How to partition an unpartitioned space

Hi,

This is my partition table and I still got unused space in my hard drive but I couldn’t find a way from opensuse to create partitions using that space. I want to install Ubuntu as my second OS and make dual boot both OS’s. So I wonder, will the Ubuntu installation detects the free space and allow me to create partitions?

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1            2048   190339071    95168512   83  Linux
/dev/sda2       190339072   379084799    94372864   83  Linux
/dev/sda3       379084800   567832575    94373888   83  Linux
/dev/sda4   *   567832576   777545727   104856576    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5       567834624   572027587     2096482   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6       576221184   608767999    16273408   83  Linux
/dev/sda7       608770048   777545727    84387840   83  Linux

Thanks.

If we’re talking about 512 byte blocks, there is exactly 1MB remaining at the end of your extended partition, which is normal … and nothing.

echo $(((104856576 - 2096482 - 16273408 - 84387840)/2/1024/1024 ))
1

We can not see from your post if there is free space at the end of the disk outside of the extended partition. You should post the complete fdisk -l output (including the header).

Please, allways post the complete prompt, command, output, prompt sequencce. Thus everybody can see:
. that it is complete;
. that you were normal user or root;
. what your working directory was.
Some or all of this can be important in assessing your computer text.

And in general on openSUSE we use YaST as System Mangement tooll, YaST> System > Partitioning.

Sorry for the incomplete output here’s the entire output

fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0007fad8

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1            2048   190339071    95168512   83  Linux
/dev/sda2       190339072   379084799    94372864   83  Linux
/dev/sda3       379084800   567832575    94373888   83  Linux
/dev/sda4   *   567832576   777545727   104856576    f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5       567834624   572027587     2096482   82  Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6       576221184   608767999    16273408   83  Linux
/dev/sda7       608770048   777545727    84387840   83  Linux

When I was installing SUSE I’m pretty sure that I left an unused space for another OS.

About 95 GB, am I right?
You can increase the size of the extended partition with a partioning tool (such as gparted) than create more logical paritions. You would be able to do that “manually” in openSUSE setup by choosing the option “Create partition setup”. Why the installation doesn’t detect the free space, I don’t know - maybe because it doesn’t look outside of the extended partition.

On 2012-01-29 13:36, gt540 wrote:

> Code:
> --------------------
>
> Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
> Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
> Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
> I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
> Disk identifier: 0x0007fad8
>
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/sda1 2048 190339071 95168512 83 Linux
> /dev/sda2 190339072 379084799 94372864 83 Linux
> /dev/sda3 379084800 567832575 94373888 83 Linux
> /dev/sda4 * 567832576 777545727 104856576 f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
> /dev/sda5 567834624 572027587 2096482 82 Linux swap / Solaris
> /dev/sda6 576221184 608767999 16273408 83 Linux
> /dev/sda7 608770048 777545727 84387840 83 Linux
>
> --------------------

Let me see… inside the extended partition (sda4) all space is used. You
have free space from 777545727 to 976773168, but it is not inside the
extended, so it should go into a primary, but you have no primary numbers
free. Your problem is that you have no “numbers” free.

You have to extend first the size of the extended partition. Some
partitioners can do this automatically.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

Strange setup. Who creates an extended partition that does not reach to the end of the disk? I can fully imagine that some software is not programmed to detect these sorts of things. After all you can not predict all sorts of silly combinations.

Yes you are correct it’s about 95GB left and I don’t want to re-size the extended partition because I left that space for another OS. I think Ubuntu might detect that space but I haven’t tried it yet.

Yes, I didn’t care much about putting every bit of space in to the extended partition all I was thought about that if I left some free space without doing anything I can use it in the future to install another OS. That was some kind of a mistake I agree.

I am afraid you do not understand this. You have to increase the extended partition. The only way to add anothor partition is to add one inside the extended one.

Please read: SDB:Basics of partitions, filesystems, mount points - openSUSE

I cite from there:

extended partition (in fact also a primary partition), there can only be one, it has normally the number after the highest created primary partition (3 or 4) and should contain all of the remaining space of the disk (otherwise space is wasted);

And that is exactly what happened to your disk. As I said in a post above in polite words, I will repeat here more bluntly: whoever created that extended partition did a bad job.

You have to. The extended partition is just a container for the logical partitions. You resize this partition in order to create other partitions. They won’t overlapp nor overwrite existing partitions. It’s possible that the partitioner will resize the extended partition automatically when you add a logical partition.

On 2012-01-29 14:16, hcvv wrote:
>
> Strange setup. Who creates an extended partition that does not reach to
> the end of the disk? I can fully imagine that some software is not
> programmed to detect these sorts of things. After all you can not
> predict all sorts of silly combinations.

I have seen partitioners doing this by default, and automatically extend
the size when you want to add a new partition (and again, leaving out the
rest).


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

On 2012-01-29 15:06, gt540 wrote:

> Yes you are correct it’s about 95GB left and I don’t want to re-size
> the extended partition because I left that space for another OS. I think
> Ubuntu might detect that space but I haven’t tried it yet.

You have no choice.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)