[OpenIndiana-discuss] OI 151_a7 install on 4k sector disk

[Jim Klimov]

On 2013-01-26 19:38, Jim Klimov wrote:
> FWIW, I read that EFI/GPT labels have a compatibility mode to SMI/MBR
> tables, allowing to present (part of) the lower 2Tb as a legacy MBR,
> and this was specifically a mode to allow booting older Windows and
> such from newer huge disks.

Ok, I refreshed my google-fu: the EFI/GPT label includes a "protective"
legacy (MBR-style, code 0xEE) partition which starts at sector 2 and
covers the MIN(whole disk; 2Tb) and thus forbids MBR-only tools from
using and partitioning the disk. So it's not compatibility, but...

It is possible to create a "hybrid" partitioning table by defining some
up-to-three MBR and GPT partitions to use the same boundaries, and then
adding a protective MBR-style partition to cover the rest of the disk.
This is an unintended method, not standardized and prone to errors with
different OSes; still, it was automated with "gdisk". See more here:

http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/hybrid.html
http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/mbr2gpt.html

HTH,
//Jim Klimov