installing to a wiped disk

[Steffen Grunewald]

On Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 05:17:33PM +0200, Steffen Grunewald wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 10:09:52AM -0500, John G Heim wrote:
> > 
> > >
> > >I am using "disklabel:gpt" to create a GPT style partition table. You
> > >can also use "disklabel:msdos" to make the old style partition table.
> > >This belongs on your "disk_config" line before you specify partitions,
> > >file systems, etc.
> > 
> > Oh, when I heard that, I thought it was a way to label a partition
> > -- which makes no sense since it is part of the disk configuration.
> > I should have made the connection because I've been going into
> > parted and entering a mklabel command to create a partition table.
> 
> It's all about the first sector of a direct-access medium.
> 
> Some older operating systems (including SunOS) used the term
> "disk label" synonymously for "partition table".
> There's also the term "master boot record" (MBR) but that already reflects
> its major function in a DOS/Windows setup (Suns used firmware for booting,
> nice Forth stuff :)).
> BTW, the MBR only consists of the first ~60% of the whole sector,
> so calling the whole one a "partition table" is also wrong B-)
> 
> >  You say label, I say table. Lets call the whole thing off.
> 
> In fact, it was (and perhaps still is) to forge a "sector 0" that can
> act both as a disklabel and a DOS partition table/MBR.

It was *possible*. No idea where that word jumped off for an early weekend.

- S