Baslinux mailing list

[baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org]

On Tue, 31 Jul 2007, baslinux AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

> Message from Steven
> ===================
> Sindi wrote:
> > BL3.4 has busybox fdisk.  If it is going to mess
> > things up we should be warned against using it
> > for extended linux partitions.
>
> First of all, you did not use the BL3 fdisk.
> You used the one from busybox 1.3.2.
>
> Second, I have consistently advised people
> to make primary partitions, not extended.

Why is that?  I was able to make DOS extended partition (I forget how - 
with BL3 fdisk?) and linux logical partitions (in the DOS extended 
partition, or with cfdisk 1999 version from BL2).  The only real problem 
was the lack of hdb5 and hdb6 devices.  BL3.50 was working find in hdb5 
inside the DOS extended partition.  But DOS drive letters were changed.

How do you suggest using a 20GB drive?  I don't want any really large 
partitions because they take longer to boot.  3GB is overkill even for BL2 
(which is up to 1.2GB now including two versions of kernel source code, 
uclibc, a lot of photos, timidity, over 100MB of stored packages, 220MB of 
source code - half of the total).  I used the 20GB drive because we were 
given several of them and they are faster than a 3GB drive, newer, and 
less likely to fail since less worn out.  I was hoping to have separate 
partitions for BL2, two versions of BL3, and the above-listed large 
directories, and at least one other partition to experiment in.

> > cfdisk at least did not try to make them.
>
> Really?  I'm pretty sure cfdisk is capable of making
> extended partitions.  Perhaps it was user error?

It did not offer that choice.  It did make two logical partitions, which 
yesterday would not let me format them.  Today I booted to DOS, both 
PQMagic and Ranesh partition manager said these partitions were already 
linux ext2, and mke2fs worked today.  Maybe I needed to reboot linux to 
make it work?  Maybe trying to format before the devices were made caused 
problems that reboting fixed?  Anyway, I now have two linux logical 
partitions, and according to everything but cfdisk, also hdb4 linux 
extended partition.

I have not tried bl3.50 fdisk because I had no partition to put it back 
onto (I saved it as a tgz).

 >
> > Busybox fdisk -v does not give the busybox fdisk
> > version, just busybox version 1.3.2.
>
> It does in BL3:
> --------------------
> /<#>busybox fdisk -v
> fdisk v2.12
> --------------------

The busybox 1.3.2 version says when I type
busybox fdisk -v
fdisk:  illegal option -- v
Usage:  fdisk [-luv[ .......
Change partition table
Options: .....
        -v give fdisk version

As you said, later busybox is buggy.
Sindi

> Cheers,
> Steven

Sindi