I have installed linux in dual boot box (win98) in its own hard disk (40GB). I initially partitioned 5GB for Linux and 130MB for swap when I installed Linux.

Now, I have created an extended partition for the remaining space and created 3 logical partition in it (each about 5GB each). I am studying Oracle and I want to simulate having multiple disk controllers/mount points (just in case you were wondering why I want to do this).

I have tried mounting the new partition using:
mount -t ext2 /dev/hdc3 /u01

But i get this:
mount: wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/hdc3,
or too many mounted file systems
(aren't you trying to mount an extended partition,
instead of some logical partition inside?)

The last line makes sence to me, but I don't know how to mount an extended partition and its logical partition.

FYI: hdc1 would be my root partition (where Linux is installed), and hdc2 would be my linux swap, although I can't really confirm this since I don't know how to display a partition table yet.

Could someone help. I've searched the forum for anything related to "extended partition" and got nothing related to mounting them. Non of my books even cover extended partition in linux.

Have you created a file system on the partitions? If not use "mkfs -f ext2 /dev/hdxx" to create it. This is the counterpart of a dos format x:.

Also, if /dev/hdc3 is the extended partition, you should not mount it directly. The logical partitions inside the exetended partition are the ones you should be mounting.

Yes, the logical partition are formatted (ext2).

I was already wondering about that when I frst thought I have to mount the extended partition.

So having said that, whats the mount command to mount logical partition (of type ext2)?

I noticed that hdc1 is the root partition (primary); hdc2 is the swap (primary); and NOW, hdc3 is the extended....

If the extended is known as hdc3, what do I refer to the first logical partition in the extended partition?

Do "fdisk /dev/hdc".

This will list all of the partitions on hdc. You should be able to determine the logical partitions that are inside the exended partion by looking at the begin/end addresses, if I remember correctly. I don't have any system handy that has exetended partitions and I can't remember exacly how the fdisk display looks. For each of the logical partitions, you must do a mkfs and then you can mount each one. Oracle will love it.

malacious...
Got IT! Thanks for the effort. Turns out this was really a silly question. I run into some info regarding fdisk in Linux. So I ran that so that I could finally see how things were being situated in the hard disk. Well turns out hdc3 is the extended partition...which we knew, but the logical partition continued at hdc5. I guess it just keeps going with the hdc scheme (I thougt may be since its logical partitions it would have a different label, I guess not). But it does skips hdc4 (may be you could tell me why, or may be thats just how it deals with separating the extended partition from the actual logical partition, could you confirm that).

Anyhow, I guess the mount command is the same for logical partition as it is for primary partition: mount -t ext2 /dev/hdcx /mnt_point

I just needed to figure out the right device.

Thanks again, if you have anything you thhink I need to keep in mind, please...I'm all ears....

We must have been writing our replies almost simutaniously. Fdisk is exactly what I did before reading your reply and that helped me figured out what device my logical partition were exactly.

Thanks! Wish me luck in Oracle!

I did a lot of work on Oracle 8i (8.1.5)on Linux. Ellison may be a dip, but he does put out some good product.

Good luck..

The partition numbers 1-4 are used to designate either primary or extended partitions. The numbers 5 and up designate logical partitions. That's why 4 was not used for a logical partition.

Because hard disk can only have up to 4 primary partition, it only make sence that logical partition start with 5. I hope my logic is right on that one....

Absolutely correct. That little tidbit slipped my mind; senior moment, senility, whatever. I mostly use smaller sized disks (lucked into a closeout on 4G and 10G drives and have a closet full) and don't usually have extended partitions or dual boots.