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#1 2007-08-16 15:54:34

Ilya
Member
From: Russia, Saint-Petersburg
Registered: 2007-08-16
Posts: 98

Partition Hard Drves trouble

I have up-to-date Debian "testing" system on my machine. Now i'm trying to replace it with Arch Linux 2007.08 ("Don't Panic") from full CD. And i have trouble with "Partition Hard Drives" step.

I have this disk configuration

GNU Parted 1.7.1 (from Debian)

Disk /dev/hda: 80.1GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number  Start   End     Size    Type      File system  Flags
 1      32.3kB  10.7GB  10.7GB  primary   ext3         boot
 2      38.9GB  80.1GB  41.1GB  extended 
 6      38.9GB  40.0GB  1077MB  logical   linux-swap  
 5      40.0GB  80.1GB  40.0GB  logical   ext3

I can't edit partitions with Arch Setup! cfdisk (2.12r) reports FATAL ERROR: Bad logical partition 6: enlarged logical partition overlap mad
So i try parted (1.8.8). "check 1" and "check 5" commands reports Error: File system has an incompatible feature enabled yikes

I found information, that parted (exactly libparted) has no support for some ext2 (or ext3, i don't know) features: dir_index and resize_inode.
Also i found information that cfdisk can plainly report a fatal error, where is no error at all (see bugreport).

Which features enabled on my /dev/sda1.

# tune2fs -l /dev/sda1
...
Filesystem features:      has_journal resize_inode dir_index filetype needs_recovery sparse_super
...

Well, i can disable dir_index.

# tune2fs -O ^dir_index /dev/sda1

But i can't disable resize_inode!

tune2fs -O ^resize_inode /dev/sda1
Invalid filesystem option set: ^resize_inode

...and parted still reports "incompatible feature enabled" sad

I exactly know, that trouble in utils and not with my disk or file system! So, does anybody know, how to use parted in this case or what to do with cfdisk?

Last edited by Ilya (2007-08-17 07:39:11)

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#2 2007-08-28 06:02:56

Leigh
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2004-06-25
Posts: 533

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

I would try the arch install disk again and select the option to let arch partition your disk for you. If that works, then try to go into fdisk or cfdisk to edit/change them how you want them. I always use ext2 for boot and ext3 for everything else. It might be old but I think it's the most reliable file system.

Last edited by Leigh (2007-08-28 06:05:40)


-- archlinux 是一个极好的 linux

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#3 2007-08-28 17:11:56

Ilya
Member
From: Russia, Saint-Petersburg
Registered: 2007-08-16
Posts: 98

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

My little research shows that this problem applies to partitioning tools (cfdisk, parted) only. They don't support some filesystem options on ext3. I also read article about ext2 and ext3 (in russian), so i decide to use ext2 on all partitions.

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#4 2007-08-28 23:31:56

Leigh
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2004-06-25
Posts: 533

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

I can't read Russian but, ext3 is just basically same as ext2 except with journaling added.


-- archlinux 是一个极好的 linux

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#5 2007-08-29 01:16:10

Ilya
Member
From: Russia, Saint-Petersburg
Registered: 2007-08-16
Posts: 98

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

Yes, Leigh, i know. I just emphasized that this software related (not hardware or filesystem) problem.

ext3 = ext2 + journaling, but it's not so simple. The choice depend on
- your worry about performance of system
- your worry about reliability of your data
- hardware abilities of your machine

If you want, i'll try to explain smile

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#6 2007-08-29 18:56:53

Lone_Wolf
Member
From: Netherlands, Europe
Registered: 2005-10-04
Posts: 11,868

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

I doubt ext3 is the cause of the problem.

Code:

Disk /dev/hda: 80.1GB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: msdos

Number  Start   End     Size    Type      File system  Flags
 1      32.3kB  10.7GB  10.7GB  primary   ext3         boot
 2      38.9GB  80.1GB  41.1GB  extended 
 6      38.9GB  40.0GB  1077MB  logical   linux-swap  
 5      40.0GB  80.1GB  40.0GB  logical   ext3

There's something weird in the partition numbering shown by gnu parted.

Normally partition 4 is the extended partition, not 2 .

I think the problem started when those partitions were made !


Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.


(A works at time B)  && (time C > time B ) ≠  (A works at time C)

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#7 2007-08-29 19:44:14

Ilya
Member
From: Russia, Saint-Petersburg
Registered: 2007-08-16
Posts: 98

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

1) Not entirely. As i already write, problem in partitioning tools (cfdisk, parted), but not in ext3. Cfdisk and parted don't support some filesystem options on ext3. Partition itself is all right!

2) There is nothing weird in the partition numbering, it's normally. I got the same with different partitioning tools. Yor extended partition is actually primary partition #2. So you can create primary #3 and primary #4, but only one of primary (any!) can be extended.

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#8 2007-08-30 07:45:21

Leigh
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2004-06-25
Posts: 533

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

Ilya, Thanks, I understand what you meant now. I also know all about ext2 and 3, but I was, and still am, a little confused as to why Cfdisk and Parted was having trouble with them. I always thought they were the best supported and reliable filesystems. I guess maybe partitioning software, at least Cfdisk and Parted, is leaning twards better support for the newer filesystems.

Last edited by Leigh (2007-08-30 07:55:22)


-- archlinux 是一个极好的 linux

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#9 2007-08-30 21:53:35

Lone_Wolf
Member
From: Netherlands, Europe
Registered: 2005-10-04
Posts: 11,868

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

Ilya wrote:

2) There is nothing weird in the partition numbering, it's normally. I got the same with different partitioning tools. Yor extended partition is actually primary partition #2. So you can create primary #3 and primary #4, but only one of primary (any!) can be extended.

You're right.
I use an extended partition only when i need more than 3 partitions, so for me it is uncommon to have an extended partition that's not number 4.
I forgot that this is no fixed rule, just a personal preference.


Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.


(A works at time B)  && (time C > time B ) ≠  (A works at time C)

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#10 2007-08-30 23:01:21

Ilya
Member
From: Russia, Saint-Petersburg
Registered: 2007-08-16
Posts: 98

Re: Partition Hard Drves trouble

mad yikes lol Ha-ha-ha!!! I fail words...

It's just a GNU Parted FAQ

Does GNU Parted support ext2/ext3 extended attributes?
No, not yet.

And in addition, look at this!

Does GNU Parted support Intel EFI/GPT partition tables?
Yes.

Now we know, who is in fault wink

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