SATA 16-partition limit?

cwr · Veteran Joined: 17 Dec 2005 Posts: 1969

Does anyone know a way around the limit of 16 partitions on a SATA drive?
(Apart from writing another driver, that is ...) Unlike PATA, SATA uses the
SCSI block system and is therefore limited by SCSI's total of 16 partitions
per drive.

I'd add another drive, but this is a small desktop box with space for only a
hard drive and a CDROM. I suppose one answer would be to scrap the current
HD and hang a PATA HD on the CDROM's interface, but I'm not even sure
there's enough additional room for the cables.

Come to that, the SATA chip is an on-board Intel device; do all SATA drivers
go through the SCSI layer, or could I put in a PCI card with a different chip?

Thanks - Will

fangorn · Veteran Joined: 31 Jul 2004 Posts: 1886

Yes, /dev/sd? devices are limited to 15 partitions.

Moden PATA/Atapi drivers also map to /dev/sd? devices.

If you need more logical volumes you will have to use lvm2.
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A.S. Pushkin · Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 9:47 pm Post subject: SATA 16-partition limit?

You note that LVM2 should be used. I currently have only a single SATA drive, but have wanted to try EVMS. Would this satisfy the reqs as fangorn remarked on the SATA limit? Could I move to that with an existing hard drive and just one?

Thanks!
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