how many partitions on a HD ?

Hello,
I am having 10 partitions of various size and filesystem and it seems I can not create more...
Is it a "feature" or a limitation ? will it change in the future ?

@Lio

I recently setup a disk with 20 partitions. How are you trying to create the new partitions -- are you using only unused space on the HD, or are you shrinking existing partitions to split into multiple?

Scott Woodall

@Lio

There is a limit to the number of filesystems you can cram into the RDB of an HD, but you shouldn't be running into such a limit. There is no real limit to the number of partitions on an HD.

There is no limit at all. The data structures would allow as many partitions as there are cylinders on the drive and an unlimited number of file systems.

The only limitation is the space which is reserved for the RDB in the beginning of the drive. HDToolbox does not check this and happily overwrites the beginning of the first partition with RDB data. Probably MediaToolbox checks if there is enough space for storing all file systems and partitions and refuses to create another partition if there is no space left.

Bye,
Thomas

@ all :

my HD is 80Go with 4 filesystems on it (namely LNX, SWP, SFS and FFS2).

(empty space 0.500 Gb)
LNX 0.015 Gb
SWAP 1.000 Gb
SFS 0.700 Gb
(empty space 3.260 Gb)
FFS2 8.000 Gb
SFS 3.000 Gb
FFS2 15.000 Gb
SFS 8.000 Gb
SFS 0.300 Gb
SFS 15.000 Gb
(empty space 15.800 Gb) <- place where I want a partition
SFS 5.500 Gb

I can not create a partition where I showed, nothing happens.

Neverthless, I just tried the following : create a partition in the empty space at the beginning of the HD (the 0.500 Gb which was once my SYS: partition) and suddenly, like a miracle, I can create a partition where I showed (the last empty space of 15.800 Gb) !!!!!

So apparently it is the empty space at the beginning of the HD which is generating this behavior !!!!

@Lio

You are correct, and I can duplicate the same problem. I deleted the first partition and a partition at the end of a disk, and it would not let me add the end partition back when there was empty space at the low end. (MTB 52.2)

Scott Woodall