Installation guide

26 .1 .4.1. Using Unpart it io ned Free Space
In this situation, the partitions already defined do not span the entire hard disk, leaving unallocated
space that is not part of any defined partition. Figure 26.8, “ D isk D rive with Unpartitioned Free
Space” , shows what this might look like.
Fig u re 26 .8. Disk Drive wit h Un p art it io n ed Free Sp ace
In Figure 26.8, “ Disk Drive with Unpartitioned Free Space” , 1 represents an undefined partition with
unallocated space and 2 represents a defined partition with allocated space.
If you think about it, an unused hard disk also falls into this category. The only difference is that all
the space is not part of any defined partition.
In any case, you can create the necessary partitions from the unused space. Unfortunately, this
scenario, although very simple, is not very likely (unless you have just purchased a new disk just for
Red Hat Enterprise Linux). Most pre-installed operating systems are configured to take up all
available space on a disk drive (refer to Section 26.1.4.3, “ Using Free Space from an Active
Partition” ).
Next, we will discuss a slightly more common situation.
26 .1 .4.2. Using Space fro m an Unuse d Part it io n
In this case, maybe you have one or more partitions that you do not use any longer. Perhaps you
have dabbled with another operating system in the past, and the partition(s) you dedicated to it never
seem to be used anymore. Figure 26.9, “ Disk Drive With an Unused Partition” , illustrates such a
situation.
Fig u re 26 .9 . Disk Drive Wit h an Un used Part it io n
In Figure 26.9, “ Disk Drive With an Unused Partition” , 1 represents an unused partition and 2
represents reallocating an unused partition for Linux.
If you find yourself in this situation, you can use the space allocated to the unused partition. You first
must delete the partition and then create the appropriate Linux partition(s) in its place. You can delete
the unused partition and manually create new partitions during the installation process.
⁠Chapt er 2 6 . An Int roduct ion t o Disk Part it ions
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