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From: mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.wizards,comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Why doesn't Ultrix allow "a" partitions to shrink?
Message-ID: <13263@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 2-Jun-87 03:01:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: teknowle.13263
Posted: Tue Jun  2 03:01:59 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 4-Jun-87 01:30:56 EDT
References: <12963@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA> <903@apple.UUCP>
Reply-To: mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.UUCP (Michael Khaw)
Organization: Teknowledge, Inc., Palo Alto CA
Lines: 32
Keywords: Ultrix disk parition a only grows
Xref: utgpu comp.sys.dec:181 comp.unix.wizards:2343 comp.unix.questions:2343

In article <903@apple.UUCP> ems@apple.UUCP (Mike Smith) writes:
]In article <12963@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>, mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Michael Khaw) writes:
]> Ultrix uses a program called /etc/chpt to set/show the disk partition
]> tables (on ra81's, anyway).  Hidden away in the system administrator's
]> guide to disk partitioning is a note that:
]> 
]> 	- a disk MUST have an "a" partition with a filesystem
]> 	  on it (unless you want to use the default partition
]> 	  tables built into the device driver)
]> 	- you can always grow the "a" partition, but it MUST
]> 	  begin at sector 0 and once set to a certain size, it
]> 	  cannot be made smaller.
]
]One can also cheat and just use a 'c' partition.  This makes the whole pack
]a single filesystem.  It seems that since the 'c' partition starts where the
]'a' partition starts, it is properly handled.  Makes a mighty big partition,
]though.

What if I cheat and tell newfs that the "a" partition is, say, only 1 cylinder,
and make the b partition start at the second (or do you count from zero and
call it the first) cylinder?  Will that fly if I use "b" for swapping?

What I'm really trying to get at is I want a "b" swap partition near the "front"
of the disk, and a fairly large "h" partition "behind" it, but I don't want to
waste the 7 odd Mb "a" partition, so can I make "b" overlap with "a" if I tell
newfs that "a" is only the part that doesn't overlap "b"?

Mike Khaw
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