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Disk Configuration

A mass storage device or fixed disk, such as hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), requires partitioning and formatting before it can be used.

  • partition and file system options chosen during setup, in answer file, or in an image

Partition

A partition is a logically separate storage area.

  • must create partition before formatting a file system
  • info about partitions is stored on the disk in 2 ways:
    • master boot record (MBR)
    • GUID partion table (GPT)

MBR Partitioning

The master boot record (MBR) partition style stores a partition table in the first 512-byte sector on the disk.

  • can contain 4 primary partitions
  • one is marked active as the boot partition
  • allows 4 drives on one disk
  • each drive can use different file system
  • 1 partition can be configured as extended and divided into many logical drives
  • each primary partition contains a boot sector or partition boot record (PBR)
    • when marked as active, PBR is populated with a record that points to OS boot loader
    • active partition is called system partition, or system reserved
  • boot partition contains the OS files
  • MBR partitioning must use the BIOS boot method
    • if UEFI, will not recognize boot device

GPT Partitioning

The globally unique identifier (GUID) partition table (GPT) style provides a more up-to-date scheme to address some of the limitations of MBR.

  • 128 partitions on Windows
  • max partition size of 2 TB+
  • supports backup copy of partition entries
  • includes protective MBR for compatibility
  • must use UEFI booth method

Drive Formatting

  • OS must be installed on a formatted partition
  • For Windows, must use NFTS
  • macOS uses APFS
  • Linux uses EXT3 or EXT4

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