Master Linux Disk Partitioning with fdisk and parted: Step-by-Step Guide

fdisk command

fdisk is a traditional Linux partitioning tool that works with MBR disks but cannot handle partitions larger than 2 TB. Use it to list disks, create partitions, and view partition details. Example commands:

[root@localhost ~]# fdisk -l
# list system partitions
[root@localhost ~]# fdisk /dev/sdx
# create partition on /dev/sdx

Important: never run fdisk on the active system disk, as it can erase the entire system; use a separate disk or a virtual machine.

The partition table output includes seven columns: Device, Boot, Start, End, Blocks, Id, and System. Their meanings are:

Device : partition device file name.

Boot : indicates if the partition is bootable.

Start : starting cylinder.

End : ending cylinder.

Blocks : size in KB.

Id : filesystem identifier (view with “i”).

System : operating system installed on the partition.

Interactive fdisk commands are shown in the following diagram:

parted command

parted works with GPT partition tables and can modify the kernel’s partition table instantly using partprobe, avoiding a reboot. Unlike MBR, GPT supports more than four primary partitions and provides redundancy for safety.

Basic syntax:

[root@localhost omc]# parted [options] <disk> <command>

Common operations:

Show partition table: parted /dev/sdc print Create partition: parted /dev/sdc mkpart primary ext3 1 2G (creates a 2 GB ext3 primary partition starting at 1 MB).

Change partition table type: parted /dev/sdc mklabel gpt Delete partition: parted /dev/sdc rm 2 parted also supports checking partitions, resizing, and recovering deleted partitions.