parted: problem with BR on /dev/hda3

[buchal]

  sorry, it is me again.
  I tried all your hints, but all without success:

  My problem was/is:
       I want to copy a FAT partition which is in /dev/hda1
       but all partition tools have a problem with /dev/hda3.
       --> parted refuses to do any operation with /dev/hda.
       ( my last mail with the complete description is at the end )
      [but: I work since 2 years without any problems on this partition.]

  Your hints were:

 1) # parted /dev/hda1 cp /dev/hde 2
    results in the following error
   
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   |Warning: Device /dev/hda1 is neither a SCSI nor IDE drive.
   |Ignore Cancel ? ignore
   |  cp MINOR [DEVICE] MINOR       copy filesystem to another partition
   |
   |        MINOR is the partition number used by Linux.  The primary partitions
   |        number from 1-4, and logical partitions are 5 onwards.
   |        DEVICE is usually /dev/hda or /dev/sda
   
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 2) using gpart
   a) gpart -E -c -W /dev/hda -l present_hda.log dev/hda
    gives me correctly:
    |------------------------------------------------------------
    |Primary partition(3)
    |   type: 131(0x83)(Linux ext2 filesystem)
    |   size: 960mb #s(1967616) s(2265984-4233599)
    |   chs:  (281/0/1)-(524/127/63)d (281/0/1)-(524/127/63)r
                           ^                       ^
    |------------------------------------------------------------
      (the above command should also install this correct guess at /dev/hda)
      
      but when I save afterwards the partition table again to file
      and run  "gpart -vdg file"
      I get again 523.  ( also with fdisk x p )

      I have still an old backup which I saved when I installed Lilo
      the first time. (/boot/boot.0300). 
      gpart -vdg /boot/boot.0300  gives me correctly 524.
      I also installed this MBR again using
         dd if=/boot/boot.0300 of=/dev/hda bs=446 count=1
      but fdisk x p gave again 523.

      History:
       I had originally lilo installed in /dev/hda and changed this a few
       month ago to /dev/hda3.
          (installing the original /boot/boot.0300 again)
  
    Is it possible that these missleading numbers are caused by 
    my lilo installation ?  

    I.e. additional bootrecord on first block in /dev/hda3.
    (This is recommended in the howtos.)

    It seems to me that exactly the one block which is missing on
      /dev/hda3 is the block, which is used as bootrecord.

    
????   Is there really no way to ignore /dev/hda3 when I only want to
       copy /dev/hda1 ??

    yours tobias
   

###########################################################################

  yours last answer:

The problem is: your partitions don't start at the beginning of
cylinder boundaries.  Parted can't manipulate partition tables like
this (yet).

However, if you want to copy a partition, you don't have to use
the partition table (!).

Eg: # parted /dev/hda1 cp /dev/hde 2
.......

###########################################################################

 To: address@hidden
 Subject: parted Error: Unable to align partition

  I get the following error message from parted
 
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |(bash) parted /dev/hda
 |Using /dev/hda
 |Warning: The operating system thinks the geometry on /dev/hda is 525/128/63.
 |You should check that this matches the BIOS geometry before using this 
program.
 |(parted) print
 |Warning: The partition table on /dev/hda is inconsistent.  There are many
 |reasons why this might be the case.  Often, the reason is that Linux detected
 |the BIOS geometry incorrectly.  However, this does not appear to be the case
 |here.
 |Ignore Cancel ? Ignore
 |Error: Unable to align partition.
 |(parted) cp 1 /dev/hde 2
 |Error: Unable to align partition.
 
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   I am using:
   -----------
      Debian 2.0 with ( libc 2.0.7, Kernel 2.033 )

      tried parted versions:
       from   parted_1.2.8  
       up to  parted_1.4.0_pre2 (the error message shown above is the one
                                 of version 1.4.0_pre2 )

         ./configure  --without-readline --disable-nls --disable-shared 
          I had to comment in libparted/device.c:233 ff
           [ BLKSSZGET is unknown to kernel 2.033 )
           
|----------------------------------------------------------------------
           |/*
           |if (_get_linux_version() < 0x203)    /* BLKSSZGET is broken < 2.3.x 
*/
           |
           |        return 512;
           |/*
           |if (ioctl (dev->fd, BLKSSZGET, &sector_size))
           |        return 512;
           |        */
           
|----------------------------------------------------------------------


    # fdisk /dev/hda
    : x
    : p
    : q

     results in:  (commented)
   |------------------------------------------------------------
   |Disk /dev/hda: 128 heads, 63 sectors, 525 cylinders
   |    
   |Nr AF  Hd Sec  Cyl  Hd Sec  Cyl   Start    Size ID
   | 1 00   1   1    0 127  63  267      63 2161089 06
                                            ^^^^^^^=(267+1)*63*128- 63
   | 2 00   0   1  268 127  63  280 2161152  104832 82
                                             ^^^^^^ = 128 *63*(280-268+1)
   | 3 80   0   1  281 127  63  523 2265984 1967616 83
           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ phys    ^^^^^^^ logical size
                                            128 *63*(524-281+2) =1967616
                                ^^^^WRONG = 128 *63*(523-281+1) =1959552
   |Partition 3 has different physical/logical endings:  
   |     phys=(523, 127, 63) logical=(524, 127, 63)      
   | 4 00   0   0    0   0   0    0       0       0 00
   |------------------------------------------------------------
 
    I attached the partition table
    (dd if=/dev/hda of=parttable bs=512 count=1)
    [ not this time ]


   a) The disk itself has 525 Cylinders (= Cylinder 0-524)
     --> it should be  possible to correct/resize the number this error
         in the partition table.
         (which space is really used by the OS ?
          if physical:  lower logical space
          if logical :  increase number of heads
???  is there a tool which allows savly to correct the 
     partition table while using this partition ?

   b) I only want to copy the first partition.
       So partition 3 should not be affected.
???    --> why can parted not ignore this error ?


   yours
   tobias