How to convert primary partition to logical

leftPeg · 04-27-2006, 10:06 PM

Hello,

I hope somebody can help me.

I have the following partitions setup

Code:

Disk geometry for /dev/hdb: 0.000-176700.234 megabytes
Disk label type: msdos
Minor    Start       End     Type      Filesystem  Flags
1          0.031    101.975  primary   ext3        boot
2        101.975 109889.934  primary   ext3
3     109889.934 127076.660  primary   ext3
4     127076.660 176699.311  extended              lba
5     127076.691 141196.289  logical   ext3
6     141196.320 149040.527  logical   ext3
7     149040.558 156884.765  logical   ext3
8     156884.796 157402.485  logical   linux-swap


Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/hdb3             17322592  13786204   2656428  84% /
/dev/hdb1               101089      9324     86546  10% /boot
none                    127632         0    127632   0% /dev/shm
/dev/hdb7              7906164     32872   7471672   1% /tmp
/dev/hdb2            110658340   2724448 102312752   3% /usr
/dev/hdb5             14231504     90944  13417640   1% /var
/dev/hdb6              7906164     39696   7464848   1% /var/log

I want to resize /dev/hdb2 (/usr) by making it smaller, and then with the leftover space create a new partition, /dev/hdb9 which will be /data.

I understand I can use parted to do the resize. My worry is that /dev/hdb2 is a primary partition and the leftover space I have is outside the range of the logical partions.I already have 4 primary partitions.
How can I make this new partition be part of the extended area?
Or can I change the starting point of the extended area with a 'resize' so that it corresponds to the start of /dev/hdb3 (/) , convert /dev/hdb3 to logical and then make /dev/hdb9 primary?

Thanks

D.

leftPeg · 04-27-2006, 10:48 PM

Looking at it again I see I have some unused space in the extended partition.
Can I make a new logical partition, /dev/hdb9 say, using that space, move the contents of /dev/hdb3 into this new partition, delete /dev/hdb3, resize hdb2, and then move the start of extended to the new end point of /dev/hdb2, and then create a new partition from the new start point of extended ending up with the following?

Code:

Minor    Start       End     Type      Filesystem  Flags
1          0.031    101.975  primary   ext3        boot
2        101.975  25000.000  primary   ext3
4      25000.000 176699.311  extended              lba
3      25001.000 127076.660  logical               
5     127076.691 141196.289  logical   ext3
6     141196.320 149040.527  logical   ext3
7     149040.558 156884.765  logical   ext3
8     156884.796 157402.485  logical   linux-swap
9     157403.000 176699.311  logical

Does the fact that/dev/hdb3 corresponds to "/" in the filesystem limit me in anyway?

D.