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gnuboot/website/pages/docs/bsd/openbsd.md
Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli 0856e5d9b9
website: review OpenBSD page index and convert to GNU Boot point of view.
The mention of LibertyBSD was removed in the OpenBSD page, because
according to the LibertyBSD web page: "LibertyBSD's dormant, and in
archive-mode."[1]. The LibertyBSD project also point to the
HyperbolaBSD project as a future alternative to LibertyBSD ("Support
HyperbolaBSD!"[1].).

[1]https://libertybsd.net/

Given that we still mention that the tutorial was made for LibertyBSD
as well but we point to the BSD index page for the warnings and a way
forward (which is basically HyperbolaBSD) to improve support for BSD
systems in GNU Boot.

Signed-off-by: Denis 'GNUtoo' Carikli <GNUtoo@cyberdimension.org>
Acked-by: Adrien Bourmault <neox@gnu.org>
2024-11-12 12:16:31 +01:00

5.4 KiB


title: How to install OpenBSD on x86 GNU GRUB payload ...

This guide was written for OpenBSD 6.1 and/or LibertyBSD 6.1 at a time where Libreboot was still fully free and where LibertyBSD 6.0 was still maintained. At that time the this guide was meant to be easily adapted for other versions of OpenBSD.

OpenBSD is not a fully free softrware operating system / distribution and so the GNU Boot project can't force its contributors to test GNU Boot with OpenBSD.

Because of that this page is only meant for people already Using OpenBSD. See the BSD index page for more details about how GNU Boot deals with this issue and the way forward to a better support for BSD systems in GNU Boot.

If you already use OpenBSD and want an encrypted install, use SeaBIOS instead of GRUB and go here: https://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html (official installation guide, which says how to use encryption)

GRUB supports booting OpenBSD kernels directly. However, you're better off simply using the SeaBIOS payload; BSD works well with BIOS or UEFI setups.

GRUB is acceptable for booting unencrypted BSD installations. However, encrypted BSD installations will probably require the use of SeaBIOS/Tianocore.

install61.fs is the installation image for OpenBSD 6.1. Adapt the filename accordingly, for a different OpenBSD version.

Prepare the USB drive in OpenBSD

If you downloaded your ISO on an OpenBSD system, here is how to create the bootable OpenBSD USB drive:

Connect the USB drive and check the system message buffer:

dmesg | tail

Check to confirm which drive it is, for example, if you think it's sd3:

disklabel sd3

Check that it wasn't automatically mounted. If it was, unmount it:

doas umount /dev/sd3i

Now write the OpenBSD installer to the drive with dd:

doas dd if=install60.fs of=/dev/rsdXc bs=1M; sync

You should now be able to boot the installer from your USB drive. Continue reading, for information about how to do that.

Prepare the USB drive (in NetBSD)

This page on the NetBSD website shows how to create a NetBSD bootable USB drive from within NetBSD itself. You should use the dd method documented there. This will also work with the OpenBSD image.

Prepare the USB drive (in FreeBSD)

This page on the FreeBSD website shows how to create a bootable USB drive for installing FreeBSD. Use the dd on that page. You can also use the same instructions with a OpenBSD ISO image.

Prepare the USB drive (in GNU+Linux)

If you downloaded your ISO on a GNU+Linux system, here is how to create the bootable OpenBSD USB drive:

Connect the USB drive. Check dmesg:

dmesg

Check lsblk to confirm which drive it is:

lsblk

Check that it wasn't automatically mounted. If it was, unmount it. For example:

sudo umount /dev/sdX\*
umount /dev/sdX\*

dmesg told you what device it is. Overwrite the drive, writing your distro ISO to it with dd. For example:

sudo dd if=install61.fs of=/dev/sdX bs=8M; sync
dd if=install61.fs of=/dev/sdX bs=8M; sync

You should now be able to boot the installer from your USB drive. Continue reading, for information about how to do that.

Installing OpenBSD without full disk encryption

Press C in GRUB to access the command line:

grub> kopenbsd (usb0,openbsd1)/6.1/amd64/bsd.rd
grub> boot

It will start booting into the OpenBSD installer. Follow the normal process for installing OpenBSD.

Installing OpenBSD with full disk encryption

If you are using SeaBIOS, OpenBSD's bootloader will be chainloaded automatically and everything will just work.

Booting

Press C in GRUB to access the command line:

grub> kopenbsd -r sd0a (ahci0,openbsd1)/bsd
grub> boot

OpenBSD will start booting.

Configuring Grub

If you don't want to drop to the GRUB command line and type in a command to boot OpenBSD every time, you can create a GRUB configuration that's aware of your OpenBSD installation and that will automatically be used by GNU Boot.

On your OpenBSD root partition, create the /grub directory and add the file gnuboot_grub.cfg to it. Inside the gnuboot_grub.cfg add these lines:

default=0
timeout=3

menuentry "OpenBSD" {
    kopenbsd -r sd0a (ahci0,openbsd1)/bsd
}

If your OpenBSD installation uses a GPT scheme, use the gpt4 partition instead of openbsd1.

The next time you boot, you'll see the old Grub menu for a few seconds, then you'll see the a new menu with only OpenBSD on the list. After 3 seconds OpenBSD will boot, or you can hit enter to boot.

Troubleshooting

According to the Libreboot project at a time when it was still fully free, most of the issues occur when using coreboot's 'text mode' instead of the coreboot framebuffer. This mode is useful for booting payloads like memtest86+ which expect text-mode, but for OpenBSD, accodring to Libreboot at the time, it can be problematic when they are trying to switch to a framebuffer because it doesn't exist.

Won't boot...something about file not found

Your device names (i.e. usb0, usb1, sd0, sd1, wd0, ahci0, hd0, etc) and numbers may differ. Use TAB completion.