jb wrote: > Bob Proulx writes: > > parted /dev/sdb print > > ... > > First fdisk: > > # fdisk -l /dev/sdb > ... > Device Boot Start End Sectors Size Id Type > /dev/sdb1 * 0 1171455 1171456 572M 0 Empty > /dev/sdb2 252 63739 63488 31M ef EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
That looks okay. fdisk handles it okay. > Some more (weird) entries: > > # fdisk -l /dev/sdb1 Weird that you would ask fdisk to look at /dev/sdb1 instead of /dev/sdb which is where the partition table would reside. There isn't normally a partition table at /dev/sdb1. > Any comment on these /dev/sdb1p1 and /dev/sdb1p2 device names ? Yes. You don't normally have a partition table at /dev/sdb1. Looking there for one is like looking for meaning in clouds and tea leaves. Something might randomly look like something but it isn't there by design. > # fdisk -l /dev/sdb2 Again, there isn't normally a partition table at /dev/sdb2. What makes you want to look there for one? That would normally be the start of either file system or swap or other data use for that partition. The partition table is at /dev/sdb. > # parted /dev/sdb unit s print > Model: SanDisk Cruzer (scsi) > Disk /dev/sdb: 7913471s > Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B > Partition Table: msdos > Disk Flags: > > Number Start End Size Type File system Flags > 2 252s 63739s 63488s primary fat16 esp > > What happened to first partition ? It was empty and so not displayed. The above shows basically the same information as fdisk displayed. Since fdisk handled it there isn't anything more for parted to add. The value for me is when fdisk can't handle the partition table and then parted usually will be able to do so. > Some more (weird) entries: > > # parted /dev/sdb1 unit s print Yes. Weird that you would try to print a partition table from /dev/sdb1. There isn't one there normally. > # parted /dev/sdb2 unit s print Same thing again for /dev/sdb2. Garbage in produces garbage out. > Somewhat unusual :-) I think you are still missing the understanding that /dev/sdb is the entire disk from start to finish of the disk. One creates a partition table at the first disk block. That divides up the rest of the disk into partitions. The first partition is /dev/sdb1 and the second is /dev/sdb2 and so forth. File systems, swap, other users are placed into those partitions. There isn't usually *another* partition table placed there. Of course I have to qualify everything with a "normally" or "usually" and so forth. Because it is all like a book with blank sheets of paper. Normally the title is at the front and chapters in the middle. But that doesn't prevent someone from writing things into the blank sheets in an unusual way. The disk is like that too. Nothing prevents someone from copying a disk image which contains a partition table into a primary partition on a disk. In that case it will appear that there are two partition tables. And that could be applied again and again. But that is like copying the contents of one book into the blank sheets of a blank book. And then copying another book into its blank sheets and so on. Yes you can copy a book that way but you don't normally find books that have been done that way. Most books have a title up front, table of contents, body content in that order. Disks are the same way. Most disks have a partition table dividing up the disk into partitions. Then those partitions are used to hold file system data. Bob
