What is sda1 used for?

I have two partitions: C: and D: (shown in Windows).

Then I installed Ubuntu and found out that /dev/sda represents a SCSI disk and a number after sda represents a partition.

Now, I assumed I have 2 partitions: /dev/sda and /dev/sda1 (one for C:, the other for D:), but this is not the case.

I have sda, sda1, sda2, sda3.

#fdisk -l

yields

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3b7e273f

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *        2048      206847      102400    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda2          206848   266242047   133017600    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sda3       266242048   976771071   355264512    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

which explains all sda's except sda1.

What's happening on sda1? What is it used for?

Tool

Posted 2012-07-23T07:51:45.333

Reputation: 137

"Then I installed Ubuntu and found out that /dev/sda represents a SCSI disk and a number after sda represents a partition." Umm, it doesn't seem like you found that out, since you say things like "I have sda, sda1, sda2, sda3. Totalling 4 partitions.". If you understand that /dev/sda is a disk, why are you counting it as a partition?! – David Schwartz – 2012-07-23T08:57:55.920

I think I answered my own question there. That's why I edited it. – Tool – 2012-07-23T09:00:14.297

What is sda1 used for?

Answers