Manjaro Difference between pages "Manjaro Mirrors" and "Some basics of MBR v/s GPT and BIOS v/s UEFI"

Difference between pages "Manjaro Mirrors" and "Some basics of MBR v/s GPT and BIOS v/s UEFI"

From Manjaro
(Difference between pages)
imported>Handy
 
imported>Aaditya
 
Line 1: Line 1:
<br clear="all" />
== MBR ==
<br clear="all" />
==What's a Mirror?==


In the GNU/Linux distro world (& other systems too) a mirror is a server that hosts an up to date copy of a distro's software packages, stored in repositories (repos). There exist repos that are maintained by the distro administration - official - & other's. The Arch User Repository (AUR) being a good example of a non-official user maintained repo.
A master boot record (MBR) is a special type of boot sector at the very beginning of partitioned computer mass storage devices like fixed disks or removable drives intended for use with IBM PC-compatible systems and beyond. The concept of MBRs was publicly introduced in 1983 with PC DOS 2.0.


There are usually multiple repos in a mirror, holding software packages in categories, such as Manjaro's - core, extra, community & multilib repos. These repos will be duplicated with package content to suit both 32bit & 64bit installations, as well as for any & all the variety of releases that a distro may support. In Manjaro's case that is quite a number when all of the different Desktop & Window Manager titled front ends are considered.
The MBR holds the information on how the logical partitions, containing file systems, are organized on that medium. Besides that, the MBR also contains executable code to function as a loader for the installed operating system—usually by passing control over to the loader's second stage, or in conjunction with each partition's volume boot record (VBR). This MBR code is usually referred to as a boot loader.


The distro has package maintainers in its administration. They manage the contents of the repos, keeping it up to date, patching packages if required. Some distros, like Manjaro, have certain packages that are unique to it only - like mhwd for example.
The organization of the partition table in the MBR limits the maximum addressable storage space of a disk to 2 TB (232 × 512 bytes).
Therefore, the MBR-based partitioning scheme is in the process of being superseded by the GUID Partition Table (GPT) scheme in new computers. A GPT can coexist with an MBR in order to provide some limited form of a backwards compatibility for older systems.


<br clear="all" />
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record


==Why do we need more mirrors?==


The more mirrors we have the faster Manjaro's users can upgrade their systems. Some parts of the world have much faster internet speeds than others. In some circumstances, having a server in your country, or better yet, in your city, can make a world of difference to your download speeds.
== GPT ==


<br clear="all" />
GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a standard for the layout of the partition table on a physical hard disk, using globally unique identifiers (GUID). Although it forms a part of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) standard (Unified EFI Forum proposed replacement for the PC BIOS), it is also used on some BIOS systems because of the limitations of master boot record (MBR) partition tables, which use 32 bits for storing logical block addresses (LBA) and size information.


==How does Manjaro know what mirror(s) to use?==
MBR-based partition table schemes insert the partitioning information for (usually) four "primary" partitions in the master boot record (MBR) (which on a BIOS system is also the container for code that begins the process of booting the system). In a GPT, the first sector of the disk is reserved for a "protective MBR" such that booting a BIOS-based computer from a GPT disk is supported, but the boot loader and O/S must both be GPT-aware. Regardless of the sector size, the GPT header begins on the second logical block of the device.


There is a file /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist which lists all of the available mirrors.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table


There is another file called /etc/pacman-mirrors.conf that by default is configured to re-write your mirrorlist in a list with the fastest at the top, descending to the slowest, when the system is given the Terminal command:


sudo pacman-mirrors -g
GPT uses modern logical block addressing (LBA) in place of the cylinder-head-sector (CHS) addressing used with MBR. Legacy MBR information is contained in LBA 0, the GPT header is in LBA 1, and the partition table itself follows. In 64-bit Windows operating systems, 16,384 bytes, or 32 sectors, are reserved for the GPT, leaving LBA 34 as the first usable sector on the disk.


This is a remarkably streamlined system compared to the ways that it has been in the past for the pacman rolling release system to manage its mirrors, let alone to rank their speed.
From: http://www.diskinternals.com/glossary/guid_partition_table.html


<br clear="all" />


==How do we get more mirrors?==
== GPT vs. MBR ==


I'm glad you asked that question.
Compared with MBR disk, A GPT disk can support larger than 2 TB volumes where MBR cannot. A GPT disk can be basic or dynamic, just like an MBR disk can be basic or dynamic. GPT disks also support up to 128 partitions rather than the 4 primary partitions limited to MBR. Also, GPT keeps a backup of the partition table at the end of the disk. Furthermore, GPT disk provides greater reliability due to replication and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table.


<br clear="all" />
From: http://www.partition-tool.com/resource/GPT-disk-partition-manager/partition-gpt-disk.htm
===Phil's advice, taken from the Manjaro forum:===


''Some people still ask me how I got 5 mirrors in one week before 0.8.0 came out. It is simple. Just write 100 mails to universities and companies supporting Linux. Go to Arch linux and grab their mirrorlist. Crawl through their servers and get their contact data. Write an email and see what response you get. Here is some more info about it.''
The GUID partition table (GPT) disk partitioning style supports volumes up to 18 exabytes in size and up to 128 partitions per disk, compared to the master boot record (MBR) disk partitioning style, which supports volumes up to 2 terabytes in size and up to 4 primary partitions per disk (or three primary partitions, one extended partition, and unlimited logical drives). Unlike MBR partitioned disks, data critical to platform operation is located in partitions instead of unpartitioned or hidden sectors. In addition, GPT partitioned disks have redundant primary and backup partition tables for improved partition data structure integrity.  


<br clear="all" />
From: http://www.diskinternals.com/glossary/guid_partition_table.html
====What is the size of the Manjaro database?====


We are at 42 GB. 100 GB or higher would be better.


<br clear="all" />
== BIOS ==
====How is the mirror synchronized?====


'''Via the following Rsync-Services:'''
In IBM PC compatible computers, the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), also known as System BIOS, ROM BIOS or PC BIOS, is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface. The name originated from the Basic Input/Output System used in the CP/M operating system in 1975. The BIOS software is built into the PC, and is the first software run by a PC when powered on.


<br clear="all" />
The fundamental purposes of the BIOS are to initialize and test the system hardware components, and to load a bootloader or an operating system from a mass memory device. The BIOS additionally provides abstraction layer for the hardware, i.e. a consistent way for application programs and operating systems to interact with the keyboard, display, and other input/output devices. Variations in the system hardware are hidden by the BIOS from programs that use BIOS services instead of directly accessing the hardware. Modern operating systems ignore the abstraction layer provided by the BIOS and access the hardware components directly.
Brasil
rsync://rsync.las.ic.unicamp.br/pub/manjarolinux/


Germany
From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS
rsync://repo.manjaro.org/repos (whitelisted IP needed)
rsync://ftp.halifax.rwth-aachen.de/manjaro/
rsync://ftp.rz.tu-bs.de/pub/mirror/manjaro.org/repos/


Japan
== UEFI ==
rsync://ftp.tsukuba.wide.ad.jp/manjaro
rsync://ftp.kddilabs.jp/manjaro/


United States
The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) (pronounced as an initialism U-E-F-I or like "unify" without the n) is a specification that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. UEFI is meant to replace the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface, present in all IBM PC-compatible personal computers. In practice, most UEFI images provide legacy support for BIOS services. UEFI can support remote diagnostics and repair of computers, even without another operating system.
rsync://mirror.jmu.edu/manjaro/


 
The original EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) specification was developed by Intel. Some of its practices and data formats mirror ones from Windows.] In 2005, UEFI deprecated EFI 1.10 (final release of EFI). The UEFI specification is managed by the Unified EFI Forum.
''To sync from our own manjaro.org server we need the IP of your server so it can be white-listed at our end. There is a recommended script for use with our server, so please contact the Manjaro administration in this regard. ''
 
<br clear="all" />
 
====How do you ask an organisation with servers to create a Manjaro mirror?====
 
<br clear="all" />
'''Write them an email like this (in your native language):'''
 
 
Dear Sir or Madam,
 
My name is <YOUR NAME>, I wish to ask you to please spare me a few minutes to read this letter & consider its contents.
 
I'd like to introduce you to a relative new comer to the world of Linux distributions - Manjaro Linux. Manjaro is a new user-friendly Linux distribution based on the highly regarded Arch Linux. We are currently searching for mirrors to host our packages.
 
Although new, we are already one of the top 10 most popular Linux Distributions in the world, as listed in the DistroWatch.com top 100.
 
Manjaro Linux is based on well tested snapshots of the Arch Linux repositories, and is 100% compatible with Arch itself. We manage our repositories with our own in-house tool called BoxIt, which is designed like git.
 
Our aim is to create a light Linux distribution which is simple, up to date, fast, user friendly and which follows the K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle.  As such, Manjaro Linux provides a more user friendly installation process, utilities for managing graphic drivers, and pre-configured desktop environments.
 
Our repository is currently at the size of 42 GB. We have between 50 GB and 100 GB granted on other mirrors hosting our packages.
Currently it is possible to sync from the following rsync services:
 
<br clear="all" />
rsync://repo.manjaro.org/repos (white-listed IP needed)
rsync://ftp.halifax.rwth-aachen.de/manjaro/
rsync://ftp.rz.tu-bs.de/pub/mirror/manjaro.org/repos/
rsync://rsync.las.ic.unicamp.br/pub/manjarolinux/
rsync://ftp.kddilabs.jp/manjaro/
rsync://ftp.tsukuba.wide.ad.jp/manjaro
rsync://mirror.jmu.edu/manjaro/
 
<br clear="all" />
To sync from our own Manjaro.org server we need the IP of the server that you wish to sync, as it needs to be white-listed at our end. Also, it is recommended to use a script which we will provide, to sync from our server.
 
Thank you for your time and consideration,
 
<YOUR NAME>
 
<br clear="all" />
 
==Current Size Required for a Manjaro Mirror:==
 
''(last checked 2013-05-06 19:41 CEST)''
 
<br clear="all" />
996K  ./testing/multilib/x86_64
1000K  ./testing/multilib
400K  ./testing/core/i686
468K  ./testing/core/x86_64
872K  ./testing/core
11M  ./testing/extra/i686
12M  ./testing/extra/x86_64
22M  ./testing/extra
8.0M  ./testing/community/i686
9.1M  ./testing/community/x86_64
18M  ./testing/community
41M  ./testing
8.0K  ./compatibility/empty/i686
8.0K  ./compatibility/empty/x86_64
20K  ./compatibility/empty
252M  ./compatibility/basis/i686
4.0K  ./compatibility/basis/x86_64/symdir_output
253M  ./compatibility/basis/x86_64
504M  ./compatibility/basis
504M  ./compatibility
996K  ./stable/multilib/x86_64
1000K  ./stable/multilib
400K  ./stable/core/i686
468K  ./stable/core/x86_64
872K  ./stable/core
11M  ./stable/extra/i686
12M  ./stable/extra/x86_64
22M  ./stable/extra
8.0M  ./stable/community/i686
9.1M  ./stable/community/x86_64
18M  ./stable/community
41M  ./stable
1000K  ./unstable/multilib/x86_64
1004K  ./unstable/multilib
412K  ./unstable/core/i686
484K  ./unstable/core/x86_64
900K  ./unstable/core
11M  ./unstable/extra/i686
12M  ./unstable/extra/x86_64
22M  ./unstable/extra
8.0M  ./unstable/community/i686
9.2M  ./unstable/community/x86_64
18M  ./unstable/community
41M  ./unstable
8.2G  ./pool/.~tmp~
32G  ./pool/sync
837M  ./pool/overlay
41G  ./pool
42G  .
 
<br clear="all" />
 
==Check here before you send a request for mirror hosting:==
Following is a list that will be updated when required.
 
It is very important that we don't send requests to anyone on this list, as they will consider it spam & could have Manjaro's IP addresses blocked by organisations who's business is to attempt to control spam.
 
So when you are trying to organise new mirrors DO NOT bother hosters who have already denied us support:
 
<br clear="all" />
23-05-2013
Canada
----------------------
csclub.uwaterloo.ca  - We are not currently
interested in mirroring Manjaro Linux.
 
 
It is a good idea to check this thread: [http://forum.manjaro.org/index.php?topic=4545.0] to be sure that the wiki is up to date & also if you have been denied a request to post it in the same thread for obvious reasons.
 
<br clear="all" />
 
==Do You Manage a Potential Manjaro Mirror Server?==
 
If so, here are some guidelines for you to think about, as putting up such a Mirror requires a certain commitment & perseverance.
 
The Manjaro community is better off not having a mirror, if it isn't kept functioning & up to date.
So if you aren't in it for the long run, don't do it. You will only create disappointment.
 
Do you have enough bandwidth for the job?
Do you pay for traffic? Your traffic may increase a lot. If you don't have enough bandwidth, you will end up offering at best a slow mirror, at worst an unreachable mirror.
 
Do you have enough disk space? You will need 50GB, though being able to offer 100GB would be great for the future. If your drive fills up you will not be able to rsync your mirror, it will become out of date & cause problems.
 
Sync every six hours. Being a rolling release system Manjaro's repos are very dynamic. So mirrors need to be updated multiple times per day.
 
Keep an eye on your sync scripts. Make sure that your mirror updates are functioning correctly. Users depend on your data to be all there & current.
 
Watch the Manjaro forum for announcements re. changes that may effect the mirror/repo system. The Manjaro administration will send you an email for any important changes. Though it often helps to be primed & ready for a change.
 
 
If you can supply a new Manjaro mirror, post in this thread: [http://forum.manjaro.org/index.php?topic=683.0]

Revision as of 16:36, 5 March 2014

MBR

A master boot record (MBR) is a special type of boot sector at the very beginning of partitioned computer mass storage devices like fixed disks or removable drives intended for use with IBM PC-compatible systems and beyond. The concept of MBRs was publicly introduced in 1983 with PC DOS 2.0.

The MBR holds the information on how the logical partitions, containing file systems, are organized on that medium. Besides that, the MBR also contains executable code to function as a loader for the installed operating system—usually by passing control over to the loader's second stage, or in conjunction with each partition's volume boot record (VBR). This MBR code is usually referred to as a boot loader.

The organization of the partition table in the MBR limits the maximum addressable storage space of a disk to 2 TB (232 × 512 bytes). Therefore, the MBR-based partitioning scheme is in the process of being superseded by the GUID Partition Table (GPT) scheme in new computers. A GPT can coexist with an MBR in order to provide some limited form of a backwards compatibility for older systems.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record


GPT

GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a standard for the layout of the partition table on a physical hard disk, using globally unique identifiers (GUID). Although it forms a part of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) standard (Unified EFI Forum proposed replacement for the PC BIOS), it is also used on some BIOS systems because of the limitations of master boot record (MBR) partition tables, which use 32 bits for storing logical block addresses (LBA) and size information.

MBR-based partition table schemes insert the partitioning information for (usually) four "primary" partitions in the master boot record (MBR) (which on a BIOS system is also the container for code that begins the process of booting the system). In a GPT, the first sector of the disk is reserved for a "protective MBR" such that booting a BIOS-based computer from a GPT disk is supported, but the boot loader and O/S must both be GPT-aware. Regardless of the sector size, the GPT header begins on the second logical block of the device.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table


GPT uses modern logical block addressing (LBA) in place of the cylinder-head-sector (CHS) addressing used with MBR. Legacy MBR information is contained in LBA 0, the GPT header is in LBA 1, and the partition table itself follows. In 64-bit Windows operating systems, 16,384 bytes, or 32 sectors, are reserved for the GPT, leaving LBA 34 as the first usable sector on the disk.

From: http://www.diskinternals.com/glossary/guid_partition_table.html


GPT vs. MBR

Compared with MBR disk, A GPT disk can support larger than 2 TB volumes where MBR cannot. A GPT disk can be basic or dynamic, just like an MBR disk can be basic or dynamic. GPT disks also support up to 128 partitions rather than the 4 primary partitions limited to MBR. Also, GPT keeps a backup of the partition table at the end of the disk. Furthermore, GPT disk provides greater reliability due to replication and cyclical redundancy check (CRC) protection of the partition table.

From: http://www.partition-tool.com/resource/GPT-disk-partition-manager/partition-gpt-disk.htm

The GUID partition table (GPT) disk partitioning style supports volumes up to 18 exabytes in size and up to 128 partitions per disk, compared to the master boot record (MBR) disk partitioning style, which supports volumes up to 2 terabytes in size and up to 4 primary partitions per disk (or three primary partitions, one extended partition, and unlimited logical drives). Unlike MBR partitioned disks, data critical to platform operation is located in partitions instead of unpartitioned or hidden sectors. In addition, GPT partitioned disks have redundant primary and backup partition tables for improved partition data structure integrity.

From: http://www.diskinternals.com/glossary/guid_partition_table.html


BIOS

In IBM PC compatible computers, the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), also known as System BIOS, ROM BIOS or PC BIOS, is a de facto standard defining a firmware interface. The name originated from the Basic Input/Output System used in the CP/M operating system in 1975. The BIOS software is built into the PC, and is the first software run by a PC when powered on.

The fundamental purposes of the BIOS are to initialize and test the system hardware components, and to load a bootloader or an operating system from a mass memory device. The BIOS additionally provides abstraction layer for the hardware, i.e. a consistent way for application programs and operating systems to interact with the keyboard, display, and other input/output devices. Variations in the system hardware are hidden by the BIOS from programs that use BIOS services instead of directly accessing the hardware. Modern operating systems ignore the abstraction layer provided by the BIOS and access the hardware components directly.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS

UEFI

The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) (pronounced as an initialism U-E-F-I or like "unify" without the n) is a specification that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. UEFI is meant to replace the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface, present in all IBM PC-compatible personal computers. In practice, most UEFI images provide legacy support for BIOS services. UEFI can support remote diagnostics and repair of computers, even without another operating system.

The original EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) specification was developed by Intel. Some of its practices and data formats mirror ones from Windows.] In 2005, UEFI deprecated EFI 1.10 (final release of EFI). The UEFI specification is managed by the Unified EFI Forum.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.manjaro.org/index.php?title=Manjaro_Mirrors&oldid=2448"
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.