Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 18:03:31 -0000 From: atar <atar.yosef@gmail.com> To: "Warren Block" <wblock@wonkity.com> Cc: "freebsd-questions@freebsd.org" <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: dangerously dedicated physical disks. Message-ID: <op.w3tq35hce4gg2u@localhost> In-Reply-To: <alpine.BSF.2.00.1309220754410.27172@wonkity.com> References: <op.w3tl5faxe4gg2u@localhost> <alpine.BSF.2.00.1309220754410.27172@wonkity.com>
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Thank you very much about your efforts to explain me in detailed the
'dangerous dedicated' term.
Regards,
atar.
Warren Block <wblock@wonkity.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 22 Sep 2013, atar wrote:
>
>> During the reading of the FreeBSD handbook, I've encountered at the
>> term 'dangerously dedicated' regarding physical disks and the author of
>> this chapter in the FreeBSD handbook didn't think this term need more
>> clarity. so for newbies like me in the FreeBSD world I want to ask:
>> what's the 'dangerously dedicated' term meaning by?
>
> The term refers to a disk partitioned with only the BSD disklabel
> partition table:
>
> disk ada0
> partition "a" (ada0a, /)
> partition "b" (ada0b, swap)
> partition "d" (ada0d, /var)
> partition "e" (ada0e, /tmp)
> partition "f" (ada0f, /usr)
>
> It's "dangerous" because that partitioning format is rare outside of
> BSD-based systems. Disk utilities may not recognize it, and could
> damage it.
>
> Most of the rest of the world used MBR partitioning, which allowed up to
> four MBR partitions (called "slices" by FreeBSD) per disk.
>
> Since four slices is not enough for the standard FreeBSD disk layout,
> with /, swap, /var, /tmp, and /usr, the standard procedure is to use MBR
> partitioning, with the MBR partitions ("slices") being sub-partitioned
> by a BSD disklabel.
>
> disk ada0
> MBR slice 1 (ada0s1)
> partition "a" (ada0s1a, /)
> partition "b" (ada0s1b, swap)
> partition "d" (ada0s1d, /var)
> partition "e" (ada0s1e, /tmp)
> partition "f" (ada0s1f, /usr)
> MBR slice 2 (ada0s2)
> ...
>
> Yes, one partition format inside another. It only seems complicated
> because it is.
>
> GPT is the new partitioning format, which makes things much simpler by
> being capable of up to 128 partitions in the standard configuration.
> With GPT, there is no reason to use BSD disklabels at all.
>
> disk ada0
> GPT partition 1 (ada0p1, bootcode)
> GPT partition 2 (ada0p2, /)
> GPT partition 3 (ada0p3, swap)
> GPT partition 4 (ada0p4, /var)
> GPT partition 5 (ada0p5, /tmp)
> GPT partition 6 (ada0p6, /usr)
>
> Summary: "Dangerously dedicated" partitioning has no unique advantages.
> Use GPT when possible, use MBR/disklabel when necessary.
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