Feature Request: Resizing Support in Installer for HDDs
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Hi,
I think this is mostly of interest for virtual guest so I put the request here in as best forum match.
We need for one of our project resizing a KVM based firewall setup (KVM host is also firewalled /holds the hardware and other VMs which are manged by firewall behind external connected router/modems) and I found this nice howto as answer:
http://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/117023/expanding-the-disk-size-on-pfsense-under-vmware-esxiwhich can be used by booting into installer cd/stick and then make the there mentioned steps (for me with device da0 instead of ad0).
But it would be also nice to get a resize option integreated into installer which can grow - and perhaps also shrink? - the partitions to the actual needs.
Bests
Reiner
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From the answer on that page:
pfSense is currently based on FreeBSD 8.x. The ability to grow a UFS filesystem live is only coming with FreeBSD 10.x
The upcoming pfSense 2.2 is based on FreeBSD 10, so you may get that functionality automagically. I would doubt that there will be a menu option in the WebGUI, but it may be a command-line switch to expand the system partition.
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ahhh yes… as I wrote ??? :
which can be used by booting into installer cd/stick and then make the there mentioned steps (for me with device da0 instead of ad0).
But it would be also nice to get a resize option integreated into installer […].
and "the installer" is the installation program onto live CD/boot stick ? ;)
BTW. it would be also nice to have such "growing" howto using as first step/alternative to the "backup, delete and recreate" steps mentioned here?
https://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/Resize_Embedded_Flash_ImageEDIT:
Sorry, overseen your 2nd part of answer (too late here ^^) …
The "only" difference between now and later is that there would be the possibility to run it as online resize.
But I guess the steps are the same... So it can implemented in a further 2.1.x version and "reused" then in 2.2.I think a resize option in webgui is not very useful - more on cmd line / console menu so that users are trying resize only if really "needed" (and they know what they do ;)).
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As a workaround, you could create a second larger vdk and then using cloning utility to copy the logical sectors from your old disk to the new disk. I haven't tried it, but it may be an easier solution if you happen to have a copy of Acronis (or equivalent) laying around.
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@KOM:
As a workaround, you could create a second larger vdk and then using cloning utility to copy the logical sectors from your old disk to the new disk. I haven't tried it, but it may be an easier solution if you happen to have a copy of Acronis (or equivalent) laying around.
"problem" is only that it must support UFS filesystems…
For instance www.gparted.org ISO image has no such support (it can only copy/move but no resize and in my case he also didn't recognize the created partition table by pfSense) ;)=> therefore my suggestion for this option.
Myself I have tested the mentioned solution in my first post successfully.
It's only a "nice to have" as common task for all pfSense users.
