[parted-devel] "Error: Can't have a partition outside the disk!"

[Jim Meyering]

Richard W.M. Jones wrote:
> If you take a virtual disk and truncate it, then likely some
> partitions in the partition table will be off the end of the disk.
>
> However parted refuses to start up in this case.  It says:
>
>   Error: Can't have a partition outside the disk!
>
> even if you are trying to do something sensible such as deleting a
> partition which is outside the disk.
>
> I can't really see a "good" way to solve this, since it happens in the
> depths of the constraints/geometry code.  The attached patch just
> deletes the error check, on the basis that parted should confine
> itself to partition tables and not worry about the size of the disk.
> Discuss ...

Hi Rich,

What is your use case?  It seems rather unusual
to want to do something with existing partitions
once you have shrunk the underlying device.
IMHO, that is not enough of a reason to remove
the offending check altogether.

Are you using a GPT table?
If so, would it be enough to have an option
or separate tool that could adjust things
for the new disk size and add the backup header
at the end of the disk?