====== What's a partition ======

**Definition:** Hard disk partition is a defined storage space on a hard drive.

Depending of the user needs, it is possible to separate the hard disk into several partitions. In that way, you create several logical devices, from one bigger, physical device.
There is a reserved space on the beggining of the hard drive device, called **partition table**. In that space, all information about the partitioning is stored.

===== The reasons =====

There are a lot of reasons to separate your hard disk into partitions. In any way, the partitions enable you to store data more efficiently. For example, for PCs with multiple Operating Systems on, it is wise to install each OS on different partition.

===== File systems and partitions =====

When you separate your disk into partition, you don't store information in the partitions. Actually, you install filesystem on the partition and store files in it. The partitions are only used to separate your physical device into logical devices, understandable for you.

===== Creating partitions =====

In many Operating Systems, the **fdisk** utility is available. **Disk druide** is always a common choice to some Linux users.

We will give example of partitioning a hard disk, using the fdisk utility.
Let's assume that we want to create the following partition scheme:

<code>/dev/hda1 Boot partition
/dev/hda2 Swap partition
/dev/hda5 Root partition</code>

So, assuming that our main disk is '/dev/hda', we fire up fdisk:

<code bash>$fdisk /dev/hda</code>

Then, we get the command prompt:

<code>Command (m for help):</code>

From here, there are several possibilities. We can erase ALL disk partitions which have been already created, or we can just reformat them, as we need them. However, we can view the current partition scheme:

<code>Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 280 heads, 65 sectors, 2400 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15150 * 512 bytes

Device               Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1                     1          14     105808+  83  Linux
/dev/hda2                     15         49     264600   82  Linux
/dev/hda3                     50         70     158760   83  Extended
/dev/hda4                     71         2184  15981840   5  Extended
/dev/hda5                     71          209   1050808+ 83  Linux

Command (m for help):</code>

As you can see, in order to accomplish the starting idea, we must delete these partitions:

<code>Command (m for help): d
Partition number (1-4): 1</code>

In this example, we delete the first partition, note that it is /dev/hda2. The second partition would be /dev/hda2 and  so on. Repeat the procedure above to delete all of them.

==== Creating the boot partition ====

Now, the partition table is empty. So, first we will create the boot partition, /dev/hda1.

<code>Command (m for help): n
Command action
  e   extended
  p   primary partition (1-4)
p
Partition number (1-4): 1
First cylinder (1-3967, default 1): (Enter)
Using default value 1
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-3967, default 3876): (Enter or use +32M, it is enough for boot)</code>

So, we check:

<code>Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 30.0 GB, 30005821440 bytes
245 heads, 66 sectors/track, 3967 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes

Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1          1        14    105808+  83  Linux</code>

Now, to create it as boot partition, we type 'a' in the command line, and select 1. Then, /dev/hda1 will be boot partition.

==== Creating the swap partition ====

Now, we must create the swap partition. We defined it to be in /dev/hda2. So, we must first create it, just like the boot partition. Type 'n', then 'p', for primary partition, then select 2, for /dev/hda2. When prompted for first cylinder, hit enter, for the last cylinder select a size. It is prefferably to be big enough, for example 512 MB. You can create it bigger. However, for the last cylinder type +512M if you like so.
Then type 't' in the command line to set a partition type. Then 2. For partition type, enter 82, which reffers to Linux Swap. 
After all this, check the table:

<code>Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 30.0 GB, 30005821440 bytes
245 heads, 66 sectors/track, 3967 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes

Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1 *        1        14    105808+  83  Linux
/dev/hda2         15        81    506520   82  Linux swap</code>


==== Creating the root partition ====

Now, the last part, creating the root partition. It is pretty like every other partition we created so far. Type 'n' to create new partition,then 'p' for primary partition. Then , type 5, because we selected /dev/hda5 to be our root partition. Now, for both , the first and the last cylinder press enter, because we need to take as much space as we can. Check the results again, by hitting 'p':

<code>Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 30.0 GB, 30005821440 bytes
245 heads, 66 sectors/track, 3967 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 15120 * 512 = 7741440 bytes

Device    Boot    Start    End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hda1 *        1        14    105808+  83  Linux
/dev/hda2         15        81    506520   82  Linux swap
/dev/hda5         82      3876  28690200   83  Linux</code>


===== Partition types =====

In order to recognize different partitions, when a specific partition is created, a special byte of data is added to it. By that byte, its partition type will be recognized.
Here comes the table of partition numbers:

<code>Partition Number	Partition Type
 
  00	                Empty
  01	                DOS 12-bit FAT
  02	                XENIX root
  03	                XENIX usr
  04	                DOS 16-bit FAT <=32M
  05	                DOS Extended Partition
  06	                DOS 16-bit FAT >=32
  07	                OS/2 HPFS, WinNT NTFS
  08	                AIX
  09	                AIX bootable
  0a	                OS/2 Boot Manager
  0b 	                Win95 FAT32
  0c	                Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
  0e	                Win95 FAT16 (LBA)
  0f	                Win95 Extended (LBA)
  35	                OS/2 JFS
  39	                Plan 9
  40	                Venix 80286
  51	                Novell
  52	                Microport
  63	                Unix System V, Mach, GNU HURD
  64	                Novell Netware 286
  65	                Novell Netware 386
  75 	                PIC/IX
  80	                MINIX until 1.4a
  81	                MINUX, Linux
  82	                Solaris X86, Linux swap
  83	                Linux native
  85	                Linux extended
  93	                Amoeba
  94	                Amoeba BBT
  a5	                FreeBSD, NetBSD, BSD/386, 386BSD
  a6	                OpenBSD
  a7	                NEXTSTEP
  b7	                BSDI BSD/386 filesystem
  b8	                BSDI BSD/386 swap
  be	                Solaris 8 bootable
  bf	                Solaris x86
  c7	                Syrinx
  db	                CP/M
  e1	                DOS access
  e3	                DOS R/O
  eb	                BeOS BFS
  fb	                VMWare filesystem
  fc	                VMWare swap
  f2	                DOS secondary
  ff	                Xenix Bad Block Tab</code>


===== Extended partitions =====

In the standard partition table, defined on the beggining of this document,there is space to record only four partitions. In other words, that means that only four partitions can be created on your HDD. But, to overcome this limitations, **extended partitions** were created.
Every extended partition records partition information about the other partitions. Therefore, the possiblity opens to create more then four partitions.