new partition in non empty hard disk

Hondro · 07-04-2006, 02:02 AM

Hi, i have one hard disk which have two partitions: ext3 and swap. Is it some how possible to make new small partition from ext3, without deleting existing data in ext3?
Ext3 is used about 40%, 60% space is free.

binary_y2k2 · 07-04-2006, 04:18 AM

just resize the ext3 partition and create a new partition in the empty space from a liveCD (egKNOPPIX)
You'll probably want to resize your ext3 partition then move the swap partition in to that space and use free space at the end of the drive unless you want to edit fstab.

zeitounator · 07-04-2006, 04:44 AM

Prior to anything, backup your data. You then need to unmount the filesystem you want to resize (best option here is to boot from some live/rescue cd and not to mount your system disks). In the following, replace /dev/hdxy by the exact device your partition lies on.

Unconditionnaly check for errors on the filesystem (and repair):
Code:
```
fsck.ext3 -f -y /dev/hdxy
```
Resize your ext3 filesystem (the last argument is the size, adjust to your needs, read 'man resize2fs' for more details):
Code:
```
resize2fs /dev/hdxy 45G
```
Resize the partition with fdisk: delete the current partition and create a new one starting at the exact same block. Don't make the partition smaller than the filesystem. (my advice: make the partition a little larger than the filesystem and expand the filesystem to the full partition size once you're done by running 'resize2fs /dev/hdxy' with no arguments. It can even be done on a mounted filesystem using 'ext2online').
You're done. Eventually check your filesystem again with fdisk.