Re: Command Line Partitioning
Honestly, that's WAY more of a level of involvement than what I want to get into. I've already figured out what I need to do and compared it to the size of the memory and the CPU and so on. I have a general rule: the less work (and still achieving my goal), the better. The fewer exceptions I need to maintain, the better. If all goes well, I'll be adding systems along the way, they're going to be in remote locations, and I don't want to be dealing with issues of custom kernels. I want the system to be as stock Debian as possible so I can get security updates and so on with "apt-get update && apt-get upgrade." While I know it's not always that easy, I've learned that the less I customize, the less there is that is likely to go wrong later. What I have found (as recommended by someone else) is sfdisk, which gives me the abilities of fdisk in a program intended for scripting (actually, reading the man page reminds me I could use input redirection for sfdisk and that might work for fdisk as well). It's a simple solution and doesn't create anything that'll add to the work of maintaining it later. Thank you for the suggestions, though. They are things I'll be looking into with other projects. Hal On Feb 19, 2011, at 1:02 PM, Stephen Powell wrote: > On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 11:49:41 -0500 (EST), Hal Vaughan wrote: >> >> I have everything else worked out so it can be done in a batch mode >> or in a program, but I'm having trouble with partitioning. >> >> I've been working with cfdisk, fdisk, and parted: >> >> parted: Always leaves only 512 bytes at the start and grub-install >> doesn't seem to like that. But it can be used in a batch mode. >> >> fdisk: Doesn't seem to have a batch/script mode and I'd have to >> calculate sizes in megabytes from cylinder info >> >> cfdisk: Lets me work in whatever units I like (bytes, kbytes, mbytes, >> and so on) but is curses based and doesn't have batch/script mode. >> >> What I would like to do is to be able to use a partitioning program >> from a batch or script mode. Parted would be good for that, but I >> can't seem to get it to leave more than 512 bytes at the start >> (cfdisk left 32k -- why? I don't know). >> >> Also, it seems when I get CF disks they have an MS-DOS partition >> table (grub kept noting that and one part of the whole process >> didn't seem to like that). How can I either wipe the disk without >> a mess (tried zeroing it, parted wouldn't recognize it or write to >> it, but fdisk had no issue with that) or write a new partition table? >> What type of partition table should I use? (I'm guessing bsd, which >> was one of the options, but there wasn't a Linux option for types of >> partition tables.) > > Well, if I were in your situation I think I know what I would do. > I would use another boot loader besides grub2, such as lilo or > extlinux, that doesn't need to allocate sectors at the beginning > of the disk which are supposed to be unallocated (or in the case of > parted, are part of a partition). Both lilo and extlinux can be > installed in either the master boot record or a partition boot sector > and are perfectly happy with the MS-DOS partitioning scheme. > With extlinux you are limited to either the ext2 or ext3 filesystem > for the /boot partition. With lilo you can use just about anything > for a file system. The down side of lilo is that the boot loader > installer has to be run any time the physical location of any > sector in the kernel image file or the initial RAM disk image file > changes. > > I have a web page that you may find useful. It is > > http://users.wowway.com/~zlinuxman/Kernel.htm > > You may find it useful for several reasons. First of all, it is > very common when working with embedded systems to create a custom > Linux kernel. A "lean and mean" kernel is often created which contains > only the drivers which are actually needed for that particular > embedded system. This saves hard disk space and memory space on > the embedded device (but not on the system on which one actually > compiles the kernel!) > > Second, step 10, "Customize the Kernel Installation Environment", > contains stuff which is useful even to people who use stock > kernels. For example, there is a section on how to switch to > lilo from another boot loader (in this case, grub 1 from Lenny) > and covers some little known stuff about lilo, such as how to > make use of UUIDs in lilo, how to determine the capabilities of > the BIOS, etc. Third, if you are using a custom kernel built > in the manner recommended in the write-up, and you are using > lilo, you will probably need some extra "hook scripts" which > don't currently ship with lilo. This write-up provides some > sample hook scripts which you may find useful. > > Good luck with your project. > > -- > .''`. Stephen Powell > : :' : > `. `'` > `- > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org > with a subject of "unsubs
Re: Command Line Partitioning
On Feb 19, 2011, at 4:07 PM, Ron Johnson wrote: > On 02/19/2011 02:18 PM, Hal Vaughan wrote: >> >> On Feb 19, 2011, at 12:41 PM, Rob Owens wrote: >> >>> On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:49:41AM -0500, Hal Vaughan wrote: fdisk: Doesn't seem to have a batch/script mode and I'd have to calculate sizes in megabytes from cylinder info >>> fdisk does allow you to specify the start cylinder, then something like >>> +1000M for the end of the partition. "M" meaning megabytes. It may >>> also accept "G" for gigabytes these days, but I'm not sure -- you'd have >>> to try it yourself. >> >> I know I can specify the offset, but there's still the issue of having to >> calculate numbers to get that 1st cylinder -- and I can't use it from a >> script. It's interactive. >> > > If you're always using partition #1, then shouldn't the calculations always > be the same, and thus pre-computable? The start, but there are cases where I might want the partition to be larger than in other cases, and I'd still have to figure out the start for the swap partition. On that note -- I noticed that when Squeeze created the swap partition on my original CF card drive, it made it an extended partition and on the test copy, it automatically created a swap after boot that was also an extended partition. Is that s.o.p.? Hal -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/e6f8d3db-0d5b-4b34-880e-25b977b4b...@halblog.com
Re: Command Line Partitioning
On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:18:49 -0500 (EST), Hal Vaughan wrote: > On Feb 19, 2011, at 12:41 PM, Rob Owens wrote: >> On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:49:41AM -0500, Hal Vaughan wrote: >>> >>> fdisk: Doesn't seem to have a batch/script mode and I'd have >>> to calculate sizes in megabytes from cylinder info >> >> fdisk does allow you to specify the start cylinder, then something like >> +1000M for the end of the partition. "M" meaning megabytes. It may >> also accept "G" for gigabytes these days, but I'm not sure -- you'd have >> to try it yourself. > > I know I can specify the offset, but there's still the issue of having to > calculate numbers to get that 1st cylinder -- and I can't use it from a > script. It's interactive. > > Thanks, though. By the way, you *can* control the allocation of partitions down to the sector level with parted, as well get the starting locations and sizes of existing partitions (and free space) in sectors, if you want to do so. For example: parted /dev/sda unit s print free parted /dev/sda unit s mkpart primary ext2 100 999 etc. -- .''`. Stephen Powell : :' : `. `'` `- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/1825117592.930927.1298156386874.javamail.r...@md01.wow.synacor.com
Re: Command Line Partitioning
On 19/02/11 20:18, Hal Vaughan wrote: On Feb 19, 2011, at 12:41 PM, Rob Owens wrote: On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:49:41AM -0500, Hal Vaughan wrote: fdisk: Doesn't seem to have a batch/script mode and I'd have to calculate sizes in megabytes from cylinder info fdisk does allow you to specify the start cylinder, then something like +1000M for the end of the partition. "M" meaning megabytes. It may also accept "G" for gigabytes these days, but I'm not sure -- you'd have to try it yourself. I know I can specify the offset, but there's still the issue of having to calculate numbers to get that 1st cylinder -- and I can't use it from a script. It's interactive. Thanks, though. Have a look at sfdisk. It might be bale to do what you want. I've used it in the past in a script for automatic partitioning. Dom -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/4d6035ec.1030...@rpdom.net
Re: Command Line Partitioning
On 02/19/2011 02:18 PM, Hal Vaughan wrote: On Feb 19, 2011, at 12:41 PM, Rob Owens wrote: On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:49:41AM -0500, Hal Vaughan wrote: fdisk: Doesn't seem to have a batch/script mode and I'd have to calculate sizes in megabytes from cylinder info fdisk does allow you to specify the start cylinder, then something like +1000M for the end of the partition. "M" meaning megabytes. It may also accept "G" for gigabytes these days, but I'm not sure -- you'd have to try it yourself. I know I can specify the offset, but there's still the issue of having to calculate numbers to get that 1st cylinder -- and I can't use it from a script. It's interactive. If you're always using partition #1, then shouldn't the calculations always be the same, and thus pre-computable? -- "The normal condition of mankind is tyranny and misery." Milton Friedman -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/4d603101.9000...@cox.net
Re: Command Line Partitioning
On Feb 19, 2011, at 12:41 PM, Rob Owens wrote: > On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:49:41AM -0500, Hal Vaughan wrote: >> >> fdisk: Doesn't seem to have a batch/script mode and I'd have to calculate >> sizes in megabytes from cylinder info >> > fdisk does allow you to specify the start cylinder, then something like > +1000M for the end of the partition. "M" meaning megabytes. It may > also accept "G" for gigabytes these days, but I'm not sure -- you'd have > to try it yourself. I know I can specify the offset, but there's still the issue of having to calculate numbers to get that 1st cylinder -- and I can't use it from a script. It's interactive. Thanks, though. Hal -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/7f1d6133-7f72-41ec-bf84-e9bddb177...@halblog.com
Re: Command Line Partitioning
On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 11:49:41 -0500 (EST), Hal Vaughan wrote: > > I have everything else worked out so it can be done in a batch mode > or in a program, but I'm having trouble with partitioning. > > I've been working with cfdisk, fdisk, and parted: > > parted: Always leaves only 512 bytes at the start and grub-install > doesn't seem to like that. But it can be used in a batch mode. > > fdisk: Doesn't seem to have a batch/script mode and I'd have to > calculate sizes in megabytes from cylinder info > > cfdisk: Lets me work in whatever units I like (bytes, kbytes, mbytes, > and so on) but is curses based and doesn't have batch/script mode. > > What I would like to do is to be able to use a partitioning program > from a batch or script mode. Parted would be good for that, but I > can't seem to get it to leave more than 512 bytes at the start > (cfdisk left 32k -- why? I don't know). > > Also, it seems when I get CF disks they have an MS-DOS partition > table (grub kept noting that and one part of the whole process > didn't seem to like that). How can I either wipe the disk without > a mess (tried zeroing it, parted wouldn't recognize it or write to > it, but fdisk had no issue with that) or write a new partition table? > What type of partition table should I use? (I'm guessing bsd, which > was one of the options, but there wasn't a Linux option for types of > partition tables.) Well, if I were in your situation I think I know what I would do. I would use another boot loader besides grub2, such as lilo or extlinux, that doesn't need to allocate sectors at the beginning of the disk which are supposed to be unallocated (or in the case of parted, are part of a partition). Both lilo and extlinux can be installed in either the master boot record or a partition boot sector and are perfectly happy with the MS-DOS partitioning scheme. With extlinux you are limited to either the ext2 or ext3 filesystem for the /boot partition. With lilo you can use just about anything for a file system. The down side of lilo is that the boot loader installer has to be run any time the physical location of any sector in the kernel image file or the initial RAM disk image file changes. I have a web page that you may find useful. It is http://users.wowway.com/~zlinuxman/Kernel.htm You may find it useful for several reasons. First of all, it is very common when working with embedded systems to create a custom Linux kernel. A "lean and mean" kernel is often created which contains only the drivers which are actually needed for that particular embedded system. This saves hard disk space and memory space on the embedded device (but not on the system on which one actually compiles the kernel!) Second, step 10, "Customize the Kernel Installation Environment", contains stuff which is useful even to people who use stock kernels. For example, there is a section on how to switch to lilo from another boot loader (in this case, grub 1 from Lenny) and covers some little known stuff about lilo, such as how to make use of UUIDs in lilo, how to determine the capabilities of the BIOS, etc. Third, if you are using a custom kernel built in the manner recommended in the write-up, and you are using lilo, you will probably need some extra "hook scripts" which don't currently ship with lilo. This write-up provides some sample hook scripts which you may find useful. Good luck with your project. -- .''`. Stephen Powell : :' : `. `'` `- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/1193057518.926874.1298138552084.javamail.r...@md01.wow.synacor.com
Re: Command Line Partitioning
On Sat, Feb 19, 2011 at 11:49:41AM -0500, Hal Vaughan wrote: > > fdisk: Doesn't seem to have a batch/script mode and I'd have to calculate > sizes in megabytes from cylinder info > fdisk does allow you to specify the start cylinder, then something like +1000M for the end of the partition. "M" meaning megabytes. It may also accept "G" for gigabytes these days, but I'm not sure -- you'd have to try it yourself. -Rob -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20110219174100.gb6...@aurora.owens.net
