[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: which is the best partition table format?



On Sat, Nov 30, 2002 at 12:16:13AM +0000, Alan Chandler wrote:
| On Friday 29 November 2002 7:19 pm, Derrick 'dman' Hudson wrote:
| > I just got a 20GB hard drive to add to my system.  I'm familiar with
| > the legacy DOS/Windows partition table and some of its limitations.
| > Since I have no need to support a legacy OS, I am wondering what sort
| > of partition table would be best to use.  I intend to create a lot of
| > little partitions on the disk and then use LVM to aggregate them as
| > needed.
| 
| I am not sure I understand what YOU mean by partition table.

Run 'make xconfig' on the kernel source.  In the main menu select
"File systems".  Near the bottom of that window, select "Partition
Types".  There you'll have a long list of partition types.  The list
of options is

    CONFIG_ACORN_PARTITION
    CONFIG_OSF_PARTITION
    CONFIG_AMIGA_PARTITION
    CONFIG_ATARI_PARTITION
    CONFIG_MAC_PARTITION
    CONFIG_MSDOS_PARTITION
    CONFIG_BSD_DISKLABEL
    CONFIG_MINIX_SUBPARTITION
    CONFIG_SOLARIS_X86_PARTITION
    CONFIG_UNIXWARE_DISKLABEL
    CONFIG_LDM_PARTITION
    CONFIG_SGI_PARTITION
    CONFIG_ULTRIX_PARTITION
    CONFIG_SUN_PARTITION

| As far as I am aware,  my meaning of partition table there is only one 
| standard sort of partition table on x86 systems (I think other operating 
| systems such as solaris may have differnent things).

MS-DOS and Windows only understand "CONFIG_MSDOS_PARTITION" as far as
I know.  However, based on the list of options above, linux
understands quite a bit more (surprise surprise ;-)).  Since Microsoft
isn't a concern on my system I am wondering which one of the above
would be "best"[0].

| However, partitions themselves are have different sorts of identify.
| 83 is a standard linux partition 0c a win fat32 partition. 8e is a
| special type that you use with LVM.
| 
| You might mean filesystem type which you then make in the partitions
| (except with lvm, you don't, you make them in a "logical volume" -
| you need to read the lvm howto.

I started looking through the HOWTO.  I'll need some better
visualization of how it works before I really "get it".  Anyways, I
found the "linux-lvm" mailing list, so I think I'll try learning some
stuff there.

Thanks for your help.

-D

[0] Of course, the usual caveats on the definition of "best" apply.
    However, I am currently in a state of ignorance regarding
    non-MSDOS partition table formats.

-- 
A mouse is a device used to point at the xterm you want to type in.
  --Kim Alm, a.s.r
 
http://dman.ddts.net/~dman/

Attachment: pgp8DhnVj_k5T.pgp
Description: PGP signature


Reply to: