[Bug 1929087] Re: sfdisk refuses to write GPT table between sector 34 and 2047

[Launchpad Bug Tracker]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

** Changed in: util-linux (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Confirmed

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Foundations Bugs, which is subscribed to util-linux in Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1929087

Title:
  sfdisk refuses to write GPT table between sector 34 and 2047

Status in util-linux package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed

Bug description:
  According to https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB#BIOS_systems, it's
  both legal and interesting to place the BIOS BOOT partition from
  sector 34 to sector 2047, as follows:

  $ sudo sfdisk --no-act -f --label gpt /dev/sdb << EOF
  start=       34, size=2013,             name=bios,       type=$(sfdisk --label gpt -T | awk '{IGNORECASE = 1;} /bios boot/{print $1}')
  start=     2048, size=12582912,         name=swap,       type=$(sfdisk --label gpt -T | awk '{IGNORECASE = 1;} /linux swap/{print $1}')
  EOF

  The output is:

  /dev/sdb1: Sector 34 already used.
  Failed to add #1 partition: Numerical result out of range
  Leaving.

  It's a false error.  As a workaround, users must use parted or sgdisk
  instead.  (note fdisk & gdisk are also broken in the same way)

  This bug was uncovered in 2015 and perhaps never reported to a bug
  tracker because it's still broken.  See
  https://www.spinics.net/lists/util-linux-ng/msg11253.html

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/util-linux/+bug/1929087/+subscriptions