understanding partitioning

[Chris Jeffries]

>
>
> But files have more than just data - they have things like names, and
> modified
> dates and permissions. We therefore tend to use a filesystem on a
> drive.
>

But those files which have names, etc.. that all are also stored in the
form of '0' and '1' only?


> A filesystem basically sets out a standard for the way files are
> to be stored on a drive - how the filename is stored and linked to the
> file, and how the permissions work. Common filesystems in Windows are
> NTFS and FAT, and Linux tends to use ext3 or ext4. The actual mechanics
> of how they work isn't particularly important, but the reason that,
> say, Windows needs a different partition to Linux us because Windows
> assumes NTFS's way of storing permissions and other file data, and
> Linux assumes ext's. [0] You would, therefore, put Windows on an NTFS
> filesystem in one partition, and Ubuntu on an ext filesystem in another.
>

Okay, but one exciting this is that from Linux, we can see the Windows,
i.e. from ext 4 we can use NTFS systems but not vice-versa, is it like that?


> In contrast to Window's way of exposing hard drives with drive letters,
> Linux lets you 'mount' any drive at any directory. To 'mount' a drive
> is to make it available under a directory. If you had a big disk full
> of music, for example, you might wish to mount it under the directory
> 'music' in your home directory, then you just go into that directory to
> access the files on the disk.
>
> /dev/ is a directory in which devices are 'kept'. To mount a drive, you
> need to specify which device you want mounted (using its /dev address)
> and which directory you want it mounted on.
>

Devices means hard drive partitions or separate usb drives (external
device(s))? To mount a drive, we need device name (like.../dev...?) [device
means, partition name..?) to which we want to mount? And if we mount, we
mount in a directory (no other possibility) and thus make it accessible
such that by going to that directory, we can actually open and use it.., is
it like that?


> /dev isn't reserved for disk drives, though. Disk drives generally
> start /dev/sd nowadays.
>

Didn't understand this, you are saying /dev isn't reserved for disk drives
and then, now a days, starting from /dev/sd*...?


> /dev/sda is the first drive, /sdv/sdb the second and so on.
>
> The partitons are then themselves denoted by letters:
>
> /dev/sda1 is the first partition on the first drive, /dev/sda4 the
> fourth. You cannot actually *do* anything to the drives with these
> addresses - if you want to get at the files on them you need to
> instruct Linux to mount them first. Fortunately, it probably already
> has.
>

Didn't get this... Please a little bit explain. Thx. If you say, I can post
my output of any command (you tell me), if this way I can know!


> I'm not aware of a graphical way to investigate what's mounted on the
> computer, though I'm sure there is one, but you can get an idea if you
> open a terminal (ctrl+alt+t) and then enter this text and hit enter:
>
> mount
>
> You will see several virtual drives mounted (ones with lines that don't
> start '/dev/') but you should be able to pick out the ones that are
> real-life drives. The lines are of the form:
>
> /dev/sda6 on / type ext3 (rw,errors=remount-ro,commit=0)
>
> This is /dev/sda6 (that is, the sixth partition of the first drive)
> Mounted on / (that is, the 'root' directory, so it's where my operating
> system is)
> Of type ext3 (so the filesystem I'm using is ext3)
>
> The bits in the brackets are options for mounting, which are likely to
> be different, but are rather boring and irrelevant here anyway,
>
>
> > -LVM yet another thing, is related with what...? It is (also) a
> > partition or what....? It is sda...?
>
> LVM is rather more complicated, at least until you're happy with
> partitions and mounting and the like. Unless you've need to know and
> use it shortly, it would be beneficial to get quite comfortable with
> filesystems, partitions and the like before exploring LVM.
>

Correct, LVM, I am forgetting right now.


> We speak of mounting drive at directories, and you make the contents
> of the drive appear as the contents of the directory. Any previous
> contents of that directory still exist, but are inaccessible while the
> drive is mounted. <https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users>
>

Inaccessible while the drive is unmounted or mounted?

EXT drivers are available for Windows. I used them in the past. No
recognition of permissions etc.then but the data was readable and writable.
Thing.s may be even better now

http://www.soluvas.com/read-browse-explore-open-ext2-ext3-ext4-partition-filesystem-from-windows-7/

but there are others, google 'ext4 windows'
For example, read
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