN and MANPAGES distributions to diskettes, or download them to your hard disk and copy them to diskettes. Files MUST appear in sequence, .AA thru whatever.
Be sure that the BIN.INF file is on the first BIN diskette, and that the MANPAGES.INF file is on the first MANPAGES diskette AND on the last BIN diskette.
Because of the way that the distributions are "split" into files, you should be able to fit six files on each diskette when using 3-1/2 inch DSHD diskettes. The BIN Distribution has 73 files (BIN.AA thru BIN.CT), including the BIN.INF file. So, you'll need about 12 diskettes for the BIN distribution. The MANPAGES Distribution has 17 files (MANPAGES.AA thru MANPAGES.AP) including the MANPAGES.INF file. So, you'll need another 3 diskettes for the MANPAGES distribution.
DJE Systems can provide you with a diskette distribution for a nominal charge. You'll find the details on our Files You'll Need To Install FreeBSD page.
Download the INSTALL.TXT file. Print it out and review it.
Backup your hard disk, then make any changes to hard disk partitions that you may need to make.
Boot from the FreeBSD boot diskette. Refer to the FreeBSD documentation for further information.
If you have the CD-ROM, and happen to have two PCs - one with a CD-ROM, one without - you can copy these files to diskettes using the machine with the CD-ROM. The File Manager in Windows is useful for this. (Due to a little known bug in Windows/95's Explorer - equivalent to File Manager, it is recommended that Windows/95 NOT be used for any production work, especially when copying files to bootable diskettes: if the diskette is used to boot something other than Windows/95, the boot sector will be clobbered and the diskette will no longer be bootable. Stick with Windows V3.x until this bug is corrected.)
Using INTERLNK to Copy Files Between Machines
Naturally, if you have some networking in operation, you probably don't need this info. Otherwise, ...
INTERLNK and INTERSVR come with MS-DOS V6 and later. INTERLNK is the client and INTERSVR is the server. You can connect two machines together using serial ports and a null-modem cable, or by using the parallel ports and a special store-bought cable. (PLEASE - PLEASE - PLEASE use the store-bought cable, you'll save yourself LOTS of problems!!)
Setting up the server is easy - just run the INTERSVR program. Setting up the client requires a change to the CONFIG.SYS file:
For Serial Port Interconnection:
device=c:\dos\interlnk.exe /com:2 /v /baud:115200
For Parallel Port Interconnection:
device=c:\dos\interlnk.exe /lpt:1
Substitute the appropriate port numbers in the examples above. The parallel port interconnection is MUCH faster than the fastest speed you can get on serial ports. For further information, see the HELP for INTERLNK and INTERSVR which is available at the DOS prompt.
Introduction to FreeBSD
Installation Tips for FreeBSD
Getting Started with FreeBSD
Files You'll Need To Install FreeBSD
The REAL Story about "tarballs"
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