Unallocated hard disk space between partitions

[magetomi]

When i created partitions manually or when mageia installer created them automatically, there is always some empty hard disk space betweent partitions (around 1-2 MB). To fix that, when i finished partitioning, before i accept changes i must resize every single partition to maximum then i can accept partition scheme and format them. This is annoying thing featuring in many GNU/Linux distros installers, not only in Mageia, but in Mageia i can fix this, on others distros not everytime. Why installer keep 1-2 MB of blank space between partitions. Its a "bug" or some reason to do it exist ? I know from Arch Wiki i should keep around 17 kb unallocated space at end of the disk if i use BIOS and MBR to be able to covert it to GPT in future. The image below illustrates this better.

[sturmvogel]

The beginning and end of a partition should nowadays be aligned to MiB (no matter which modern partitioning tool you are using).
There is plenty information about this topic available if you search for it. You should read the documentation of gparted for properly aligning your partition:
https://gparted.org/display-doc.php?nam ... -alignment
You didn't seem to properly setup gparted as you aligned to either nothing or cylinder:

gparted_6_big.png (35.91 KiB) Viewed 1645 times

I didn't see something like you showed on any of my Mageia machines which all used the internal diskdrake partitioner and the partitions were aligned to MiB as described in the official documentation https://doc.mageia.org/installer/8/en/content/diskPartitioning.html#doPartitionDisks. So if you use external tools like gparted you should know what you are doing...This is even mentioned on the Arch page you linked: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Parted#Alignment

[magetomi]

I have some virtual installations on my testing machine. I used partitioning tool from Mageia DVD installer. I used gparted only for partition preview after installation and as i said:

- If i finish manually or do automatically partitioning in Mageia Installer. After installation gparted show me there is unallocated space (1-2 MB) between every single partition.
- If i finish manually or do automatically partitioning in Mageia installer and before i accept changes i resize every single partition to maximum as possible, gparted after installation show there isnt unallocated space between partitions.

U can see this on image in my first post. I have installed Mageia only on virtual machines. Maybe on normal hardware the issue doesnt exist ?

[benmc]

Like sturmvogel, I have found, that, when using the drake partitioner, both with the older MBR, and now with GPT HDDs, partition alignment is very good. When using automatic and with manual partitioning, very rarely does a "inter-partition" space occur. sometimes "end of drive" space occurs.

How-ever, when using 3rd party and Mageia partitioning tools, invariably, those "inter-partition" spaces turn up. Likely, as suggested by sturmvogel, partition alignment by default is set to by sector in one and in the other to by MB(or MiB). this is where those" inter-partition" spaces arise.

I would recommend using just one the one Disk tool, always.

[magetomi]

I use Mageia disk partitioning tool only. Gparted is only for preview created partitions. I installed on virtual machine (BIOS+MBR). Maybe only on VM this problem occurs and to avoid blank space between partitions required is resizing every single partition to maximum once again before you accept changes in mageia partitioning tool - then after installation i dont see blank space in gparted (preview only). Debian do something similiar on VM and i do not remember i had blank space on real hardware. Maybe VM issue or maybe BIOS+MBR configuration issue ?

[doktor5000]

To fix that, when i finished partitioning, before i accept changes i must resize every single partition to maximum then i can accept partition scheme and format them.

Why must you resize this, and why do you assume this needs to be "fixed", there's nothing broken about this.

[magetomi]

Its nothing broken just aesthetics issue on my partition table.

[doktor5000]

You are aware that you are actively disturbing alignment of partitions for "aesthetics" ?

[magetomi]

Im not. Is something wrong if after creating partitions in mageia installer i resizing them in the installer to maximu (1-2 MB more for every partition) to avoid blank space between them ?

[doktor5000]

Yes, please read up on partition alignment as already mentioned by sturmvogel previously.
See e.g. https://www.thomas-krenn.com/en/wiki/Pa ... xplanation for some more visual explanation.