hi i am currently thinking of converting my server from Slackware 10 linux to FreeBSD. just a few questions.

does freebsd support read/write access on a ext3 file system (my server have 10 scsi disks in a ext3 partations and havnt the stuff to convert)

can still use samba exectly the same (think i can but just making sure)

and has look would have it i have forgot the other 2 questions i wanted to ask!

the main reson i am changing is for the portage range!

please nobody try and stop me as when i was choosing the OS for the server when i first fot it i was torn between slackware and freeBSD but put slackware and have wished ever since i put BSD on it and im finaly going to get round to it

thanks for any advice

berrance

does freebsd support read/write access on a ext3 file system (my server have 10 scsi disks in a ext3 partations and havnt the stuff to convert)


I don't *think* so. You can mount ext3 as ext2 with BSD, but I think that's a no no as it can mess up the ext3 journal. Hopefully someone else has more info on that. I've not needed to do this in a *long* time.

can still use samba exectly the same (think i can but just making sure)

Yes. In fact, you can just copy the configs over. (Don't forget to grab the tdbs or you'll have to recreate all your users and machine accounts).

If not for the existing filesystem I'd say conversion would be a snap.

can i just do a file system conversion? so i dont have to format the hard disks?

i should have put this in the BSD section infact i thought i did but then again im loosing my mind lol

Portage is actually a Gentoo Linux thing..
or did you mean "ports" ?

thanks for correcting me qwijibow

see i told you i was loosing my mind lol

Noooooooooooooo! Don't do it...

Just kidding. Good luck with bsd. Maybe you can try out debian sometime too.

Concerning the issue of ext3:

It is completely possible to just mount the partitions (as ext2) and keep on truckin' but there are minor issues that you will need to be aware of. First, DO NOT dual boot this server. If you do happen to dual boot and Linux does not shutdown cleanly... reboot into LINUX ONLY. If you reboot into FreeBSD you will lose all sorts of information. I am not sure how massive the data loss would be but on a very busy disk I would imagine it would be much more than you could afford to lose. Same with BSD... if it goes down uncleanly... reboot into it and allow it to clean up its own mess.

Here is my question: Are those disks part of a RAID array or are the mounted seperately?

If they are a raid array (mirrored) ... then couldn't you convert one disk (or half the disks depending on your redundancy) and then copy the information over to the new BSD partition and then do the rest of the disks? Or if it isn't RAID... could you fit all the data on Nine disks and then do it one disk at a time, moving data as you go?

If it is RAID without redunancy... then I can see the problem with doing this.

But it really is just easier to have a native filesystem... although it is certainly not required.

thanks for the help and tips, unfortainatly my raid doesnt have any redunancy but i am going to try and copy most of the stuff onto other disks to free up one disk and the stuff i havnt space to copy onto other disks copy it onto dvd, pity i didnt have a big tape drive any way this is the perfect time to back up all my stuff onto DVD it may take a wile but i think its the best option in the longterm for if i do have any major data loss.

i shouldnt have any problem with dual booting on my server as it will only have 1 OS on it unlike some of my workstations.

and debian is one of those things i have wanted to try for ages and keep saying i will try it the next time i reinstall a new OS but never do, i will do it next time maybe! lol

thanks again for the tips and help

berrance

right i am planning the change over from slackware 10 on my server to free BSD fo this week but first i want almost the same configurations for some things on my server. so i will be copieng several config files over but im not sure if i have remembered them all so im going to list them and if i have missed any can you please tell me. thanks

/etc/samba/smb.conf
/usr/local/apache/cong/*
/etc/passwd
/etc/named.conf


is there any thing i might have missed out?
also i have created a backup of my sql through webmin, how can i restor it again when im in free bsd.

thanks

berrance

/etc/passwd ?

Are you sure you want that copied over?