Why doesn't Ultrix allow "a" partitions to shrink?

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Article #4629

#4629

From: Michael Khaw
Date: Thu, 21 May 1987 08:00

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Ultrix uses a program called /etc/chpt to set/show the disk partition
tables (on ra81's, anyway).  Hidden away in the system administrator's
guide to disk partitioning is a note that:

	- a disk MUST have an "a" partition with a filesystem
	  on it (unless you want to use the default partition
	  tables built into the device driver)
	- you can always grow the "a" partition, but it MUST
	  begin at sector 0 and once set to a certain size, it
	  cannot be made smaller.

Why?

Mike Khaw
-- 
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!mnetor!seismo!husc6!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!teknowledge-vaxc!mkhaw
From: mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Michael Khaw)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.unix.wizards,comp.unix.questions
Subject: Why doesn't Ultrix allow "a" partitions to shrink?
Message-ID: <12963@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 21-May-87 04:00:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: teknowle.12963
Posted: Thu May 21 04:00:00 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 23-May-87 10:04:45 EDT
Organization: Teknowledge, Inc., Palo Alto CA
Lines: 18
Keywords: Ultrix disk parition a only grows