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System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems     Oracle Solaris 10 1/13 Information Library
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Document Information

Preface

1.  Managing Removable Media (Overview/Tasks)

2.  Writing CDs and DVDs (Tasks)

3.  Managing Devices (Tasks)

4.  Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks)

5.  Managing USB Devices (Tasks)

6.  Using InfiniBand Devices (Overview/Tasks)

7.  Managing Disks (Overview)

8.  Managing Disk Use (Tasks)

9.  Administering Disks (Tasks)

10.  SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)

11.  x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)

x86: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems (Task Map)

x86: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems

x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a UFS Root File System

x86: How to Connect a Disk for a UFS File System

x86: How to Create Disk Slices for UFS File Systems

x86: How to Create a UFS File System

x86: How to Install Boot Blocks for a UFS Root File System

x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems (Task Map)

x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems

x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a ZFS Root File System

x86: Creating a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System

x86: How to Create a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System

x86: How to Install Boot Blocks for a ZFS Root File System

x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a ZFS File System

Creating and Changing Solaris fdisk Partitions

x86: Guidelines for Creating an fdisk Partition

x86: How to Create a Solaris fdisk Partition

Changing the fdisk Partition Identifier

How to Change the Solaris fdisk Identifier

12.  Configuring Oracle Solaris iSCSI Targets (Tasks)

13.  The format Utility (Reference)

14.  Managing File Systems (Overview)

15.  Creating and Mounting File Systems (Tasks)

16.  Configuring Additional Swap Space (Tasks)

17.  Checking UFS File System Consistency (Tasks)

18.  UFS File System (Reference)

19.  Backing Up and Restoring UFS File Systems (Overview/Tasks)

20.  Using UFS Snapshots (Tasks)

21.  Copying Files and File Systems (Tasks)

22.  Managing Tape Drives (Tasks)

23.  UFS Backup and Restore Commands (Reference)

Index

Creating and Changing Solaris fdisk Partitions

Review the following sections for guidelines and examples of creating or changing Solaris fdisk partitions.

x86: Guidelines for Creating an fdisk Partition

Follow these guidelines when you set up one or more fdisk partitions.


x86 only - Solaris slices are also called partitions. Certain interfaces might refer to a slice as a partition.

fdisk partitions are supported only on x86 based systems. To avoid confusion, Oracle Solaris documentation tries to distinguish between fdisk partitions and the entities within the Solaris fdisk partition. These entities might be called slices or partitions.


x86: How to Create a Solaris fdisk Partition

Before You Begin

If you need information about fdisk partitions, see x86: Guidelines for Creating an fdisk Partition.

  1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.
  2. Invoke the format utility.
    # format

    A numbered list of disks is displayed.

    For more information, see format(1M).

  3. Type the number of the disk on which to create a Solaris fdisk partition.
    Specify disk (enter its number): disk-number

    where disk-number is the number of the disk on which you want to create a Solaris fdisk partition.

  4. Select the fdisk menu.
    format> fdisk

    The fdisk menu that is displayed depends upon whether the disk has existing fdisk partitions.

  5. Create and activate a Solaris fdisk partition that spans the entire disk by specifying y at the prompt. Then, go to step 13.
    No fdisk table exists. The default partition for the disk is:
    
    a 100% "SOLARIS System" partition
    
    Type "y" to accept the default partition, otherwise type "n" to edit the
    partition table.
    y
  6. Specify n at the prompt if you do not want the Solaris fdisk partition to span the entire disk.
    Type "y" to accept the default partition, otherwise type "n" to edit the
     partition table.
    n
                 Total disk size is 17848 cylinders
                 Cylinder size is 16065 (512 byte) blocks
    
                                                   Cylinders
          Partition   Status    Type          Start   End   Length    %
          =========   ======    ============  =====   ===   ======   ===
    
    
    
    SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
       1. Create a partition
       2. Specify the active partition
       3. Delete a partition
       4. Change between Solaris and Solaris2 Partition IDs
       5. Edit/View extended partitions
       6. Exit (update disk configuration and exit)
       7. Cancel (exit without updating disk configuration)
    Enter Selection: 
  7. Select option 1, Create a partition, to create an fdisk partition.
    Enter Selection: 1
  8. Create a Solaris fdisk partition by selecting 1(=Solaris2).
    Select the partition type to create:
      1=SOLARIS2   2=UNIX        3=PCIXOS     4=Other
      5=DOS12      6=DOS16       7=DOSEXT     8=DOSBIG
      9=DOS16LBA   A=x86 Boot    B=Diagnostic C=FAT32
      D=FAT32LBA   E=DOSEXTLBA   F=EFI        0=Exit? 1
  9. Identify the percentage of the disk to be reserved for the Solaris fdisk partition. Keep in mind the size of any existing fdisk partitions when you calculate this percentage.
    Specify the percentage of disk to use for this partition
    (or type "c" to specify the size in cylinders). nn
  10. Activate the Solaris fdisk partition by typing y at the prompt.
    Should this become the active partition? If yes, it will be 
    activated each time the computer is reset or turned on.
    Please type "y" or "n". y

    The Enter Selection prompt is displayed after the fdisk partition is activated.

  11. Select option 1, Create a partition, to create another fdisk partition.

    See steps 8–10 for instructions on creating an fdisk partition.

  12. Update the disk configuration, and exit the fdisk menu from the selection menu.
    Selection: 6
  13. Relabel the disk by using the label command.
    format> label
    Ready to label disk, continue? yes
    format> 
  14. Quit the format utility.
    format> quit

Example 11-3 x86: Creating a Solaris fdisk Partition That Spans the Entire Drive

The following example uses the format utility's fdisk option to create a Solaris fdisk partition that spans the entire drive.

# format
Searching for disks...done
AVAILABLE DISK SELECTIONS:
       0. c0d0 <DEFAULT cyl 2466 alt 2 hd 16 sec 63>
          /pci@0,0/pci-ide@7,1/ide@0/cmdk@0,0
       1. c0d1 <DEFAULT cyl 522 alt 2 hd 32 sec 63>
          /pci@0,0/pci-ide@7,1/ide@0/cmdk@1,0
       2. c1d0 <DEFAULT cyl 13102 alt 2 hd 16 sec 63>
          /pci@0,0/pci-ide@7,1/ide@1/cmdk@0,0
Specify disk (enter its number): 0
selecting c0d0
Controller working list found
[disk formatted]
format> fdisk
No fdisk table exists. The default partitioning for your disk is:
 
  a 100% "SOLARIS System" partition.
 
Type "y" to accept the default partition, otherwise type "n" to edit the
partition table. y

format> label
Ready to label disk, continue? yes
format> quit
After You Create a Solaris fdisk Partition ...

After you create a Solaris fdisk partition on the disk, you can use for a root pool disk or non-root pool disk. For more information, see SPARC: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems.

Changing the fdisk Partition Identifier

The Solaris fdisk partition identifier on x86 systems has been changed from 130 (0x82) to 191 (0xbf). All Oracle Solaris commands, utilities, and drivers have been updated to work with either fdisk identifier. There is no change in fdisk functionality.

How to Change the Solaris fdisk Identifier

A new fdisk menu option enables you to switch back and forth between the new and old identifier. The fdisk identifier can be changed even when the file system that is contained in the partition is mounted.

Two type values in the fdisk menu reflect the old and new identifiers as follows:

  1. Become superuser.
  2. Display the current fdisk identifier.

    For example:

                Total disk size is 39890 cylinders
                Cylinder size is 4032 (512 byte) blocks
    
                                                  Cylinders
         Partition   Status    Type          Start   End   Length    %
         =========   ======    ============  =====   ===   ======   ===
             1       Active    x86 Boot          1     6       6      0
             2                 Solaris2          7  39889    39883    100
  3. Select option 4 from the fdisk menu to change the fdisk partition identifier back to 0x82.
    SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
      1. Create a partition
      2. Specify the active partition
      3. Delete a partition
      4. Change between Solaris and Solaris2 Partition IDs
      5. Exit (update disk configuration and exit)
      6. Cancel (exit without updating disk configuration)
    Enter Selection: 4
  4. Select option 5 to update your disk configuration and exit.
  5. If necessary, select option 4 from the fdisk menu to change the fdisk partition identifier back to 0xbf.

    For example:

    Total disk size is 39890 cylinders
                Cylinder size is 4032 (512 byte) blocks
    
                                                  Cylinders
         Partition   Status    Type          Start   End   Length    %
         =========   ======    ============  =====   ===   ======   ===
             1       Active    x86 Boot          1     6       6      0
             2                 Solaris           7  39889    39883    100
    
    SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
      1. Create a partition
      2. Specify the active partition
      3. Delete a partition
      4. Change between Solaris and Solaris2 Partition IDs
      5. Exit (update disk configuration and exit)
      6. Cancel (exit without updating disk configuration)
    Enter Selection: 4
  6. Select option 5 to update your disk configuration and exit.