2.5.1 Example: Growing a partition into unused space

Suppose your disk layout looks like this:

(parted) print
Disk geometry for /dev/hda: 0.000-1000.000 megabytes
Disk label type: msdos
Minor    Start       End     Type      Filesystem  Flags
1          0.063    500.000  primary   ext2
2        500.000    625.000  primary   linux-swap

There is 375 Mb of free space at the end of the disk (after partition 2). Partition 1 has an ext2 file system, which is the root device. Partition 2 is a swap device.

Suppose you wanted to use the free space at the end of the disk for the file system on partition 1. You could do the following:

1. These steps will modify both the root file system on partition 1, and the swap device on partition 2. Therefore, you shouldn't be using either partitions. You should probably use a Parted boot disk. See section 1.6 Using a Parted Boot Disk. From the boot disk, run Parted:

   # parted /dev/hda
   

2. Remove partition 2 (the swap partition). Normally, you wouldn't want to delete a partition with data on it. However, a swap partition doesn't contain data when it isn't "swapped on" (mounted), so you can remove it, and create a replacement swap partition later.

   (parted) rm 2
   

3. Create the new swap partition at the end of the disk:

   (parted) mkpartfs primary linux-swap 875 999.9
   (parted) print
   Disk geometry for /dev/hda: 0.000-1000.000 megabytes
   Disk label type: msdos
   Minor    Start       End     Type      Filesystem  Flags
   1          0.063    500.000  primary   ext2
   2        875.000   1000.000  primary   linux-swap
   

4. Grow partition 1, into the adjacent free space:

   (parted) resize 1 0.063 874.9
   

   All done!

   (parted) print
   Disk geometry for /dev/hda: 0.000-1000.000 megabytes
   Disk label type: msdos
   Minor    Start       End     Type      Filesystem  Flags
   1          0.063    874.999  primary   ext2
   2        875.000   1000.000  primary   linux-swap
   

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