Linux - GeneralThis Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place.
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Distribution: RPM Distros,Mostly Mandrake Forks;Drake Tools/Utilities all the way!GO MAGEIA!!!
Posts: 986
Rep:
Contradictory Installation partitioner behavior:
While trying to make sense of Grub I solved one part of my confusion. The GUI Disk partitioner that comes with distro installers does not partition the drive like it displays even in manual mode. I think it is intentional by the install application but is confusing.The diagram from this screenshot is how I believed the hard drive would look when I was done but the chart says otherwise. I thought is was sort of interesting and that someone else might feel the same way.Check it out. I will master Grub God Damn it! This funky install application will not stop Me!
Distribution: RPM Distros,Mostly Mandrake Forks;Drake Tools/Utilities all the way!GO MAGEIA!!!
Posts: 986
Original Poster
Rep:
Yes
Quote:
Originally Posted by neonsignal
Can you explain where you see a discrepancy between the diagram and the chart?
It is creating two partitions, sda1 and sda2. Inside sda2 it has two logical partitions, sda5 and sda6. The remainder is unallocated.
I'm assuming this is to be a dual boot installation?
It goes from sda1 (which i did create)to sda2 (which I didn't manually create and skips logical volumes three and four and then creates the partition I wanted second to be fifth where Linux is on. Why did it create logical volumes for only three partitions including the swap? And it is a dual booter.
Last edited by theKbStockpiler; 10-25-2010 at 09:46 AM.
Only four primary partitions are allowed.
sda1 is an ntfs primary partition.
sda2 is an Extended partition which contains no data but is a container for logical partitions. Creating an Extended partition uses one of your primary partitions.
Logical partitions in Linux always start with number 5 so sda5 in this case.
sda3 and sda4 could be created and would be primary partitions.
Distribution: RPM Distros,Mostly Mandrake Forks;Drake Tools/Utilities all the way!GO MAGEIA!!!
Posts: 986
Original Poster
Rep:
I'm still not getting it.
I deleted all of the previous partitions. I installed Windows first. Second I installed Linux's swap and then the root partition. I should have one more partition to go before a logical drive is created. It's not the partitioning numbering I'm pointing out, it is that I should have three partitions and no logical drives. If I went through the process of creating more than four sections of the hard drive that the O.S's would keep separate why do I have more than three and hence logical volumes?
I should have one more partition to go before a logical drive is created. It's not the partitioning numbering I'm pointing out, it is that I should have three partitions and no logical drives.
It is normal in Linux to make use of logical partitions within an (extended) primary partition, so as not to waste primary partitions. There is a limit of four primary partitions (as yancek pointed out earlier), so they are in short supply (particularly since some operating systems will run only from primary partitions).
If you look careful at the diagram you have attached, you will see a cyan border around sda5 and sda6; this is the extended primary partition sda2 that contains them (and why they are indented in the partition list). The extended partition sda2 is only a container.
When you create a partition in the partition manager, you can select whether you are creating a primary/extended/logical partition. So it can be set up however you want. The layout you have attached is a reasonable one.
Last edited by neonsignal; 10-25-2010 at 11:21 PM.
Distribution: RPM Distros,Mostly Mandrake Forks;Drake Tools/Utilities all the way!GO MAGEIA!!!
Posts: 986
Original Poster
Rep:
Can we nail this down?
So this is Automated by the Distro installer then. The Distro installer is not actually manual but is a wizard of sorts and this is why Fedora ,Mandriva and Ubuntu are considered GUI partitioner Distros because it is automated and graphic. Open SuSe is not and hence has an actual manual partitioner and is not considered a GUI partitioner Distro?
The Distro installer is not actually manual but is a wizard of sorts
Yes, it is a 'wizard' installation. However, when you select manual partitioning during the installation, you are able to make any changes inside the partitioner (gparted) that you want.
Quote:
considered GUI partitioner Distros because it is automated and graphic.
It is only the graphical nature that makes them a GUI, not the automation. Even the non-GUI installers tend to be 'wizard'-like. A number of distros allow you to choose between a GUI and non-GUI install, but the GUI itself is just to make it look a little more friendly.
The 'GUI' refers to the interface of the installer itself. As it happens, the GUI installers tend to use the GUI front-end gparted to parted to do partitioning, but this doesn't change the process of partitioning.
Last edited by neonsignal; 10-26-2010 at 01:00 AM.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.