why only 4 primary partitions?

[SM_3]

Hello

Using redat why can we only have 4 primary partitons?

Is this the same for SUSE?

Thanks.

[Ivan Krastev]

Here is simple explanation - http://www.lissot.net/partition/partition-03.html


cheers,
ivan

[Alexander Chuzhoy · Accepted solution]

It's the same for SUSE.

In the current IBM PC architecture, there is a partition table in the drive's Master Boot Record (section of the hard dirve that contains the commands necessary to start the operating system), or MBR, that lists information about the partitions on the hard drive. This partition table is then further split into 4 partition table entries, with each entries corresponding to a partition. Due to this it is only possible to have four partitions. These 4 partitions are typically known as primary partitions. To overcome this restriction, system developers decided to add a new type of partition called the extended partition. By replacing one of the four primary partitions with an extended partition, you can then make an additional 24 logical partitions within the extended one.

[Ivan Ferreira]

It's the same for Red Hat, SUSE, even Windows. You can have only four primary partitions, but you can create more than 4 partitions if you use at least one extended partition and logic units on this extended partitions.

[SM_3]

ok, so it's 4 so that the bios can read it.

thanks

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

it has to due this disk partitioning and hardware compatibility.

In essence its like when Bill Gates decided nobody would ever need more than 640 KB of RAM.

Bad design.

SEP