[Bug 936661] Re: parted should create Linux filesystem partitions with Linux-specific type code

[Roderick Smith]

** Attachment added: "A screen shot of Windows, showing how easy it is to trash a Linux installation."
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/936661/+attachment/2760334/+files/windows.png

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/936661

Title:
  parted should create Linux filesystem partitions with Linux-specific
  type code

Status in “parted” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Description of problem:

  When creating GPT partitions for Linux filesystems, libparted uses the
  Microsoft Basic Data partition type code GUID
  (EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7). This is fine as far as Linux
  is concerned, since Linux ignores partition type codes for the most
  part; but the result is that the Windows file manager shows Linux
  filesystem partitions as being unformatted but accessible disks.
  Attempting to access such partitions results in a prompt to format
  them. (See attached screen shot.) This behavior is potentially
  dangerous; a simple user error can easily result in trashing the Linux
  installation.

  Note that libparted creates partitions with appropriate Linux-specific
  type codes when creating swap, LVM, or Linux RAID partitions. It also
  creates Linux-specific type codes on MBR ("msdos") disks; it's ONLY
  Linux filesystems on GPT disks that are affected.

  I created a patch for this problem almost eight months (see below),
  but the libparted developers have been slow to add it to libparted. I
  recommend it be added as a bug fix in Ubuntu.

  This problem is likely to become increasingly important as UEFI-based
  systems become more common, since UEFI installations of Windows
  necessarily use GPT rather than MBR, which is more common on BIOS-
  based computers.

  Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):

  3.0 and earlier.

  How reproducible:

  Always

  Steps to Reproduce:
  1. Launch parted (or any other libparted-using tool, including the Ubuntu installer) on a GPT disk.
  2. Create a new partition with a Linux filesystem (ext#fs, ReiserFS, XFS, JFS, etc.).
    
  Actual results:

  The partition uses the Microsoft Basic Data type code.

  Expected results:

  The partition should use the Linux Filesystem Data type code
  (EBD0A0A2-B9E5-4433-87C0-68B6B72699C7)

  Additional info:

  I submitted a patch for this problem to the libparted developers in
  June of 2011, and they agreed to incorporate it into the mainstream
  libparted, but have yet to do so. The patch is available on the bug-
  parted mailing list or at http://www.rodsbooks.com/linux-fs-
  code/index.html.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
  Package: parted 2.3-6ubuntu3
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
  Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
  Architecture: amd64
  Date: Sun Feb 19 20:37:23 2012
  InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
  ProcEnviron:
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: parted
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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