I just inherited a system and I am trying to understand it's partition table for the hard drive.
machine:~# fdisk -l /dev/sda
Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30394 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000080
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 30064 241489048+ fd Linux raid autodetect
/dev/sda2 30065 30394 2650725 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 30065 30394 2650693+ fd Linux raid autodetect
Why does the numbering go from 1 to 2 to 5. "What is on" sda2 and sda5?
Best Answer
On Linux, traditional DOS-partitions will show up this way:
In the DOS-partitioning-scheme (this is not Linux-specific), if you want to use logical partitions you have to define a pointer within one of the primary partitions for these. At this pointer the BIOS will find further information.
This pointer (sda2 in your machine) shows in
fdisk
as id 5 "Extended" - it extends the partitioning-scheme to more than the default 4 partitions normally possible.Now your system consists of two partitions:
One primary, bootable partition: sda1 (which was or is part of a linux-raid-array) and one logical partition: sda5 (which was or is part of a linux-raid-array).
There is no place left for additional partitions.