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Updated on 2024-03-26 GMT+08:00

What Are the Differences Between MBR and GPT Partition Styles?

Table 1 lists the common disk partition styles. In Linux, different partition styles require different partitioning tools.

Table 1 Disk partition styles

Disk Partition Style

Maximum Disk Capacity Supported

Maximum Number of Partitions Supported

Linux Partitioning Tool

Master Boot Record (MBR)

2 TiB

  • 4 primary partitions
  • 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition
With MBR, you can create several primary partitions and one extended partition. The extended partition must be divided into logical partitions before use. For example, if 6 partitions need to be created, you can create them in the following two ways:
  • 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition, with the extended partition divided into 3 logical partitions
  • 1 primary partition and 1 extended partition, with the extended partition divided into 5 logical partitions

You can use either of the following tools:

  • fdisk
  • parted

Guid Partition Table (GPT)

18 EiB

1 EiB = 1048576 TiB

Unlimited

Disk partitions created using GPT are not categorized.

parted

The maximum disk size supported by MBR is 2 TiB, and that supported by GPT is 18 EiB. Because an EVS data disk currently supports up to 32 TiB, use GPT if your disk size is larger than 2 TiB.

If you change the partition style after the disk has been used, the data on the disk will be cleared. Therefore, select an appropriate partition style when initializing the disk.