Linux on DOS logical drives?

[brasso]

I got interested in the "/ is full" thread and the discussion of construction of another partition to put /usr on. So, using PartitionMagic4 in Win98, I tried making an extra partition for myself.

My RH7 was installed on my hdb, with a /boot, /, and /swap partitions, ALL THREE were primary partitions. The rest of the 20G disk was an extended DOS FAT32 partition that I put my backup images on with DriveImage2.

I freed up space and tried making another primary partition, no go, I can only have 4 partitons. So I tried making freespace, then making a Linux logical partition INSIDE that DOS extended partition. Seemed to go OK.

Then I booted into RH7 and did a
fdisk /dev/hdb
a 'p' shows my new partition and calls it a Linux type. All seems hunky-dory?

I thought that the Linux partitions HAD TO all be put on a primary. I certainly didn't expect I could stick them inside a DOS extended partition. Could Linux exist on all logical partitions (except the /boot)? Could someone tell me the rules of constructing Linux partitions?
Earl

[eperch]

If you check your PM manual, you'll see that Linux will boot from either a Primary or Logical partition.
Is your 20G extended partition full ?
You've got PM, why are you using fdisk?
If there is room in the extended partition,
reduce it's size then resize the primary that has run out of space.

[Strike]

brasso - absolutely. That's how I first ran Linux, actually. I had two primary partitions - one for swap and one for the extended partition. Then the rest of my stuff (i.e. my entire filesystem) was in the logical partitions within the extended partitions.

[brasso]

Thanks guys, that's reassuring. I'm an OS packrat and value my precious primary partitions.

I was just using fdisk as a way to see if Linux could see my newly created partition.

As far as I can see, PartitionMagic4 cannot resize Linux partitions (without destroying the contents). Maybe later versions can?

My Linux partition didn't actually run out of space, hell I don't even don't how to install stuff yet! Or much want to, I'm too busy trying to learn how to be a system administrator for RH7. I do my computing in Win98, where I am now writing this. I'm not very PC, am I? Tough beans. Linux is just an interesting petri dish to me. Wish I worked in it - or Unix, though.
Earl

[Yeti]

Petrie dish ... watch out... this OS is addicting. Now ... you have to trust your work and try to do something with it .....
Good luck ... BY THE WAy though.... PM's new version touts that it can resize ANY partition.
I know System Commander can.