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Sample supported root disk layouts for encapsulation

The following examples show root disk layouts that support encapsulation.

Example 1

Root and swap configured on two primary partitions, and free space on the disk shows an example of a supported layout with root and swap configured on two primary partitions, and some existing free space on the disk.

Root and swap configured on two primary partitions, and free space on the disk

Root and swap configured on two primary partitions, and free space
on the disk

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Two primary partitions are in use by / and swap. There are two unused primary partitions, and free space exists on the disk that can be assigned to a primary partition for the private region.

Example 2

Root and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free space shows an example of a supported layout with root and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no existing free space on the disk.

Root and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free space

Root and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free
space

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Two primary partitions are in use by / and swap. There are two unused primary partitions, and the private region can be allocated to a new primary partition by taking space from the end of the swap partition.

Example 3

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and free space in the extended partition shows an example of a supported layout with boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and some existing free space in the extended partition.

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and free space in the extended partition

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and free space
in the extended partition

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Three primary partitions are in use by /boot, swap and an extended partition that contains four file systems including root. There is free space at the end of the extended primary partition that can be used to create a new logical partition for the private region.

Example 4

Boot configured on a primary partition, and root and swap configured in the extended partition shows an example of a supported layout with boot configured on a primary partition, and root and swap configured in the extended partition.

Boot configured on a primary partition, and root and swap configured in the extended partition

Boot configured on a primary partition, and root and swap
configured in the extended partition

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Two primary partitions are in use by /boot and an extended partition that contains the root file system and swap area. A new logical partition can be created for the private region by taking space from the end of the swap partition.

Sample unsupported root disk layouts for encapsulation

The following examples show root disk layouts that do not support encapsulation.

Example 5

Boot, swap and root configured on three primary partitions, and free space on the disk shows an example of an unsupported layout with boot, swap and root configured on three primary partitions, and some existing free space on the disk.

Boot, swap and root configured on three primary partitions, and free space on the disk

Boot, swap and root configured on three primary partitions, and
free space on the disk

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This layout, which is similar to the default Red Hat layout, cannot be encapsulated because only one spare primary partition is available, and neither the swap partition nor the free space lie within an extended partition.

Workaround by reconfiguring swap as a logical partition shows a workaround by configuring the swap partition or free space as an extended partition, and moving the swap area to a logical partition (leaving enough space for a logical partition to hold the private region).

Workaround by reconfiguring swap as a logical partition

Workaround by reconfiguring swap as a logical partition

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The original swap partition should be deleted. After reconfiguration, this root disk can be encapsulated.

See "Example 3" on page 113.

Workaround by reconfiguring /boot as a directory shows another possible workaround by recreating /boot as a directory under /, deleting the /boot partition, and reconfiguring LILO or GRUB to use the new/boot location.

Workaround by reconfiguring /boot as a directory

Workaround by reconfiguring /boot as a directory

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Warning: If the start of the root file system does not lie within the first 1024 cylinders, moving /boot may render your system unbootable.

After reconfiguration, this root disk can be encapsulated.

See "Example 1" on page 111.

Example 6

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free space in the extended partition shows an example of an unsupported layout with boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no existing free space in the extended partition.

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free space in the extended partition

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free
space in the extended partition

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This layout cannot be encapsulated because only one spare primary partition is available, and neither the swap partition nor the free space lie within the extended partition.

Workaround by growing the extended partition shows a simple workaround that uses a partition configuration tool to grow the extended partition into the free space on the disk.

Workaround by growing the extended partition

Workaround by growing the extended partition

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Care should be taken to preserve the boundaries of the logical partition that contains the root file system. After reconfiguration, this root disk can be encapsulated.

See "Example 3" on page 113.

Example 7

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free space shows an example of an unsupported layout with boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no existing free space on the disk.

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free space

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no free
space

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This layout cannot be encapsulated because only one spare primary partition is available, the swap partition does not lie in the extended partition, and there is no free space in the extended partition for an additional logical partition.

Workaround by shrinking existing logical partitions shows a possible workaround by shrinking one or more of the existing file systems and the corresponding logical partitions.

Workaround by shrinking existing logical partitions

Workaround by shrinking existing logical partitions

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Shrinking existing logical partitions frees up space in the extended partition for the private region. After reconfiguration, this root disk can be encapsulated.

See "Example 3" on page 113.

Example 8

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no more available logical partitions shows an example of an unsupported layout with boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no more available logical partitions.

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no more available logical partitions

Boot and swap configured on two primary partitions, and no more
available logical partitions

Click the thumbnail above to view full-sized image.

If this layout exists on a SCSI disk, it cannot be encapsulated because only one spare primary partition is available, and even though swap is configured on a logical partition and there is free space in the extended partition, no more logical partitions can be created. The same problem arises with IDE disks when 12 logical partitions have been created.

A suggested workaround is to evacuate any data from one of the existing logical partitions, and then delete this logical partition. This makes one logical partition available for use by the private region. The root disk can then be encapsulated.

See "Example 3" on page 113.

See "Example 4" on page 114.