Chapter 20. Adding Hard Disk Storage

IN THIS CHAPTER

• IDE/ATA Access Modes

• SCSI Disks

• Understanding Hard Disk Geometry

• Partitioning a Hard Disk

• Creating the Disk Labels

• Making the Filesystem Available for Use

• Enhancing Disk Performance Using RAID and Vinum

This chapter tries to make sense of what is surely one of the ugliest parts of dealing with a UNIX system: disks. Compared to a Windows system (where a disk is automatically assigned a drive number by the BIOS) or a Macintosh (where a new disk simply appears on the desktop), UNIX systems require a deeper knowledge of geometry, partitions, access modes, and other such esoterica. FreeBSD is, unfortunately, no exception.

As you learned in Chapter 12, "The FreeBSD Filesystem," the hierarchical filesystem structure of UNIX does provide a more flexible way of dealing with files than is possible with traditional desktop operating systems. This flexibility comes at a price, however. To add a new disk to the FreeBSD system, it must first be installed in the proper physical position and then sliced, partitioned, labeled, and finally mounted at the selected mount point. This is a far cry from the two or three steps necessary to add a new disk in most desktop systems.

Times are changing, and the progress of hardware standards has eliminated the need for some of the really nasty underlying pencil-and-paper work that used to accompany the installation of a new disk. With the right knowledge (and the help of your good friend Sysinstall), you can get the rest of the process under control.