Subject: partition manager for ARM Linux

From: "Roland Groepmair" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 18:45:46 +0200

Hy Linux-experts!

Last weekend I tried to install ARM Linux on my RISC PC (ARM 610, 24 MB DRAM, 2 MB VRAM, 2.1 GB IDE, RISC OS 3.5). Unfortunately, the first problem I had was partitioning the hard drive.

Currently I have to partitions on my HD: the first 512 MB (1040 cylinders) for RISC OS (Version 3.5 does not support more I think =8-(.
And the next 1500 cylinders for RiscBSD (I'm sorry, but I'm interested in both UNIX-ports for the ARM, I admit it). Between the two installations there is no cylinder free. But after the RiscBSD-Partition there are about 1500 left for the brandnew Linux. I thought.

BUT: the partition manager for Linux (newest version [last week I think] from the ftp site) wants to create a partition called "Table" (as shown in the installation manual) with the size of 1KB. I think this is for the partition table (?). I did not see any chance to alter the cylinder. The application suggests the first cylinder after the ADFS-partition. If I started the partition manager I think my RiscBSD-partition would be lost  =8-(((

Now my questions:
1. Is there any way to change the cylinder for the "Table" partition? Is it therefore possible to keep my RiscBSD-Installation?
2. And more important: The Installation manual, section partition manager says to "backup all files on the installation disk, because all data will be lost after the partitioning". Is it also true if I have space left on my hard disk?? Or do you mean that all data will be lost if I have to shrink my ADFS-"partition" (that is clear to me, I remember fdisk from MS-DOS...).

thanks a lot 
(perhaps you can help me to spend my time in installing Linux, not in backing up my ADFS-partition...), 
             Roland

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From: David Alan Gilbert <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 18:35:56 +0000

Hi,
  Well we'll soon remove the need for the RiscBSD partition - but its a
fair enough thing to try.....

As far as the backing up goes; you would be insane not too back up a
drive before repartitioning.

As for the RiscBSD problem - how does RiscBSD partition the drive? Does
it do the same thing that NetBSD does and build its own partition table
inside a native partition? I wonder if ARMLinux could actually install
in a spare RiscBSD partition if we turned on BSD partitioning or if that
is only for BSD partitioning on top of fdisk style partitions ... hmm.

Dave
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From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 21:06:38 +0100 (BST)

Roland Groepmair writes:
> Now my questions:
> 1. Is there any way to change the cylinder for the "Table" partition? I=
> s it therefore possible to keep my RiscBSD-Installation?

No.  Unfortunately, there is only one place in the ADFS boot block to put
a `non-ADFS' partition, and both the Linux Table and the RiscBSD partition
occupy this.  It is, unfortunately, something that was overlooked by Acorn
all those years ago.

Both Linux and RiscBSD rely on these bytes to be set correctly in order to
point to the correct location, so the two are mutually exclusive.

> 2. And more important: The Installation manual, section partition manag=
> er says to "backup all files on the installation disk, because all data=
>  will be lost after the partitioning". Is it also true if I have space =
> left on my hard disk?? Or do you mean that all data will be lost if I h=
> ave to shrink my ADFS-"partition" (that is clear to me, I remember fdis=
> k from MS-DOS...).

I would still advise backing it up - in case something goes wrong.  Linux
and its utilities has not been extensively tested, and I believe that
there may be a problem booting with RiscOS 3.5 (since the boot loader has
to gain access to the root partition, which may be over the 512 cylinder
limit).  However, it is still possible to boot Linux (as per the inital
installation instructions).
   _____
  |_____| ------------------------------------------------- ---+---+-
  |   |       Russell King      [email-masked]         --- ---
  | | | | http://whirligig.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~rmk92/home.html  /  /  |
  | +-+-+                                                     --- -+-
  /   |               THE developer of ARM Linux              |+| /|\
 /  | | |      *  who wishes that he was in Hong Kong  *      ---  |
    +-+-+ -------------------------------------------------  /\\\  |
		      (fast becomming debatable)