The problem is that the Xbox has no partition table, the partitioning is implicit. It looks like this on all boxes:Originally, we had an additional partitioning module in the kernel for XboxIf we can avoid overlapping partition, this can be fine (else user may do
partitioning. Now our code makes it possible to use both partitioning schemes in
parallel: The PC partition table is read first, and the Xbox partitions (which
may of course overlap) will be added after the PC partitions, in the /dev/hda?
numbering. This way, the user can access the Xbox partitions, and can partition
the free space on the hard disk (the space above 8 GB; we can use replacement
hard disks; the Xbox kernel only uses 8 GB) using a PC partition table.
dangerous things).
If the partition are not complicated (?), we can add the native support
directly so that the first 8GB will naturally be reserved instead of hacking the
current partition scheme used for PC.
1: 0.5 - 750.5 MB (temp 1)
2: 750.5 - 1500.5 MB (temp 2)
3: 1500.5 - 2250.5 MB (temp 3)
4: 2250.5 - 2750.5 MB (boot)
5: 2750.5 - 8 GB (data)
We cannot change this partitioning, the Xbox system software always uses this table. Of course we could extend the partition table: We could add an additional partition table at 8 GB with the partitioning information for the space above 8 GB.
Because it was quite easy, we used the PC partitioning system in our current versions; the first sector on the Xbox HD is unused anyway. The user just had to avoid partitioning any of the space up to 8 GB.
We're not certain yet how to handle this. Our Xbox Linux Mandrake installer marks the space up to 8 GB as partition 4, and the user is free to create partitions 1 to 3 and 5+ in the unallocated space. If the installer (and command line fdisk) were extended to mark the space up to 8 GB as unavailable if it's an Xbox drive, this would be the most beautiful method, I think.
We don't have Xbox here so you will have to provide information on how toI'll have a look at the installer and add Xbox support myself; if there are any
proceed, maybe Micro$oft will give us a Xbox for that ...
problems, I'll ask in the mailing list, okay?
Or directly to me and pixel as you wish. Fran�ois.
