For the kernel to reload the partition table no partitions on the drive must be in use, meaning mounted or activated as swap.
Quoting Phil Carmody <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > This isn't specifically an Alpha problem, sorry, but I'm not actually on > any other debian lists (I did find the same question on > linux.debian.user or suchlike, but it was unanswered). I'm curious, I > have a system which I _can't_ reboot for a few weeks (hey, my number > crunching jobs are _big_). However, I've just tried to repartition one > of my hard disks. > > Fdisk blurts > <<< > Command (m for help): w > The partition table has been altered! > > Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table. > Re-read table failed with error 16: Device or resource busy. > Reboot your system to ensure the partition table is updated. > >>> > > and sure enough, /proc/partitions tells me about how things _used to > be_. How broken is this? It surely can't assume that partitions never > change, else how does it deal with things like hot-swappable drives? or > magneto-optical removable media etc? > > What can I do? > (and yes, I even have time to hack around in the kernel while I wait for > my job to complete... > > Yours curiously > Phil > > Mathematics should not have to involve martyrdom; > Support Eric Weisstein, see http://mathworld.wolfram.com > Find the best deals on the web at AltaVista Shopping! > http://www.shopping.altavista.com > > > -- > To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact > [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
