util-linux v2.24 - fdisk(8)

This release is mostly about small incremental changes, a small exception is fdisk(8).

I have finished fdisk(8) refactoring, this task we started with Davidlohr Bueso and Petr Uzel two releases ago. The result is a code that is easy to extend and all disklabel specific code is no more maintained together as a ball of spaghetti.

The goal is to have one library (libfdisk) shared between all the fdisks (sfdisk, cfdisk, ...). Now it's used in fdisk only. I hope that one day we're going to have shared library with a public stable API.

 The most visible changes:

• fdisk dialogs and output unification, more verbose messages
• colors for warnings
• new (but backwardly compatible) menus
• all operations for all disklabels based on sectors by default
• man page clean up
• improved GPT disklabel support (rename partition, partition and disk UUID modification)
  
  The last missing thing is support for manual modification of hybrid GPT. This is planned for the next release v2.25.
  
  My laptop with GPT:

# fdisk -l /dev/sda

Disk /dev/sda: 149.1 GiB, 160041885696 bytes, 312581808 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 3549290F-417C-4941-8503-F7835109B821

Device           Start          End   Size Type
/dev/sda1         2048      2050047  1000M EFI System
/dev/sda2      2050048      6146047     2G Microsoft basic data
/dev/sda3      6146048     26462207   9.7G Linux swap
/dev/sda4     26462208     98142207  34.2G Microsoft basic data
/dev/sda5     98142208    230662143  63.2G Microsoft basic data
/dev/sda6    230662144    312580095  39.1G Microsoft basic data

• disklabel hex dump (command 'D')
  
  This is nice feature for advanced users. You don't have to fight with hexdump, search the right offsets etc. fdisk(8) will locate all relevant disklabel parts on the device and print all in hex format. (Don't forget that many things don't use static offsets -- for example GPT array with partitions, MBR extended partitions, etc).

For example (disk with two logical partitoins):

# echo -e 'x\nD\nq\n' | fdisk  /dev/sdb
 
Welcome to fdisk (util-linux 2.24.rc2-22-1d8c-dirty).
Changes will remain in memory only, until you decide to write them.
Be careful before using the write command.
 
Command (m for help): 
Expert command (m for help): 
MBR: offset = 0, size = 512 bytes. 
00000000  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
*
000001b0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  14 92 2b 9e 00 00 00 20
000001c0  21 00 83 df 13 0c 00 08  00 00 00 20 03 00 00 df
000001d0  14 0c 05 7c 30 4c 00 28  03 00 00 98 0f 00 00 00
000001e0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
000001f0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa
 
EBR: offset = 105906176, size = 512 bytes.
06500000  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
*
065001c0  34 0d 83 bf 26 19 00 08  00 00 00 20 03 00 00 bf
065001d0  27 19 05 9f 39 26 00 28  03 00 00 28 03 00 00 00
065001e0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
065001f0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa
 
EBR: offset = 211812352, size = 512 bytes.
0ca00000  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
*
0ca001b0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0
0ca001c0  08 19 83 9f 39 26 00 08  00 00 00 20 03 00 00 00
0ca001d0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
*
0ca001f0  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 55 aa