[lug] partitioning limits on scsi/RH (KRUD) 8.0

[D. Stimits]

Michael D. Hirsch wrote:

> On Monday 03 March 2003 06:32 pm, Evelyn Mitchell wrote:
>
> >* On 2003-03-03 23:30 D. Stimits  wrote:
> >
> >>I notice that I can make only one extended partition (which can hold
> >>four logical partitions), and wonder why? It seems the most I can make
> >
> >It looks like from this:
> >  http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/3174/4/
> >that these are real limits, arbitrarily chosen.
>
>
> Except that it says you have a limit of 15 partition on SCSI and 63 on 
> IDE,
> so even on SCSI you should be able to create 11 logical partitions in 
> your
> extended partition.
>
> Is it possible that you don't have all the devices created?  Check in 
> /dev.
> You you have sda1, sda2, ....sda11, or does it end at sda8?  If you don't
> have the devices, you need to create them with mknod.

Evelyn's URL mentioned the limits, and made me realize that I was 
experimenting with total primary plus extended, and realized that I had 
only tested extended with 4 partitions since primaries only held 4. 
Well, that was a gold mine, I can create all I want with extended.

This got me going down the evil path of document research, and I 
suddenly realized that although people say vfat overcame various size 
limitations long ago, that it all still depends on options as to whether 
it will go over certain limitations. All I needed to do was add an 
option to mkfs.vfat for 32 bit...the older options were the default. Not 
all vfat's are created equal.

The acid test is of course whether the old windows 98 can handle the 
linux created fat32 partition which 98 itself can't create. Linux to the 
rescue! If I build a partition using linux which is larger than 98 
itself can create (remember, this is an *original* 98, before the 2 GB 
limit was broken, and I depend on its ability at the install floppy 
stage, not after it is up and running), and if I run mkfs.vfat -F 32 on 
the partition, then the old 98 can see it just fine. I'm about to 
reinstall 98 to see if the primary/home partition will work this way as 
well (so far I tested it only on side partitions). If it does, then I'll 
be going on to installing multiboot with Debian and Mandrake, probably a 
couple of others in the near future.

...which reminds me, anyone know if grub works for the boot loader to 
FreeBSD without any special tricks?

D. Stimits, stimits AT attbi DOT com