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Appendix C. An Introduction to Disk Partitions
Note
The following information is specific to Intel-based computers only.
As a convenience to Red Hat Linux Advanced Server users, the DOS
Red Hat Linux/Itanium CD 1 in the
resize FAT (File Allocation Table) partitions.
Warning
Many people have successfully used
of the nature of the operations carried out by
configurations under which it must run, Red Hat cannot guarantee that
your system. Therefore, no installation support is available for
That said, if you decide to repartition your hard drive with
Perform a backup — Make two copies of all the important data on your computer. These copies
•
should be to removable media (such as tape or diskettes), and you should make sure they are read-
able before proceeding.
Read the documentation — Completely read the
•
dosutils/fipsdocs
Should you decide to use
one you resized, and the one
space to install Red Hat Linux Advanced Server, you should delete the newly created partition, either
by using
under your current operating system or while setting up partitions during a custom
fdisk
installation.
C.1.5. Partition Naming Scheme
Linux refers to disk partitions using a combination of letters and numbers which may be confusing,
particularly if you are used to the "C drive" way of referring to hard disks and their partitions. In the
DOS/Windows world, partitions are named using the following method:
Each partition's type is checked to determine if it can be read by DOS/Windows.
•
If the partition's type is compatible, it is assigned a "drive letter." The drive letters start with a "C"
•
and move on to the following letters, depending on the number of partitions to be labeled.
The drive letter can then be used to refer to that partition as well as the file system contained on that
•
partition.
Red Hat Linux Advanced Server uses a naming scheme that is more flexible and conveys more in-
formation than the approach used by other operating systems. The naming scheme is file-based, with
filenames in the form:
/dev/xxyN
Here is how to decipher the partition naming scheme:
dosutils
fips
subdirectory on Red Hat Linux/Itanium CD 1.
, be aware that after
fips
created out of the newly freed space. If your goal is to use that
fips
directory. This is a freely available program that can
to resize their hard drive partitions. However, because
and the wide variety of hardware and software
fips
fips
, it is vital that you do two things:
fips
documentation, located in the
fips
runs you will be left with two partitions: the
fips
utility is included on the
fips
will work properly on
fips
. Use it at your own risk.
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