Conventions for Naming Disks and Partitions

GNU/Linux uses a logical method to name partitions. First, when numbering the partitions, it ignores the file system type of each partition you may have. Second, it names the partitions according to the disk on which they are located. This is how the disks are named:

The partitions are named after the disk on which they are found, in the following way (in our example, we have used the case of partitions on a primary master IDE disk):

So GNU/Linux will name the partitions as follows:

Figure 2.1. First Example of Partition Naming under GNU/Linux

First Example of Partition Naming under GNU/Linux

Figure 2.2. Second Example of Partition Naming under GNU/Linux

Second Example of Partition Naming under GNU/Linux

With this knowledge in hand, you should be able to name your various partitions and hard disks when you need to manipulate them. You will also see that GNU/Linux names the partitions even if it does not know how to manage them initially (it ignores the fact that they are not native GNU/Linux partitions).

Note

For current 2.4 kernels, Mandrake Linux uses the Linux DevFS (Device File System). It ensures full compatibility with the scheme described above, but this compatibility may disappear in the future. Each device is dynamically added to the system as soon as it becomes available or needed.

For example, the first IDE hard drive now becomes /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disc instead of /dev/hda.