[NTLUG:Discuss] RE: Non destructive NTFS partitioning?

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Tue, 2004-12-07 at 13:20, Burton Strauss wrote:
> Parted doesn't and the ntfs driver is still not marked safe for read/write,
> but I guess a stand-alone program (when nothing else is running can). 
> Yup...
> http://mlf.linux.rulez.org/mlf/ezaz/ntfsresize.html

You don't need "write" access for moving/resizing NTFS.

Hit the "parent" page of that, the Linux-NTFS project:  
  http://linux-ntfs.sourceforge.net/info/  

I recommend _both_ Linux admins _and_ Windows admins (especially fellow
MCSA/MCSEs) _read_ that documentation.

The issues with "changing meta-data" (writing) consistently to NTFS
filesystems has to do with a legacy, "false security" approach to how
NTFS was designed.

Again, one of the things the LDM Disk Label ("dynamic disk" partition
table) attempts to mitigate this in NT5+ by storing SAM/SID information
in hidden sectors.  Eventually Linux-NTFS will reverse engineer full
support for reading those "hidden sectors" and allow "safe" writing to
NTFS filesystems -- just like NT5+ do.  Until then, "Captive" is another
approach for Linux.

But _none_ of that has to do with moving/resizing "blocks."  You are not
changing NTFS meta-data, just the blocks.  That is _very_safe_ with the
"ntfsresize" program.

-- 
Bryan J. Smith                                 b.j.smith at ieee.org 
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