create partition from raw disk

gdisk.md

The issue you’re seeing is related to the limitations of the fdisk tool with the MBR (Master Boot Record) partition scheme, which can only handle partitions up to 2 TiB in size. However, your disk is 7.3 TiB, and to fully utilize it, you need to use the GPT (GUID Partition Table) scheme instead of MBR.

Here’s how to correctly create a GPT partition that supports your entire 7.3 TiB disk using gdisk, which is suitable for larger disks.

Steps to Partition and Format the Disk Using gdisk:

1. Install gdisk (if not already installed):

   sudo apt-get update
   sudo apt-get install gdisk

2. Run gdisk to Create a GPT Partition:

   sudo gdisk /dev/sdc

   You will see a prompt similar to this:

   GPT fdisk (gdisk) version 1.0.3
   Partition table scan:
     MBR: not present
     BSD: not present
     APM: not present
     GPT: not present
   
   Creating new GPT entries.
   Command (? for help):
   

3. Create the New Partition:

   • Press n to create a new partition.
   • Accept the default partition number (1).
   • Accept the default first sector (2048).
   • For the last sector, press Enter to use the default, which selects the entire disk.
   • Press w to write the changes and confirm with y.

4. Format the New Partition as ext4:

   sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdc1

5. Create a Mount Point:

   sudo mkdir -p /mnt/ethereum-node

6. Mount the Partition:

   sudo mount /dev/sdc1 /mnt/ethereum-node

7. Make the Mount Permanent (by editing /etc/fstab):

   • Get the UUID of the partition:

     sudo blkid /dev/sdc1

   • Edit the /etc/fstab file:

     sudo nano /etc/fstab

   • Add this line (replace <your-uuid> with the actual UUID from the blkid output):

     UUID=<your-uuid> /mnt/ethereum-node ext4 defaults 0 2
     

Summary

By using gdisk, you ensure that your partition table is created using the GPT scheme, which allows you to use the full 7.3 TiB capacity of your disk. The ext4 formatting step remains the same, and your disk will be ready for running your Ethereum archive node.