Scenarios
- System disk
A system disk does not require manual initialization because it is automatically created and initialized upon server creation. The default disk partition style is master boot record (MBR).
- Data disk
- If a data disk is created along with a server, it will be automatically attached to the server.
- If a data disk is created separately, you need to manually attach it to a server.
In both cases, you must initialize the data disk before using it. Choose a proper disk partition style based on your service plan.
Constraints
A disk created from a data source does not need to be initialized. Such a disk contains the data of the data source in the beginning. Initializing the disk may clear the initial data on this disk.
Disk Partition Styles
Table 1 lists the common disk partition styles. In Linux, different disk partition styles require different partitioning tools.
Disk Partition Style |
Maximum Disk Capacity Supported |
Maximum Number of Partitions Supported |
Linux Partitioning Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
Master Boot Record (MBR) |
2 TB |
With MBR, one may create several primary partitions and an extended partition. An extended partition must be divided into several logical partitions before use. For example, if 6 partitions need to be created, you can create the partitions in the following two ways:
|
|
GUID Partition Table (GPT) |
18 EB 1 EB = 1048576 TB |
Unlimited Disk partitions created using GPT are not categorized. |
parted |
The maximum disk capacity supported by MBR is 2 TB, and that supported by GPT is 18 EB. Because a data disk currently supports up to 32 TB, use the GPT partition style if your disk capacity is larger than 2 TB.
If you change the disk partition style after the disk has been used, the data on the disk will be cleared. Therefore, select a proper disk partition style when initializing the disk.