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Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -07001.\" Copyright 2011-2015 Roderick W. Smith (rodsmith@rodsbooks.com)
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -05002.\" May be distributed under the GNU General Public License
Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -07003.TH "SGDISK" "8" "1.0.1" "Roderick W. Smith" "GPT fdisk Manual"
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -05004.SH "NAME"
5sgdisk \- Command\-line GUID partition table (GPT) manipulator for Linux and Unix
6.SH "SYNOPSIS"
7.BI "sgdisk "
8[ options ]
9.I device
10
11.SH "DESCRIPTION"
12GPT fdisk is a text\-mode menu\-driven package for creation and manipulation of
13partition tables. It consists of two programs: the text\-mode interactive
14\fBgdisk\fR and the command\-line \fBsgdisk\fR. Either program will
15automatically convert an old\-style Master Boot Record (MBR) partition table
16or BSD disklabel stored without an MBR carrier partition to the newer Globally
17Unique Identifier (GUID) Partition Table (GPT) format, or will load a GUID
18partition table. This man page documents the command\-line \fBsgdisk\fR
19program.
20
21Some advanced data manipulation and
22recovery options require you to understand the distinctions between the
23main and backup data, as well as between the GPT headers and the partition
24tables. For information on MBR vs. GPT, as well as GPT terminology and
25structure, see the extended \fBgdisk\fR documentation at
26\fIhttp://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/\fR or consult Wikipedia.
27
28The \fBsgdisk\fR program employs a user interface that's based entirely on
29the command line, making it suitable for use in scripts or by experts who
30want to make one or two quick changes to a disk. (The program may query the
31user when certain errors are encountered, though.) The program's name is
32based on \fBsfdisk\fR, but the user options of the two programs are
33entirely different from one another.
34
35Ordinarily, \fBsgdisk\fR operates on disk device files, such as
36\fI/dev/sda\fR or \fI/dev/hda\fR under Linux, \fI/dev/disk0\fR under
37Mac OS X, or \fI/dev/ad0\fR or \fI/dev/da0\fR under FreeBSD. The program
38can also operate on disk image files, which can be either copies of whole
39disks (made with \fBdd\fR, for instance) or raw disk images used by
40emulators such as QEMU or VMWare. Note that only \fIraw\fR disk images
41are supported; \fBsgdisk\fR cannot work on compressed or other advanced
42disk image formats.
43
44The MBR partitioning system uses a combination of cylinder/head/sector
45(CHS) addressing and logical block addressing (LBA). The former is klunky
46and limiting. GPT drops CHS addressing and uses 64\-bit LBA mode
47exclusively. Thus, GPT data structures, and therefore
48\fBsgdisk\fR, do not need to deal with CHS geometries and all the problems
49they create.
50
51For best results, you should use an OS\-specific partition table
52program whenever possible. For example, you should make Mac OS X
53partitions with the Mac OS X Disk Utility program and Linux partitions
54with the Linux \fBgdisk\fR, \fBsgdisk\fR, or GNU Parted programs.
55
56Upon start, \fBsgdisk\fR attempts to identify the partition type in use on
57the disk. If it finds valid GPT data, \fBsgdisk\fR will use it. If
58\fBsgdisk\fR finds a valid MBR or BSD disklabel but no GPT data, it will
59attempt to convert the MBR or disklabel into GPT form. (BSD disklabels are
60likely to have unusable first and/or final partitions because they overlap
61with the GPT data structures, though.) GPT fdisk can identify, but not use
62data in, Apple Partition Map (APM) disks, which are used on 680x0\- and
srs569408bb0da2010-02-19 17:19:55 -050063PowerPC\-based Macintoshes. If you specify any option that results in
64changes to an MBR or BSD disklabel, \fBsgdisk\fR ignores those changes
65unless the \fI\-g\fR (\fI\-\-mbrtogpt\fR), \fI\-z\fR (\fI\-\-zap\fR), or
66\fI\-Z\fR (\fI\-\-zap\-all\fR) option is used. If you use the \fI\-g\fR
67option, \fBsgdisk\fR replaces the MBR or disklabel with a GPT. \fIThis
68action is potentially dangerous!\fR Your system may become unbootable, and
69partition type codes may become corrupted if the disk uses unrecognized
70type codes. Boot problems are particularly likely if you're multi\-booting
71with any GPT\-unaware OS.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -050072
73The MBR\-to\-GPT conversion will leave at least one gap in the partition
74numbering if the original MBR used logical partitions. These gaps are
75harmless, but you can eliminate them by using the \fI\-s\fR (\fI\-\-sort\fR)
76option, if you like. (Doing this may require you to update your
77\fI/etc/fstab\fR file.)
78
79When creating a fresh partition table, certain considerations may be in
80order:
81
82.TP
83.B *
84For data (non\-boot) disks, and for boot disks used on BIOS\-based computers
85with GRUB as the boot loader, partitions may be created in whatever order
86and in whatever sizes are desired.
87
88.TP
89.B *
90Boot disks for EFI\-based systems require an \fIEFI System
91Partition\fR (\fBsgdisk\fR internal code 0xEF00) formatted as FAT\-32.
srs5694a17fe692011-09-10 20:30:20 -040092The recommended size of this partition is between 100 and 300 MiB.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -050093Boot\-related files are stored here. (Note that GNU Parted identifies
94such partitions as having the "boot flag" set.)
95
96.TP
97.B *
98Some boot loaders for BIOS\-based systems make use of a \fIBIOS Boot
99Partition\fR (\fBsgdisk\fR internal code 0xEF02), in which the secondary
100boot loader is stored, possibly without the benefit of a filesystem. This
101partition can typically be quite small (roughly 32 to 200 KiB), but you
102should consult your boot loader documentation for details.
103
104.TP
105.B *
106If Windows is to boot from a GPT disk, a partition of type \fIMicrosoft
107Reserved\fR (\fBsgdisk\fR
108internal code 0x0C01) is recommended. This partition should be about 128 MiB
109in size. It ordinarily follows the EFI System Partition and immediately
110precedes the Windows data partitions. (Note that GNU Parted creates all
111FAT partitions as this type, which actually makes the partition unusable
112for normal file storage in both Windows and Mac OS X.)
113
114.TP
115.B *
116Some OSes' GPT utilities create some blank space (typically 128 MiB) after
117each partition. The intent is to enable future disk utilities to use this
118space. Such free space is not required of GPT disks, but creating it may
119help in future disk maintenance.
120
121.SH "OPTIONS"
122Some options take no arguments, others take one argument (typically a partition
123number), and others take compound arguments with colon delimitation. For
124instance, \fI\-n\fR (\fI\-\-new\fR) takes a partition number, a starting
125sector number, and an ending sector number, as in \fBsgdisk \-n 2:2000:50000
126/dev/sdc\fR, which creates a new partition, numbered 2, starting at sector
1272000 an ending at sector 50,000, on \fI/dev/sdc\fR.
128
129Unrelated options may be combined; however, some such combinations will be
130nonsense (such as deleting a partition and then changing its GUID type code).
131\fBsgdisk\fR interprets options in the order in which they're entered, so
132effects can vary depending on order. For instance, \fBsgdisk \-s \-d 2\fR
133sorts the partition table entries and then deletes partition 2 from the
134newly\-sorted list; but \fBsgdisk \-d 2 \-s\fR deletes the original partition
1352 and then sorts the modified partition table.
136
137Error checking and opportunities to correct mistakes in \fBsgdisk\fR are
138minimal. Although the program endeavors to keep the GPT data structures legal,
139it does not prompt for verification before performing its actions. Unless you
140require a command\-line\-driven program, you should use the interactive
141\fBgdisk\fR instead of \fBsgdisk\fR, since \fBgdisk\fR allows you to
142quit without saving your changes, should you make a mistake.
143
144Although \fBsgdisk\fR is based on the same partition\-manipulation code as
145\fBgdisk\fR, \fBsgdisk\fR implements fewer features than its interactive
146sibling. Options available in \fBsgdisk\fR are:
147
148.TP
149.B \-a, \-\-set\-alignment=value
150Set the sector alignment multiple. GPT fdisk aligns the start of partitions
Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -0700151to sectors that are multiples of this value, which defaults to 1MiB (2048
152on disks with 512-byte sectors) on freshly formatted disks. This alignment
153value is necessary to obtain optimum performance with Western Digital
154Advanced Format and similar drives with larger physical than logical sector
155sizes, with some types of RAID arrays, and with SSD devices.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500156
srs56949ddc14b2010-08-22 22:44:42 -0400157.TP
158.B \-A, \-\-attributes=list|[partnum:show|or|nand|xor|=|set|clear|toggle|get[:bitnum|hexbitmask]]
159View or set partition attributes. Use \fIlist\fR to see defined (known)
160attribute values. Omit the partition number (and even the device filename)
161when using this option. The others require a partition number. The
162\fIshow\fR and \fIget\fR options show the current attribute settings
163(all attributes or for a particular bit, respectively). The \fIor\fR,
srs56944307ef22012-05-30 12:30:48 -0400164\fInand\fR, \fIxor\fR, \fI=\fR, \fIset\fR, \fIclear\fR, and
srs56949ddc14b2010-08-22 22:44:42 -0400165\fItoggle\fR options enable you to change the attribute bit value. The
166\fIset\fR, \fIclear\fR, \fItoggle\fR, and \fIget\fR options work on a
167bit number; the others work on a hexadecimal bit mask. For example, type
168\fBsgdisk -A 4:set:2 /dev/sdc\fR to set the bit 2 attribute (legacy BIOS
169bootable) on partition 4 on \fI/dev/sdc\fR.
170
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500171.TP
172.B \-b, \-\-backup=file
173Save partition data to a backup file. You can back up your current
174in\-memory partition table to a disk file using this option. The resulting
175file is a binary file consisting of the protective MBR, the main GPT
176header, the backup GPT header, and one copy of the partition table, in that
177order. Note that the backup is of the current in\-memory data structures, so
178if you launch the program, make changes, and then use this option, the
179backup will reflect your changes. If the GPT data structures are damaged,
180the backup may not accurately reflect the damaged state; instead, they
181will reflect GPT fdisk's first\-pass interpretation of the GPT.
182
183.TP
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400184.B \-c, \-\-change\-name=partnum:name
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500185Change the GPT name of a partition. This name is encoded as a UTF\-16
srs5694699941e2011-03-21 21:33:57 -0400186string, but proper entry and display of anything beyond basic ASCII values
187requires suitable locale and font support. For the most part, Linux ignores
Roderick W. Smith946866e2014-03-02 13:33:44 -0500188the partition name, but it may be important in some OSes. If you want to
189set a name that includes a space, enclose it in quotation marks, as in
srs5694c54e9b42010-05-01 21:04:23 -0400190\fIsgdisk \-c 1:"Sample Name" /dev/sdb\fR. Note that the GPT name of a
191partition is distinct from the filesystem name, which is encoded in the
192filesystem's data structures.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500193
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400194.TP
195.B \-C, \-\-recompute-chs
196Recompute CHS values in protective or hybrid MBR. This option can sometimes
197help if a disk utility, OS, or BIOS doesn't like the CHS values used by the
198partitions in the protective or hybrid MBR. In particular, the GPT
199specification requires a CHS value of 0xFFFFFF for over-8GiB partitions,
200but this value is technically illegal by the usual standards. Some BIOSes
201hang if they encounter this value. This option will recompute a more normal
202CHS value -- 0xFEFFFF for over-8GiB partitions, enabling these BIOSes to
203boot.
204
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500205.TP
206.B \-d, \-\-delete=partnum
207Delete a partition. This action deletes the entry from the partition table
208but does not disturb the data within the sectors originally allocated to
209the partition on the disk. If a corresponding hybrid MBR partition exists,
210\fBgdisk\fR deletes it, as well, and expands any adjacent 0xEE (EFI GPT)
211MBR protective partition to fill the new free space.
212
213.TP
srs569455d92612010-03-07 22:16:07 -0500214.B \-D, \-\-display\-alignment
215Display current sector alignment value. Partitions will be created on multiples
216of the sector value reported by this option. You can change the alignment value
217with the \-a option.
218
219.TP
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500220.B e, \-\-move\-second\-header
221Move backup GPT data structures to the end of the disk. Use this option if
222you've added disks to a RAID array, thus creating a virtual disk with space
223that follows the backup GPT data structures. This command moves the backup
224GPT data structures to the end of the disk, where they belong.
225
226.TP
srs56949ddc14b2010-08-22 22:44:42 -0400227.B \-E, \-\-end\-of\-largest
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500228Displays the sector number of the end of the largest available block of
229sectors on the disk. A script may store this value and pass it back as
230part of \fI\-n\fR's option to create a partition. If no unallocated
231sectors are available, this function returns the value 0.
232
233.TP
234.B \-f, \-\-first\-in\-largest
235Displays the sector number of the start of the largest available block of
236sectors on the disk. A script may store this value and pass it back as
237part of \fI\-n\fR's option to create a partition. If no unallocated
srs5694ab4b0432010-09-25 20:39:52 -0400238sectors are available, this function returns the value 0. Note that this
239parameter is blind to partition alignment; when you actually create a
240partition, its start point might be changed from this value.
241
242.TP
243.B \-F, \-\-first\-aligned\-in\-largest
244Similar to \fI\-f\fR (\fI\-\-first\-in\-largest\fR), except returns the
245sector number with the current alignment correction applied. Use this
246function if you need to compute the actual partition start point rather
247than a theoretical start point or the actual start point if you set the
248alignment value to 1.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500249
250.TP
251.B \-g, \-\-mbrtogpt
srs56943c0af382010-01-15 19:19:18 -0500252Convert an MBR or BSD disklabel disk to a GPT disk. As a safety measure, use of
253this option is required on MBR or BSD disklabel disks if you intend to save your
254changes, in order to prevent accidentally damaging such disks.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500255
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400256.TP
257.B \-G, \-\-randomize\-guids
258Randomize the disk's GUID and all partitions' unique GUIDs (but not their
259partition type code GUIDs). This function may be used after cloning a disk
260in order to render all GUIDs once again unique.
261
srs569455d92612010-03-07 22:16:07 -0500262.TP
srs569408bb0da2010-02-19 17:19:55 -0500263.B \-h, \-\-hybrid
264Create a hybrid MBR. This option takes from one to three partition numbers,
265separated by colons, as arguments. The created hybrid MBR places an EFI GPT
266(type 0xEE) partition first in the table, followed by the partition(s) you
267specify. Their type codes are based on the GPT fdisk type codes divided by
2680x0100, which is usually correct for Windows partitions. If the
269active/bootable flag should be set, you must do so in another program, such
270as \fBfdisk\fR. The \fBgdisk\fR program offers additional hybrid MBR
271creation options.
272
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500273.TP
274.B \-i, \-\-info=partnum
275Show detailed partition information. The summary information produced by
276the \fI\-p\fR command necessarily omits many details, such as the partition's
277unique GUID and the translation of \fBsgdisk\fR's
278internal partition type code to a plain type name. The \fI\-i\fR option
279displays this information for a single partition.
280
281.TP
282.B \-l, \-\-load\-backup=file
283Load partition data from a backup file. This option is the reverse of the
284\fI\-b\fR option. Note that restoring partition data from anything
srs5694a17fe692011-09-10 20:30:20 -0400285but the original disk is not recommended. This option will work even if the
286disk's original partition table is bad; however, most other options on the
287same command line will be ignored.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500288
289.TP
290.B \-L, \-\-list\-types
srs569400b6d7a2011-06-26 22:40:06 -0400291Display a summary of partition types. GPT uses a GUID to identify partition
292types for particular OSes and purposes. For ease of data entry,
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500293\fBsgdisk\fR compresses these into two\-byte (four\-digit hexadecimal)
294values that are related to their equivalent MBR codes. Specifically, the
295MBR code is multiplied by hexadecimal 0x0100. For instance, the code for
srs569400b6d7a2011-06-26 22:40:06 -0400296Linux swap space in MBR is 0x82, and it's 0x8200 in \fBgdisk\fR. A
297one\-to\-one correspondence is impossible, though. Most notably, the codes
298for all varieties of FAT and NTFS partition correspond to a single GPT code
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500299(entered as 0x0700 in \fBsgdisk\fR). Some OSes use a single MBR code but
srs569400b6d7a2011-06-26 22:40:06 -0400300employ many more codes in GPT. For these, \fBsgdisk\fR adds code numbers
301sequentially, such as 0xa500 for a FreeBSD disklabel, 0xa501 for FreeBSD
302boot, 0xa502 for FreeBSD swap, and so on. Note that these two\-byte codes
303are unique to \fBgdisk\fR and \fBsgdisk\fR. This option does not require
304you to specify a valid disk device filename.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500305
srs569455d92612010-03-07 22:16:07 -0500306.TP
srs569408bb0da2010-02-19 17:19:55 -0500307.B \-m, \-\-gpttombr
308Convert disk from GPT to MBR form. This option takes from one to four
309partition numbers, separated by colons, as arguments. Their type codes are
310based on the GPT fdisk type codes divided by 0x0100. If the active/bootable
311flag should be set, you must do so in another program, such as \fBfdisk\fR.
312The \fBgdisk\fR program offers additional MBR conversion options. It is not
313possible to convert more than four partitions from GPT to MBR form or to
314convert partitions that start above the 2TiB mark or that are larger than
3152TiB.
316
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500317.TP
318.B \-n, \-\-new=partnum:start:end
srs56940873e9d2010-10-07 13:00:45 -0400319Create a new partition. You enter a partition number, starting sector, and
320an ending sector. Both start and end sectors can be specified in absolute
321terms as sector numbers or as positions measured in kibibytes (K),
322mebibytes (M), gibibytes (G), tebibytes (T), or pebibytes (P); for
323instance, \fI\fB40M\fR\fR specifies a position 40MiB from the start of the
324disk. You can specify locations relative to the start or end of the
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500325specified default range by preceding the number by a '+' or '\-' symbol, as
326in \fI\fB+2G\fR\fR to specify a point 2GiB after the default start sector,
327or \fI\fB\-200M\fR\fR to specify a point 200MiB before the last available
srs5694df9d3632011-01-08 18:33:24 -0500328sector. A start or end value of 0 specifies the default value, which is the
329start of the largest available block for the start sector and the end of
330the same block for the end sector. A partnum value of 0 causes the program
Roderick W. Smith946866e2014-03-02 13:33:44 -0500331to use the first available partition number. Subsequent uses of the
332\fI\-A\fR, \fI\-c\fR, \fI\-t\fR, and \fI\-u\fR options may also use
333\fI0\fR to refer to the same partition.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500334
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400335.TP
srs569461768bc2010-07-04 01:54:00 -0400336.B \-N, \-\-largest\-new=num
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400337Create a new partition that fills the largest available block of space on
Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -0700338the disk. You can use the \fI\-a\fR (\fI\-\-set\-alignment\fR) option to
srs5694df9d3632011-01-08 18:33:24 -0500339adjust the alignment, if desired. A num value of 0 causes the program to
340use the first available partition number.
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400341
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500342.TP
343.B \-o, \-\-clear
srs5694a17fe692011-09-10 20:30:20 -0400344Clear out all partition data. This includes GPT header data, all partition
345definitions, and the protective MBR. Note that this operation will, like
346most other operations, fail on a damaged disk. If you want to prepare a
347disk you know to be damaged for GPT use, you should first wipe it with -Z
348and then partition it normally. This option will work even if the
349disk's original partition table is bad; however, most other options on the
350same command line will be ignored.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500351
352.TP
Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -0700353.B \-O, \-\-print\-mbr
354Display basic \fIMBR\fR partition summary data. This includes partition
355numbers, starting and ending sector numbers, partition sizes, MBR partition
356types codes, and partition names. This option is useful mainly for
357diagnosing partition table problems, particularly on disks with hybrid
358MBRs.
359
360.TP
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500361.B \-p, \-\-print
Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -0700362Display basic GPT partition summary data. This includes partition numbers,
363starting and ending sector numbers, partition sizes, \fBsgdisk\fR's
364partition types codes, and partition names. For additional information, use
365the \fI\-i\fR (\fI\-\-info\fR) option.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500366
367.TP
368.B \-P, \-\-pretend
369Pretend to make specified changes. In\-memory GPT data structures are
370altered according to other parameters, but changes are not written
371to disk.
372
srs569455d92612010-03-07 22:16:07 -0500373.TP
srs569408bb0da2010-02-19 17:19:55 -0500374.B \-r, \-\-transpose
375Swap two partitions' entries in the partition table. One or both partitions
376may be empty, although swapping two empty partitions is pointless. For
377instance, if partitions 1\-4 are defined, transposing 1 and 5 results in a
378table with partitions numbered from 2\-5. Transposing partitions in this
379way has no effect on their disk space allocation; it only alters their
380order in the partition table.
381
srs56949ddc14b2010-08-22 22:44:42 -0400382.TP
383.B \-R, \-\-replicate=second_device_filename
384Replicate the main device's partition table on the specified second device.
385Note that the replicated partition table is an exact copy, including all
386GUIDs; if the device should have its own unique GUIDs, you should use the
387\-G option on the new disk.
388
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500389.TP
390.B \-s, \-\-sort
391Sort partition entries. GPT partition numbers need not match the order of
392partitions on the disk. If you want them to match, you can use this option.
393Note that some partitioning utilities sort partitions whenever they make
394changes. Such changes will be reflected in your device filenames, so you
395may need to edit \fI/etc/fstab\fR if you use this option.
396
397.TP
srs5694327129e2010-09-22 01:07:31 -0400398.B \-t, \-\-typecode=partnum:{hexcode|GUID}
399Change a single partition's type code. You enter the type code using either
400a two\-byte hexadecimal number, as described earlier, or a fully-specified
401GUID value, such as EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500402
403.TP
404.B \-T, \-\-transform\-bsd=partnum
405Transform BSD partitions into GPT partitions. This option works on BSD
406disklabels held within GPT (or converted MBR) partitions. Converted
407partitions' type codes are likely to need manual adjustment. \fBsgdisk\fR
408will attempt to convert BSD disklabels stored on the main disk when
409launched, but this conversion is likely to produce first and/or last
410partitions that are unusable. The many BSD variants means that the
411probability of \fBsgdisk\fR being unable to convert a BSD disklabel is
412high compared to the likelihood of problems with an MBR conversion.
413
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400414.TP
415.B \-u, \-\-partition-guid=partnum:guid
srs56948f1b2d62010-05-23 13:07:19 -0400416Set the partition unique GUID for an individual partition. The GUID may be
417a complete GUID or 'R' to set a random GUID.
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400418
419.TP
420.B \-U, \-\-disk-guid=guid
srs56948f1b2d62010-05-23 13:07:19 -0400421Set the GUID for the disk. The GUID may be a complete GUID or 'R' to set a
422random GUID.
srs56949ba54212010-05-18 23:24:02 -0400423
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500424.TP
425.B \-\-usage
426Print a brief summary of available options.
427
428.TP
429.B \-v, \-\-verify
430Verify disk. This option checks for a variety of problems, such as
431incorrect CRCs and mismatched main and backup data. This option does not
srs5694a17fe692011-09-10 20:30:20 -0400432automatically correct most problems, though; for that, you must use options
433on the recovery & transformation menu. If no problems are found, this
434command displays a summary of unallocated disk space. This option will work
435even if the disk's original partition table is bad; however, most other
436options on the same command line will be ignored.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500437
438.TP
439.B \-V, \-\-version
440Display program version information. This option may be used without
441specifying a device filename.
442
443.TP
444.B \-z, \-\-zap
srs569408bb0da2010-02-19 17:19:55 -0500445Zap (destroy) the GPT data structures and then exit. Use this option if you
446want to repartition a GPT disk using \fBfdisk\fR or some other GPT\-unaware
447program. This option destroys only the GPT data structures; it leaves the
448MBR intact. This makes it useful for wiping out GPT data structures after a
srs569455d92612010-03-07 22:16:07 -0500449disk has been repartitioned for MBR using a GPT\-unaware utility; however,
srs569408bb0da2010-02-19 17:19:55 -0500450there's a risk that it will damage boot loaders or even the start of the
451first or end of the last MBR partition. If you use it on a valid GPT disk,
452the MBR will be left with an inappropriate EFI GPT (0xEE) partition
453definition, which you can delete using another utility.
454
srs569455d92612010-03-07 22:16:07 -0500455.TP
srs569408bb0da2010-02-19 17:19:55 -0500456.B \-Z, \-\-zap\-all
457Zap (destroy) the GPT and MBR data structures and then exit. This option
458works much like \fI\-z\fR, but as it wipes the MBR as well as the GPT, it's
459more suitable if you want to repartition a disk after using this option,
460and completely unsuitable if you've already repartitioned the disk.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500461
462.TP
463.B \-?, \-\-help
464Print a summary of options.
465
466.SH "RETURN VALUES"
467\fBsgdisk\fR returns various values depending on its success or failure:
468
469.TP
470.B 0
471Normal program execution
472
473.TP
474.B 1
475Too few arguments
476
477.TP
srs56943c0af382010-01-15 19:19:18 -0500478.B 2
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500479An error occurred while reading the partition table
480
481.TP
482.B 3
Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -0700483Non\-GPT disk detected and no \fI\-g\fR option, but operation requires a
484write action
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500485
486.TP
487.B 4
488An error prevented saving changes
srs5694a17fe692011-09-10 20:30:20 -0400489
490.TP
srs5694a6297b82012-03-25 16:13:16 -0400491.B 5
492An error occurred while reading standard input (should never occur with
493sgdisk, but may with gdisk)
494
495.TP
srs5694a17fe692011-09-10 20:30:20 -0400496.B 8
497Disk replication operation (-R) failed
498
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500499.SH "BUGS"
Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -0700500Known bugs and limitations include:
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500501
502.TP
503.B *
504The program compiles correctly only on Linux, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X. Linux
505versions for x86\-64 (64\-bit), x86 (32\-bit), and PowerPC (32\-bit) have been
506tested, with the x86\-64 version having seen the most testing.
507
508.TP
509.B *
510The FreeBSD version of the program can't write changes to the partition
511table to a disk when existing partitions on that disk are mounted. (The
512same problem exists with many other FreeBSD utilities, such as
srs56947dbb9322010-01-20 16:56:30 -0500513\fBgpt\fR, \fBfdisk\fR, and \fBdd\fR.) This limitation can be overcome
514by typing \fBsysctl kern.geom.debugflags=16\fR at a shell prompt.
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500515
516.TP
517.B *
518The fields used to display the start and end sector numbers for partitions
519in the \fI\-p\fR option are 14 characters wide. This translates to a limitation
520of about 45 PiB. On larger disks, the displayed columns will go out of
521alignment.
522
523.TP
524.B *
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500525The program can load only up to 128 partitions (4 primary partitions and
526124 logical partitions) when converting from MBR format. This limit can
527be raised by changing the \fI#define MAX_MBR_PARTS\fR line in the
srs5694bf8950c2011-03-12 01:23:12 -0500528\fIbasicmbr.h\fR source code file and recompiling; however, such a change
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500529will require using a larger\-than\-normal partition table. (The limit
530of 128 partitions was chosen because that number equals the 128 partitions
531supported by the most common partition table size.)
532
533.TP
534.B *
535Converting from MBR format sometimes fails because of insufficient space at
536the start or (more commonly) the end of the disk. Resizing the partition
537table (using the 's' option in the experts' menu) can sometimes overcome
538this problem; however, in extreme cases it may be necessary to resize a
539partition using GNU Parted or a similar tool prior to conversion with
540\fBgdisk\fR.
541
542.TP
543.B *
544MBR conversions work only if the disk has correct LBA partition
545descriptors. These descriptors should be present on any disk over 8 GiB in
546size or on smaller disks partitioned with any but very ancient software.
547
548.TP
549.B *
550BSD disklabel support can create first and/or last partitions that overlap
551with the GPT data structures. This can sometimes be compensated by
552adjusting the partition table size, but in extreme cases the affected
553partition(s) may need to be deleted.
554
555.TP
556.B *
557Because of the highly variable nature of BSD disklabel structures,
558conversions from this form may be unreliable \-\- partitions may be dropped,
559converted in a way that creates overlaps with other partitions, or
560converted with incorrect start or end values. Use this feature with
561caution!
562
563.TP
564.B *
565Booting after converting an MBR or BSD disklabel disk is likely to be
566disrupted. Sometimes re\-installing a boot loader will fix the problem, but
567other times you may need to switch boot loaders. Except on EFI\-based
568platforms, Windows through at least Windows 7 RC doesn't support booting
569from GPT disks. Creating a hybrid MBR (using the 'h' option on the recovery &
570transformation menu) or abandoning GPT in favor of MBR may be your only
571options in this case.
572
srs5694a17fe692011-09-10 20:30:20 -0400573.PP
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500574
575.SH "AUTHORS"
576Primary author: Roderick W. Smith (rodsmith@rodsbooks.com)
577
578Contributors:
579
580* Yves Blusseau (1otnwmz02@sneakemail.com)
581
582* David Hubbard (david.c.hubbard@gmail.com)
583
srs569461768bc2010-07-04 01:54:00 -0400584* Justin Maggard (justin.maggard@netgear.com)
srs56948f1b2d62010-05-23 13:07:19 -0400585
Aurimas Liutikas74b74902016-05-10 18:53:54 -0700586* Dwight Schauer (dschauer@gmail.com)
srs5694659eaf12010-08-23 11:26:12 -0400587
srs569464cbd172011-03-01 22:03:54 -0500588* Florian Zumbiehl (florz@florz.de)
589
srs5694659eaf12010-08-23 11:26:12 -0400590
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500591.SH "SEE ALSO"
592\fBcfdisk (8)\fR,
srs5694a17fe692011-09-10 20:30:20 -0400593\fBcgdisk (8)\fR,
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500594\fBfdisk (8)\fR,
595\fBgdisk (8)\fR,
596\fBmkfs (8)\fR,
597\fBparted (8)\fR,
598\fBsfdisk (8)\fR
srs5694bf8950c2011-03-12 01:23:12 -0500599\fBfixparts (8)\fR
srs569473ba4792010-01-12 18:18:17 -0500600
601\fIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table\fR
602
603\fIhttp://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2006/tn2166.html\fR
604
605\fIhttp://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/\fR
606
607.SH "AVAILABILITY"
608The \fBsgdisk\fR command is part of the \fIGPT fdisk\fR package and is
609available from Rod Smith.