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.\" Copyright 2011-2013 Roderick W. Smith (rodsmith@rodsbooks.com) |
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.\" May be distributed under the GNU General Public License |
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.TH "SGDISK" "8" "0.8.10" "Roderick W. Smith" "GPT fdisk Manual" |
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.SH "NAME" |
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sgdisk \- Command\-line GUID partition table (GPT) manipulator for Linux and Unix |
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.SH "SYNOPSIS" |
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.BI "sgdisk " |
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[ options ] |
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.I device |
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|
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.SH "DESCRIPTION" |
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GPT fdisk is a text\-mode menu\-driven package for creation and manipulation of |
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partition tables. It consists of two programs: the text\-mode interactive |
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\fBgdisk\fR and the command\-line \fBsgdisk\fR. Either program will |
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automatically convert an old\-style Master Boot Record (MBR) partition table |
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or BSD disklabel stored without an MBR carrier partition to the newer Globally |
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Unique Identifier (GUID) Partition Table (GPT) format, or will load a GUID |
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partition table. This man page documents the command\-line \fBsgdisk\fR |
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program. |
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|
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Some advanced data manipulation and |
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recovery options require you to understand the distinctions between the |
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main and backup data, as well as between the GPT headers and the partition |
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tables. For information on MBR vs. GPT, as well as GPT terminology and |
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structure, see the extended \fBgdisk\fR documentation at |
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\fIhttp://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/\fR or consult Wikipedia. |
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|
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The \fBsgdisk\fR program employs a user interface that's based entirely on |
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the command line, making it suitable for use in scripts or by experts who |
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want to make one or two quick changes to a disk. (The program may query the |
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user when certain errors are encountered, though.) The program's name is |
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based on \fBsfdisk\fR, but the user options of the two programs are |
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entirely different from one another. |
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|
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Ordinarily, \fBsgdisk\fR operates on disk device files, such as |
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\fI/dev/sda\fR or \fI/dev/hda\fR under Linux, \fI/dev/disk0\fR under |
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Mac OS X, or \fI/dev/ad0\fR or \fI/dev/da0\fR under FreeBSD. The program |
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can also operate on disk image files, which can be either copies of whole |
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disks (made with \fBdd\fR, for instance) or raw disk images used by |
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emulators such as QEMU or VMWare. Note that only \fIraw\fR disk images |
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are supported; \fBsgdisk\fR cannot work on compressed or other advanced |
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disk image formats. |
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|
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The MBR partitioning system uses a combination of cylinder/head/sector |
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(CHS) addressing and logical block addressing (LBA). The former is klunky |
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and limiting. GPT drops CHS addressing and uses 64\-bit LBA mode |
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exclusively. Thus, GPT data structures, and therefore |
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\fBsgdisk\fR, do not need to deal with CHS geometries and all the problems |
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they create. |
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|
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For best results, you should use an OS\-specific partition table |
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program whenever possible. For example, you should make Mac OS X |
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partitions with the Mac OS X Disk Utility program and Linux partitions |
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with the Linux \fBgdisk\fR, \fBsgdisk\fR, or GNU Parted programs. |
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|
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Upon start, \fBsgdisk\fR attempts to identify the partition type in use on |
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the disk. If it finds valid GPT data, \fBsgdisk\fR will use it. If |
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\fBsgdisk\fR finds a valid MBR or BSD disklabel but no GPT data, it will |
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attempt to convert the MBR or disklabel into GPT form. (BSD disklabels are |
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likely to have unusable first and/or final partitions because they overlap |
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with the GPT data structures, though.) GPT fdisk can identify, but not use |
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data in, Apple Partition Map (APM) disks, which are used on 680x0\- and |
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PowerPC\-based Macintoshes. If you specify any option that results in |
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changes to an MBR or BSD disklabel, \fBsgdisk\fR ignores those changes |
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unless the \fI\-g\fR (\fI\-\-mbrtogpt\fR), \fI\-z\fR (\fI\-\-zap\fR), or |
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\fI\-Z\fR (\fI\-\-zap\-all\fR) option is used. If you use the \fI\-g\fR |
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option, \fBsgdisk\fR replaces the MBR or disklabel with a GPT. \fIThis |
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action is potentially dangerous!\fR Your system may become unbootable, and |
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partition type codes may become corrupted if the disk uses unrecognized |
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type codes. Boot problems are particularly likely if you're multi\-booting |
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with any GPT\-unaware OS. |
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|
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The MBR\-to\-GPT conversion will leave at least one gap in the partition |
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numbering if the original MBR used logical partitions. These gaps are |
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harmless, but you can eliminate them by using the \fI\-s\fR (\fI\-\-sort\fR) |
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option, if you like. (Doing this may require you to update your |
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\fI/etc/fstab\fR file.) |
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|
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When creating a fresh partition table, certain considerations may be in |
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order: |
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|
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.TP |
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.B * |
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For data (non\-boot) disks, and for boot disks used on BIOS\-based computers |
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with GRUB as the boot loader, partitions may be created in whatever order |
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and in whatever sizes are desired. |
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.TP |
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.B * |
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Boot disks for EFI\-based systems require an \fIEFI System |
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Partition\fR (\fBsgdisk\fR internal code 0xEF00) formatted as FAT\-32. |
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The recommended size of this partition is between 100 and 300 MiB. |
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Boot\-related files are stored here. (Note that GNU Parted identifies |
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such partitions as having the "boot flag" set.) |
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.TP |
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.B * |
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Some boot loaders for BIOS\-based systems make use of a \fIBIOS Boot |
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Partition\fR (\fBsgdisk\fR internal code 0xEF02), in which the secondary |
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boot loader is stored, possibly without the benefit of a filesystem. This |
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partition can typically be quite small (roughly 32 to 200 KiB), but you |
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should consult your boot loader documentation for details. |
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.TP |
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.B * |
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If Windows is to boot from a GPT disk, a partition of type \fIMicrosoft |
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Reserved\fR (\fBsgdisk\fR |
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internal code 0x0C01) is recommended. This partition should be about 128 MiB |
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in size. It ordinarily follows the EFI System Partition and immediately |
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precedes the Windows data partitions. (Note that GNU Parted creates all |
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FAT partitions as this type, which actually makes the partition unusable |
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for normal file storage in both Windows and Mac OS X.) |
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.TP |
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.B * |
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Some OSes' GPT utilities create some blank space (typically 128 MiB) after |
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each partition. The intent is to enable future disk utilities to use this |
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space. Such free space is not required of GPT disks, but creating it may |
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help in future disk maintenance. |
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.SH "OPTIONS" |
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Some options take no arguments, others take one argument (typically a partition |
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number), and others take compound arguments with colon delimitation. For |
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instance, \fI\-n\fR (\fI\-\-new\fR) takes a partition number, a starting |
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sector number, and an ending sector number, as in \fBsgdisk \-n 2:2000:50000 |
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/dev/sdc\fR, which creates a new partition, numbered 2, starting at sector |
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2000 an ending at sector 50,000, on \fI/dev/sdc\fR. |
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Unrelated options may be combined; however, some such combinations will be |
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nonsense (such as deleting a partition and then changing its GUID type code). |
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\fBsgdisk\fR interprets options in the order in which they're entered, so |
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effects can vary depending on order. For instance, \fBsgdisk \-s \-d 2\fR |
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sorts the partition table entries and then deletes partition 2 from the |
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newly\-sorted list; but \fBsgdisk \-d 2 \-s\fR deletes the original partition |
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2 and then sorts the modified partition table. |
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|
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Error checking and opportunities to correct mistakes in \fBsgdisk\fR are |
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minimal. Although the program endeavors to keep the GPT data structures legal, |
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it does not prompt for verification before performing its actions. Unless you |
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require a command\-line\-driven program, you should use the interactive |
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\fBgdisk\fR instead of \fBsgdisk\fR, since \fBgdisk\fR allows you to |
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quit without saving your changes, should you make a mistake. |
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|
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Although \fBsgdisk\fR is based on the same partition\-manipulation code as |
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\fBgdisk\fR, \fBsgdisk\fR implements fewer features than its interactive |
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sibling. Options available in \fBsgdisk\fR are: |
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.TP |
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.B \-a, \-\-set\-alignment=value |
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Set the sector alignment multiple. GPT fdisk aligns the start of partitions |
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to sectors that are multiples of this value, which defaults to 2048 on |
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freshly formatted disks. This alignment value is necessary to obtain optimum |
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performance with Western Digital Advanced Format and similar drives with larger |
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physical than logical sector sizes, with some types of RAID arrays, and |
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with SSD devices. |
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.TP |
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.B \-A, \-\-attributes=list|[partnum:show|or|nand|xor|=|set|clear|toggle|get[:bitnum|hexbitmask]] |
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View or set partition attributes. Use \fIlist\fR to see defined (known) |
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attribute values. Omit the partition number (and even the device filename) |
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when using this option. The others require a partition number. The |
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\fIshow\fR and \fIget\fR options show the current attribute settings |
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(all attributes or for a particular bit, respectively). The \fIor\fR, |
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\fInand\fR, \fIxor\fR, \fI=\fR, \fIset\fR, \fIclear\fR, and |
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\fItoggle\fR options enable you to change the attribute bit value. The |
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\fIset\fR, \fIclear\fR, \fItoggle\fR, and \fIget\fR options work on a |
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bit number; the others work on a hexadecimal bit mask. For example, type |
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\fBsgdisk -A 4:set:2 /dev/sdc\fR to set the bit 2 attribute (legacy BIOS |
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bootable) on partition 4 on \fI/dev/sdc\fR. |
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.TP |
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.B \-b, \-\-backup=file |
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Save partition data to a backup file. You can back up your current |
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in\-memory partition table to a disk file using this option. The resulting |
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file is a binary file consisting of the protective MBR, the main GPT |
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header, the backup GPT header, and one copy of the partition table, in that |
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order. Note that the backup is of the current in\-memory data structures, so |
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if you launch the program, make changes, and then use this option, the |
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backup will reflect your changes. If the GPT data structures are damaged, |
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the backup may not accurately reflect the damaged state; instead, they |
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will reflect GPT fdisk's first\-pass interpretation of the GPT. |
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.TP |
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.B \-c, \-\-change\-name=partnum:name |
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Change the GPT name of a partition. This name is encoded as a UTF\-16 |
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string, but proper entry and display of anything beyond basic ASCII values |
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requires suitable locale and font support. For the most part, Linux ignores |
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the partition name, but it may be important in some OSes. If you want to |
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set a name that includes a space, enclose it in quotation marks, as in |
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\fIsgdisk \-c 1:"Sample Name" /dev/sdb\fR. Note that the GPT name of a |
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partition is distinct from the filesystem name, which is encoded in the |
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filesystem's data structures. |
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.TP |
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.B \-C, \-\-recompute-chs |
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Recompute CHS values in protective or hybrid MBR. This option can sometimes |
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help if a disk utility, OS, or BIOS doesn't like the CHS values used by the |
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partitions in the protective or hybrid MBR. In particular, the GPT |
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specification requires a CHS value of 0xFFFFFF for over-8GiB partitions, |
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but this value is technically illegal by the usual standards. Some BIOSes |
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hang if they encounter this value. This option will recompute a more normal |
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CHS value -- 0xFEFFFF for over-8GiB partitions, enabling these BIOSes to |
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boot. |
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.TP |
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.B \-d, \-\-delete=partnum |
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Delete a partition. This action deletes the entry from the partition table |
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but does not disturb the data within the sectors originally allocated to |
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the partition on the disk. If a corresponding hybrid MBR partition exists, |
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\fBgdisk\fR deletes it, as well, and expands any adjacent 0xEE (EFI GPT) |
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MBR protective partition to fill the new free space. |
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.TP |
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.B \-D, \-\-display\-alignment |
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Display current sector alignment value. Partitions will be created on multiples |
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of the sector value reported by this option. You can change the alignment value |
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with the \-a option. |
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.TP |
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.B e, \-\-move\-second\-header |
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Move backup GPT data structures to the end of the disk. Use this option if |
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you've added disks to a RAID array, thus creating a virtual disk with space |
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that follows the backup GPT data structures. This command moves the backup |
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GPT data structures to the end of the disk, where they belong. |
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.TP |
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.B \-E, \-\-end\-of\-largest |
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Displays the sector number of the end of the largest available block of |
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sectors on the disk. A script may store this value and pass it back as |
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part of \fI\-n\fR's option to create a partition. If no unallocated |
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sectors are available, this function returns the value 0. |
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.TP |
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.B \-f, \-\-first\-in\-largest |
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Displays the sector number of the start of the largest available block of |
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sectors on the disk. A script may store this value and pass it back as |
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part of \fI\-n\fR's option to create a partition. If no unallocated |
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sectors are available, this function returns the value 0. Note that this |
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parameter is blind to partition alignment; when you actually create a |
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partition, its start point might be changed from this value. |
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.TP |
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.B \-F, \-\-first\-aligned\-in\-largest |
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Similar to \fI\-f\fR (\fI\-\-first\-in\-largest\fR), except returns the |
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sector number with the current alignment correction applied. Use this |
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function if you need to compute the actual partition start point rather |
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than a theoretical start point or the actual start point if you set the |
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alignment value to 1. |
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.TP |
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.B \-g, \-\-mbrtogpt |
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Convert an MBR or BSD disklabel disk to a GPT disk. As a safety measure, use of |
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this option is required on MBR or BSD disklabel disks if you intend to save your |
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changes, in order to prevent accidentally damaging such disks. |
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.TP |
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.B \-G, \-\-randomize\-guids |
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Randomize the disk's GUID and all partitions' unique GUIDs (but not their |
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partition type code GUIDs). This function may be used after cloning a disk |
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in order to render all GUIDs once again unique. |
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.TP |
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.B \-h, \-\-hybrid |
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Create a hybrid MBR. This option takes from one to three partition numbers, |
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separated by colons, as arguments. The created hybrid MBR places an EFI GPT |
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(type 0xEE) partition first in the table, followed by the partition(s) you |
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specify. Their type codes are based on the GPT fdisk type codes divided by |
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0x0100, which is usually correct for Windows partitions. If the |
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active/bootable flag should be set, you must do so in another program, such |
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as \fBfdisk\fR. The \fBgdisk\fR program offers additional hybrid MBR |
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creation options. |
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.TP |
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.B \-i, \-\-info=partnum |
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Show detailed partition information. The summary information produced by |
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the \fI\-p\fR command necessarily omits many details, such as the partition's |
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unique GUID and the translation of \fBsgdisk\fR's |
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internal partition type code to a plain type name. The \fI\-i\fR option |
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displays this information for a single partition. |
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.TP |
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.B \-l, \-\-load\-backup=file |
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Load partition data from a backup file. This option is the reverse of the |
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\fI\-b\fR option. Note that restoring partition data from anything |
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but the original disk is not recommended. This option will work even if the |
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disk's original partition table is bad; however, most other options on the |
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same command line will be ignored. |
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.TP |
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.B \-L, \-\-list\-types |
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Display a summary of partition types. GPT uses a GUID to identify partition |
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types for particular OSes and purposes. For ease of data entry, |
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\fBsgdisk\fR compresses these into two\-byte (four\-digit hexadecimal) |
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values that are related to their equivalent MBR codes. Specifically, the |
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MBR code is multiplied by hexadecimal 0x0100. For instance, the code for |
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Linux swap space in MBR is 0x82, and it's 0x8200 in \fBgdisk\fR. A |
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one\-to\-one correspondence is impossible, though. Most notably, the codes |
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for all varieties of FAT and NTFS partition correspond to a single GPT code |
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(entered as 0x0700 in \fBsgdisk\fR). Some OSes use a single MBR code but |
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employ many more codes in GPT. For these, \fBsgdisk\fR adds code numbers |
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sequentially, such as 0xa500 for a FreeBSD disklabel, 0xa501 for FreeBSD |
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boot, 0xa502 for FreeBSD swap, and so on. Note that these two\-byte codes |
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are unique to \fBgdisk\fR and \fBsgdisk\fR. This option does not require |
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you to specify a valid disk device filename. |
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.TP |
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.B \-m, \-\-gpttombr |
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Convert disk from GPT to MBR form. This option takes from one to four |
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partition numbers, separated by colons, as arguments. Their type codes are |
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based on the GPT fdisk type codes divided by 0x0100. If the active/bootable |
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flag should be set, you must do so in another program, such as \fBfdisk\fR. |
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The \fBgdisk\fR program offers additional MBR conversion options. It is not |
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possible to convert more than four partitions from GPT to MBR form or to |
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convert partitions that start above the 2TiB mark or that are larger than |
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2TiB. |
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.TP |
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.B \-n, \-\-new=partnum:start:end |
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Create a new partition. You enter a partition number, starting sector, and |
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an ending sector. Both start and end sectors can be specified in absolute |
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terms as sector numbers or as positions measured in kibibytes (K), |
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mebibytes (M), gibibytes (G), tebibytes (T), or pebibytes (P); for |
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instance, \fI\fB40M\fR\fR specifies a position 40MiB from the start of the |
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disk. You can specify locations relative to the start or end of the |
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specified default range by preceding the number by a '+' or '\-' symbol, as |
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in \fI\fB+2G\fR\fR to specify a point 2GiB after the default start sector, |
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or \fI\fB\-200M\fR\fR to specify a point 200MiB before the last available |
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sector. A start or end value of 0 specifies the default value, which is the |
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start of the largest available block for the start sector and the end of |
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the same block for the end sector. A partnum value of 0 causes the program |
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to use the first available partition number. Subsequent uses of the |
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\fI\-A\fR, \fI\-c\fR, \fI\-t\fR, and \fI\-u\fR options may also use |
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\fI0\fR to refer to the same partition. |
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.TP |
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.B \-N, \-\-largest\-new=num |
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Create a new partition that fills the largest available block of space on |
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the disk. Note that if used on a completely blank disk, this is likely to |
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result in a sector-moved warning, since the first available sector |
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(normally 34) doesn't fall on a 2048-sector boundary (the default for |
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alignment). You can use the \fI\-a\fR (\fI\-\-set\-alignment\fR) option to |
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adjust the alignment, if desired. A num value of 0 causes the program to |
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use the first available partition number. |
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|
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.TP |
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.B \-o, \-\-clear |
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Clear out all partition data. This includes GPT header data, all partition |
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definitions, and the protective MBR. Note that this operation will, like |
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most other operations, fail on a damaged disk. If you want to prepare a |
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disk you know to be damaged for GPT use, you should first wipe it with -Z |
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and then partition it normally. This option will work even if the |
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disk's original partition table is bad; however, most other options on the |
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same command line will be ignored. |
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.TP |
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.B \-p, \-\-print |
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Display basic partition summary data. This includes partition |
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numbers, starting and ending sector numbers, partition sizes, |
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\fBsgdisk\fR's partition types codes, and partition names. For |
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additional information, use the \fI\-i\fR (\fI\-\-info\fR) option. |
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.TP |
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.B \-P, \-\-pretend |
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Pretend to make specified changes. In\-memory GPT data structures are |
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altered according to other parameters, but changes are not written |
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to disk. |
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.TP |
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.B \-r, \-\-transpose |
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Swap two partitions' entries in the partition table. One or both partitions |
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may be empty, although swapping two empty partitions is pointless. For |
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instance, if partitions 1\-4 are defined, transposing 1 and 5 results in a |
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table with partitions numbered from 2\-5. Transposing partitions in this |
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way has no effect on their disk space allocation; it only alters their |
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order in the partition table. |
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.TP |
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.B \-R, \-\-replicate=second_device_filename |
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Replicate the main device's partition table on the specified second device. |
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Note that the replicated partition table is an exact copy, including all |
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GUIDs; if the device should have its own unique GUIDs, you should use the |
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\-G option on the new disk. |
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.TP |
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.B \-s, \-\-sort |
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Sort partition entries. GPT partition numbers need not match the order of |
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partitions on the disk. If you want them to match, you can use this option. |
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Note that some partitioning utilities sort partitions whenever they make |
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changes. Such changes will be reflected in your device filenames, so you |
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may need to edit \fI/etc/fstab\fR if you use this option. |
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.TP |
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.B \-t, \-\-typecode=partnum:{hexcode|GUID} |
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Change a single partition's type code. You enter the type code using either |
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a two\-byte hexadecimal number, as described earlier, or a fully-specified |
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GUID value, such as EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7. |
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|
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.TP |
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.B \-T, \-\-transform\-bsd=partnum |
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Transform BSD partitions into GPT partitions. This option works on BSD |
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disklabels held within GPT (or converted MBR) partitions. Converted |
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partitions' type codes are likely to need manual adjustment. \fBsgdisk\fR |
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will attempt to convert BSD disklabels stored on the main disk when |
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launched, but this conversion is likely to produce first and/or last |
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partitions that are unusable. The many BSD variants means that the |
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probability of \fBsgdisk\fR being unable to convert a BSD disklabel is |
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high compared to the likelihood of problems with an MBR conversion. |
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.TP |
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.B \-u, \-\-partition-guid=partnum:guid |
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Set the partition unique GUID for an individual partition. The GUID may be |
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a complete GUID or 'R' to set a random GUID. |
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|
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.TP |
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.B \-U, \-\-disk-guid=guid |
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Set the GUID for the disk. The GUID may be a complete GUID or 'R' to set a |
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random GUID. |
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.TP |
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.B \-\-usage |
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Print a brief summary of available options. |
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|
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.TP |
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.B \-v, \-\-verify |
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Verify disk. This option checks for a variety of problems, such as |
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incorrect CRCs and mismatched main and backup data. This option does not |
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automatically correct most problems, though; for that, you must use options |
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on the recovery & transformation menu. If no problems are found, this |
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command displays a summary of unallocated disk space. This option will work |
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even if the disk's original partition table is bad; however, most other |
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options on the same command line will be ignored. |
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|
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.TP |
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.B \-V, \-\-version |
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Display program version information. This option may be used without |
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specifying a device filename. |
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|
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.TP |
|
.B \-z, \-\-zap |
|
Zap (destroy) the GPT data structures and then exit. Use this option if you |
|
want to repartition a GPT disk using \fBfdisk\fR or some other GPT\-unaware |
|
program. This option destroys only the GPT data structures; it leaves the |
|
MBR intact. This makes it useful for wiping out GPT data structures after a |
|
disk has been repartitioned for MBR using a GPT\-unaware utility; however, |
|
there's a risk that it will damage boot loaders or even the start of the |
|
first or end of the last MBR partition. If you use it on a valid GPT disk, |
|
the MBR will be left with an inappropriate EFI GPT (0xEE) partition |
|
definition, which you can delete using another utility. |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B \-Z, \-\-zap\-all |
|
Zap (destroy) the GPT and MBR data structures and then exit. This option |
|
works much like \fI\-z\fR, but as it wipes the MBR as well as the GPT, it's |
|
more suitable if you want to repartition a disk after using this option, |
|
and completely unsuitable if you've already repartitioned the disk. |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B \-?, \-\-help |
|
Print a summary of options. |
|
|
|
.SH "RETURN VALUES" |
|
\fBsgdisk\fR returns various values depending on its success or failure: |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B 0 |
|
Normal program execution |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B 1 |
|
Too few arguments |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B 2 |
|
An error occurred while reading the partition table |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B 3 |
|
Non\-GPT disk detected and no \fI\-g\fR option |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B 4 |
|
An error prevented saving changes |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B 5 |
|
An error occurred while reading standard input (should never occur with |
|
sgdisk, but may with gdisk) |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B 8 |
|
Disk replication operation (-R) failed |
|
|
|
.SH "BUGS" |
|
As of March 2014 (version 0.8.10), \fBsgdisk\fR |
|
should be considered beta software. Known bugs and limitations include: |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
The program compiles correctly only on Linux, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X. Linux |
|
versions for x86\-64 (64\-bit), x86 (32\-bit), and PowerPC (32\-bit) have been |
|
tested, with the x86\-64 version having seen the most testing. |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
The FreeBSD version of the program can't write changes to the partition |
|
table to a disk when existing partitions on that disk are mounted. (The |
|
same problem exists with many other FreeBSD utilities, such as |
|
\fBgpt\fR, \fBfdisk\fR, and \fBdd\fR.) This limitation can be overcome |
|
by typing \fBsysctl kern.geom.debugflags=16\fR at a shell prompt. |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
The fields used to display the start and end sector numbers for partitions |
|
in the \fI\-p\fR option are 14 characters wide. This translates to a limitation |
|
of about 45 PiB. On larger disks, the displayed columns will go out of |
|
alignment. |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
The program can load only up to 128 partitions (4 primary partitions and |
|
124 logical partitions) when converting from MBR format. This limit can |
|
be raised by changing the \fI#define MAX_MBR_PARTS\fR line in the |
|
\fIbasicmbr.h\fR source code file and recompiling; however, such a change |
|
will require using a larger\-than\-normal partition table. (The limit |
|
of 128 partitions was chosen because that number equals the 128 partitions |
|
supported by the most common partition table size.) |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
Converting from MBR format sometimes fails because of insufficient space at |
|
the start or (more commonly) the end of the disk. Resizing the partition |
|
table (using the 's' option in the experts' menu) can sometimes overcome |
|
this problem; however, in extreme cases it may be necessary to resize a |
|
partition using GNU Parted or a similar tool prior to conversion with |
|
\fBgdisk\fR. |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
MBR conversions work only if the disk has correct LBA partition |
|
descriptors. These descriptors should be present on any disk over 8 GiB in |
|
size or on smaller disks partitioned with any but very ancient software. |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
BSD disklabel support can create first and/or last partitions that overlap |
|
with the GPT data structures. This can sometimes be compensated by |
|
adjusting the partition table size, but in extreme cases the affected |
|
partition(s) may need to be deleted. |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
Because of the highly variable nature of BSD disklabel structures, |
|
conversions from this form may be unreliable \-\- partitions may be dropped, |
|
converted in a way that creates overlaps with other partitions, or |
|
converted with incorrect start or end values. Use this feature with |
|
caution! |
|
|
|
.TP |
|
.B * |
|
Booting after converting an MBR or BSD disklabel disk is likely to be |
|
disrupted. Sometimes re\-installing a boot loader will fix the problem, but |
|
other times you may need to switch boot loaders. Except on EFI\-based |
|
platforms, Windows through at least Windows 7 RC doesn't support booting |
|
from GPT disks. Creating a hybrid MBR (using the 'h' option on the recovery & |
|
transformation menu) or abandoning GPT in favor of MBR may be your only |
|
options in this case. |
|
|
|
.PP |
|
|
|
.SH "AUTHORS" |
|
Primary author: Roderick W. Smith (rodsmith@rodsbooks.com) |
|
|
|
Contributors: |
|
|
|
* Yves Blusseau (1otnwmz02@sneakemail.com) |
|
|
|
* David Hubbard (david.c.hubbard@gmail.com) |
|
|
|
* Justin Maggard (justin.maggard@netgear.com) |
|
|
|
* Dwight Schauer (dschauer@ti.com) |
|
|
|
* Florian Zumbiehl (florz@florz.de) |
|
|
|
|
|
.SH "SEE ALSO" |
|
\fBcfdisk (8)\fR, |
|
\fBcgdisk (8)\fR, |
|
\fBfdisk (8)\fR, |
|
\fBgdisk (8)\fR, |
|
\fBmkfs (8)\fR, |
|
\fBparted (8)\fR, |
|
\fBsfdisk (8)\fR |
|
\fBfixparts (8)\fR |
|
|
|
\fIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table\fR |
|
|
|
\fIhttp://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2006/tn2166.html\fR |
|
|
|
\fIhttp://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/\fR |
|
|
|
.SH "AVAILABILITY" |
|
The \fBsgdisk\fR command is part of the \fIGPT fdisk\fR package and is |
|
available from Rod Smith.
|
|
|