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Topic: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

Hi

Please inform wrt:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GR … structions
why isnt there any option to make this 1mb partition type, in gparted.

Thankyou

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

You can mark a GPT partition with the flag BIOS_GRUB in GParted.

Read the entire section on GParted Manual - Managing Partition Flags.

Note that the partition should be created with the Align to MiB option and formatted with FAT32.

3 (edited by makh 2017-10-14 04:57:59)

Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

gedakc wrote:

You can mark a GPT partition with the flag BIOS_GRUB in GParted.

Read the entire section on GParted Manual - Managing Partition Flags.

Note that the partition should be created with the Align to MiB option and formatted with FAT32.

Hello
I dont understand one thing, technically if gpt partition requires a 1MB space, why isnt it automatically reserved and created by the gparted, when creating the partition table of gpt?

Thankyou

4

Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

With GParted's default settings, 1 MiB of unallocated space is automatically reserved at the beginning of the drive.  This space is used for either an MS-DOS partition table, or a GUID Partition table.

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

gedakc wrote:

With GParted's default settings, 1 MiB of unallocated space is automatically reserved at the beginning of the drive.  This space is used for either an MS-DOS partition table, or a GUID Partition table.

But in mytesting to install devuan using gparted, the grub install fails, as such space allocation is unavailable. The only solution was to format it to grub bios, then only it worked. As you said did happened for Linux Mint. But it is not a default for most OS installers.

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

I'm still unsure what difficulty you are encountering.

For more information on GRUB and UEFI boot loaders, see the links at the bottom of the GParted - Documentation page.

7 (edited by makh 2017-10-16 06:40:08)

Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

gedakc wrote:

I'm still unsure what difficulty you are encountering.

For more information on GRUB and UEFI boot loaders, see the links at the bottom of the GParted - Documentation page.

Installing Devuan 1;
1. I made a gpt partition table, using gparted.
2. Rest install went fine.
3. Grub complained to install, I couldnt copy the error log.
4. System was unbootable.

The only remedy:
1. Create a bios grub partition, using fdisk/cfdisk.
2. Reinstalling Devuan 1, then things were ok.

Edit 1; In the older msdos partition type, if it consumed space or whatever, to help contain a partition table details, there was no need to create partition or additional tasks as grub bios type. This should be an automatic process for gpt also, in my view, as Gparted does all the requisite tasks, as they are given to it.

Thankyou

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

makh wrote:

1. Create a bios grub partition, using fdisk/cfdisk.

This can be done with GParted.  Create a partition with FAT32 format (perhaps 256 MiB).  Apply the operation.  Then use manage flags menu option to set the type to BIOS_GRUB.

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

makh wrote:

I dont understand one thing, technically if gpt partition requires a 1MB space, why isnt it automatically reserved and created by the gparted, when creating the partition table of gpt?

This first MiB space isn't a partition. A boot partition can follow.
Do you use any tutorial for your installation? if so, can you give a link to that?

*** It is highly recommended to backup any important files before doing resize/move operations. ***

10

Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

gedakc wrote:
makh wrote:

1. Create a bios grub partition, using fdisk/cfdisk.

This can be done with GParted.  Create a partition with FAT32 format (perhaps 256 MiB).  Apply the operation.  Then use manage flags menu option to set the type to BIOS_GRUB.

a) Should this partition be more than 1MB?
b) My question remains un answered... why doesnt the Gparted do the complete work of making this bios grub partition, beacause without it, the gpt partition cant exist...?

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

class413 wrote:
makh wrote:

I dont understand one thing, technically if gpt partition requires a 1MB space, why isnt it automatically reserved and created by the gparted, when creating the partition table of gpt?

This first MiB space isn't a partition. A boot partition can follow.
Do you use any tutorial for your installation? if so, can you give a link to that?

Hi

1 But if you say its not a partition, then why do I need to create it?
2. I only check out the tutorial, when there are issues, else I have played installation of Linux for couple of years. My question here now changes: Why partiotioner of gparted is doing an incomplete job?

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

GParted does create a complete partition table.  If you wish to boot from the disk using UEFI, then an extra partition is required.  Note that this extra partition is only required if you wish to boot from the disk so we don't create it by default.  Also we don't know what size of a boot partition you would like so we leave that step up to you.

13 (edited by makh 2017-10-20 01:53:02)

Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

gedakc wrote:

GParted does create a complete partition table.  If you wish to boot from the disk using UEFI, then an extra partition is required.  Note that this extra partition is only required if you wish to boot from the disk so we don't create it by default.  Also we don't know what size of a boot partition you would like so we leave that step up to you.

Hello Sir!

1. Apart from the pointed out issue: I am running the GPT on my hard disk, via legacy boot. But to make it run I had to setup 1MB bios grub partition. Why did I had to do that?

2. The size recommended by different tutorials etc is 1MB, why is it left on choice of user, the advance user will already understand to make it more than 1MB, it could be any easy Gparted ask questiobn to the partitioner: say recommended size 1MB, but you may choose per your requirement.

Edit 1: my original issue: installing Devuan 1 inside virtual box, with EFI disabled, the grub was unable to install, ... until I created 1MB bios grub partition.

Thankyou

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

If someone else knows what this request is about, please let me know.  So far I have no problems myself with GParted and how it creates GUID Partition Tables.

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Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

I was waiting some link to the tutorial on the subject. Anyway, I'll try to write what I have in mind.

First, Gparted isn't an installer for operating systems or other/similar components. It is just the graphical front end of the partitioning software GNU parted. One of the most important features is the ability to modify (move, grow, shrink) partitions in various "disk labels", various file systems, operating systems and bootloaders too. Many users use it in ms windows or linux personal computers, however in many cases, system administrators and IT professionals need it for much more complicated system configurations.
Professionals don't like "automatic" decisions because they often need to use options that aren't used in personal systems.

Concerning the grub-boot and ESP (EFI system partition) issue, it is somehow confusing, because we are in a "transition" period from the legacy BIOS hardware to the newer UEFI hardware.

Legacy BIOS systems with MS-DOS type (MBR) HDs hold the grub code in several allocated or unallocated parts of the hard drive (MBR, sectors following the MBR), plus a /boot partition for the remaining code.

In BIOS-based computers with GPT system HDs, there is no unused space in the first MiB (I'm not sure on this), so a BIOS-GRUB partition is needed to hold the grub code. This is perhaps your case. GParted can handle this partition type (you have to create the partition and set the "bios-grub" flag).

UEFI systems using GPT disks need a ESP (EFI system partition) just after the GPT reserved MiB. The grub code is put there.

If you want to be able to boot in both BIOS-mode and UEFI-mode from the same hard drive for some reason (in case of dual or multiple boot configurations), then you need both ESP (for the UEFI-mode bootloader) and BIOS-BOOT partition (for the bios-mode bootloader). I think you have not to use grub for both cases, because perhaps this will be confused for the bootloader.

A non-system / non-bootable data HD doesn't need any boot partition.


Concerning your last questions:
1) See above in this post. GPT + Legacy boot --> bios-grub partition. This is because the "artifacts" used in the MBR-style schemes aren't valid for the GPT scheme.

2) What size for bios-boot? It seems that in most cases 1 MiB is enough (especially for grub). However there is not just grub bootloader in the IT world. Perhaps grub is very often used, nevertheless there are other bootloaders too, each of them with its own requirements. Experienced system programmers could make their own bootloaders too.

3) Perhaps it is similar to the GPT+legacy boot issue.

Given the variety of GParted user needs, it wouldn't be interesting to make partition scheme suggestions at the user interface. I think, the only "automatic" options are 1 MiB for the GPT, 1 MiB empty at the end of the disk space as suggested by the GPT specification too, and the MiB alignment option (because related to hardware compatibility). We understand that users would like an easy automatic tool for their needs, however this would imply simplifying options that are however needed by power users.

Suggesting new features is always welcome (there is a dedicated section in this forum), although as the GParted team is rather small priority is given to the maintenance of installed features, to the support to new hardware/o.s. My personal suggestion would be to read some articles in the Documentation page, in order to avoid automatic solutions that don't work when a parameter is changed.
smile

*** It is highly recommended to backup any important files before doing resize/move operations. ***

16

Re: Why we cannot create a BIOS boot partition?

class413 wrote:

I was waiting some link to the tutorial on the subject. Anyway, I'll try to write what I have in mind.

First, Gparted isn't an installer for operating systems or other/similar components. It is just the graphical front end of the partitioning software GNU parted. One of the most important features is the ability to modify (move, grow, shrink) partitions in various "disk labels", various file systems, operating systems and bootloaders too. Many users use it in ms windows or linux personal computers, however in many cases, system administrators and IT professionals need it for much more complicated system configurations.
Professionals don't like "automatic" decisions because they often need to use options that aren't used in personal systems.

Concerning the grub-boot and ESP (EFI system partition) issue, it is somehow confusing, because we are in a "transition" period from the legacy BIOS hardware to the newer UEFI hardware.

Legacy BIOS systems with MS-DOS type (MBR) HDs hold the grub code in several allocated or unallocated parts of the hard drive (MBR, sectors following the MBR), plus a /boot partition for the remaining code.

In BIOS-based computers with GPT system HDs, there is no unused space in the first MiB (I'm not sure on this), so a BIOS-GRUB partition is needed to hold the grub code. This is perhaps your case. GParted can handle this partition type (you have to create the partition and set the "bios-grub" flag).

UEFI systems using GPT disks need a ESP (EFI system partition) just after the GPT reserved MiB. The grub code is put there.

If you want to be able to boot in both BIOS-mode and UEFI-mode from the same hard drive for some reason (in case of dual or multiple boot configurations), then you need both ESP (for the UEFI-mode bootloader) and BIOS-BOOT partition (for the bios-mode bootloader). I think you have not to use grub for both cases, because perhaps this will be confused for the bootloader.

A non-system / non-bootable data HD doesn't need any boot partition.


Concerning your last questions:
1) See above in this post. GPT + Legacy boot --> bios-grub partition. This is because the "artifacts" used in the MBR-style schemes aren't valid for the GPT scheme.

2) What size for bios-boot? It seems that in most cases 1 MiB is enough (especially for grub). However there is not just grub bootloader in the IT world. Perhaps grub is very often used, nevertheless there are other bootloaders too, each of them with its own requirements. Experienced system programmers could make their own bootloaders too.

3) Perhaps it is similar to the GPT+legacy boot issue.

Given the variety of GParted user needs, it wouldn't be interesting to make partition scheme suggestions at the user interface. I think, the only "automatic" options are 1 MiB for the GPT, 1 MiB empty at the end of the disk space as suggested by the GPT specification too, and the MiB alignment option (because related to hardware compatibility). We understand that users would like an easy automatic tool for their needs, however this would imply simplifying options that are however needed by power users.

Suggesting new features is always welcome (there is a dedicated section in this forum), although as the GParted team is rather small priority is given to the maintenance of installed features, to the support to new hardware/o.s. My personal suggestion would be to read some articles in the Documentation page, in order to avoid automatic solutions that don't work when a parameter is changed.
smile

@class413
Thankyou, Sir!

Good day...