System Administration Guide, Volume 1

IA: How to Create Disk Slices and Label a Disk

  1. Become superuser.

  2. Start the format utility.


    # format
    
  3. Enter the number of the disk that you want to repartition from the list displayed on your screen.


    Specify disk (enter its number): disk-number
    

    disk-number

    Is the number of the disk that you want to repartition. 

  4. Go into the partition menu (which lets you set up the slices).


    format> partition
    
  5. Display the current partition (slice) table.


    partition> print
    
  6. Start the modification process.


    partition> modify
    
  7. Set the disk to all free hog.


    Choose base (enter number) [0]? 1
    

    See "Using the Free Hog Slice" for more information about the free hog slice.

  8. Create a new partition table by answering yes when prompted to continue.


    Do you wish to continue creating a new partition
    table based on above table[yes]? yes
    
  9. Identify the free hog partition (slice) and the sizes of the slices when prompted.

    When adding a system disk, you must set up slices for:

    • root (slice 0) and swap (slice 1) and/or

    • /usr (slice 6)

    After you identify the slices, the new partition table is displayed.

  10. Make the displayed partition table the current partition table by answering yes when asked.


    Okay to make this the current partition table[yes]? yes
    

    If you don't want the current partition table and you want to change it, answer no and go to Step 6.

  11. Name the partition table.


    Enter table name (remember quotes): "partition-name"
    

    partition-name

    Is the name for the new partition table. 

  12. Label the disk with the new partition table when you have finished allocating slices on the new disk.


    Ready to label disk, continue? yes
    
  13. Quit the partition menu.


    partition> quit
    
  14. Verify the new disk label with verify command.


    format> verify
    
  15. Quit the format menu.


    format> quit
    

IA: Where to Go From Here

After you create disk slices and label the disk, you can create file systems on the disk. Go to "IA: How to Create File Systems".