Red Hat ENTERPRISE LINUX WS 2.1 Installation Manual

Contents

Appendix D.An Introduction to Disk PartitionsDisk partitions are a standard part of the personal computer landscape and have been for quite sometime. However, with many people purchasing computers featuring preinstalled operating systems,relatively few people understand how partitions work. This chapter attempts to explain the reasonsfor and use of disk partitions so the Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS installation will be as simple andpainless as possible.If you are reasonably comfortable with disk partitions, you could skip ahead to Section D.1.4, for moreinformation on the process of freeing up disk space to prepare for a Red Hat Enterprise Linux WSinstallation. This section also discusses the partition naming scheme used by Linux systems, sharingdisk space with other operating systems, and related topics.D.1. Hard Disk Basic ConceptsHard disks perform a very simple function — they store data and reliably retrieve it on command.When discussing issues such as disk partitioning, it is important to know a bit about the underlyinghardware. Unfortunately, it is easy to become bogged down in details. Therefore, we will use a simpli-fied diagram of a disk drive to help explain what is really happening when a disk drive is partitioned.Figure D-1, shows a brand-new, unused disk drive.Figure D-1. An Unused Disk DriveNot much to look at, is it? But if we are talking about disk drives on a basic level, it will do. Saythat we would like to store some data on this drive. As things stand now, it will not work. There issomething we need to do first. . .