[parted-devel] [parted 1.8.8] boot partitions on disks larger than 2TB

[H. Peter Anvin]

Michael Reed wrote:
>>
>> We can come up with another protocol, but it wouldn't be able to boot 
>> Redmond OSes, and $DEITY only knows how many would follow it.
> 
> We probably don't need another protocol, just one that works and for which
> the partitioning can be easily created and maintained.
> 
>> The bigger issue is that the PMBR being, well, an MBR, has a 
>> 4-paritition limit, and even two boot partitions could overflow that if 
>> they are noncontiguous.

I think this issue can be worked around or just plain ignored -- in most 
cases it's not going to matter, and if we start dropping "protective" 
(0xee) partitions as we run out of space it's not going to matter.

> I do consider it to be quite reasonable to require that the bootable
> partitions, all of them, reside in the first 2TB of space.
> 
> Does parted have the capability of creating this hybrid partitioning
> scheme?  ("No" is a perfectly fine answer, today.)  This is an issue
> which is just beginning to rear its ugly head at SGI and I'd like to
> help us move toward a viable, more or less supported solution sooner
> rather than later.

I don't think it does.

	-hpa