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0001 <chapter id="reference">
0002         <title>Command Reference</title>
0003 
0004         <sect1 id="reference-overview">
0005                 <title>Overview</title>
0006                 <para>This chapter gives detailed explanations of all commands available in &partman;. It is intended as a reference to accompany the information given in <xref linkend="usermanual"/>.</para>
0007 
0008         <sect2 id="menu-file">
0009                 <title>The File Menu</title>
0010                 <para>
0011                         <variablelist>
0012                                 <varlistentry id="menu-file-quit">
0013                                         <term>
0014                                                 <menuchoice>
0015                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>Q</keycap></keycombo></shortcut>
0016                                                         <guimenu>File</guimenu>
0017                                                         <guimenuitem>Quit</guimenuitem>
0018                                                 </menuchoice>
0019                                         </term>
0020                                         <listitem>
0021                                                 <para>
0022                                                         <action>Quits &partman;</action> without applying any pending operations. The application will however ask you to confirm your choice to quit if there are pending operations.
0023                                                 </para>
0024                                         </listitem>
0025                                 </varlistentry>
0026                         </variablelist>
0027                 </para>
0028         </sect2>
0029 
0030         <sect2 id="menu-edit">
0031                 <title>The Edit Menu</title>
0032                 <para>
0033                         <variablelist>
0034                                 <varlistentry id="menu-edit-undo">
0035                                         <term>
0036                                                 <menuchoice>
0037                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>Z</keycap></keycombo></shortcut>
0038                                                         <guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
0039                                                         <guimenuitem>Undo</guimenuitem>
0040                                                 </menuchoice>
0041                                         </term>
0042                                         <listitem>
0043                                                 <para>
0044                                                         <action>Undoes the last operation</action> that has been added to the operation stack.
0045                                                 </para>
0046                                                 <para>
0047                                                         This command is only enabled if the list of operations is not empty.
0048                                                 </para>
0049                                         </listitem>
0050                                 </varlistentry>
0051                                 <varlistentry id="menu-edit-clear">
0052                                         <term>
0053                                                 <menuchoice>
0054                                                         <guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
0055                                                         <guimenuitem>Clear</guimenuitem>
0056                                                 </menuchoice>
0057                                         </term>
0058                                         <listitem>
0059                                                 <para>
0060                                                         <action>Clears the list of operations</action> without applying any of them.
0061                                                 </para>
0062                                                 <para>
0063                                                         This command is only enabled if the list of operations is not empty.
0064                                                 </para>
0065                                         </listitem>
0066                                 </varlistentry>
0067                                 <varlistentry id="menu-edit-apply">
0068                                         <term>
0069                                                 <menuchoice>
0070                                                         <guimenu>Edit</guimenu>
0071                                                         <guimenuitem>Apply</guimenuitem>
0072                                                 </menuchoice>
0073                                         </term>
0074                                         <listitem>
0075                                                 <para>
0076                                                         <action>Applies the list of operations</action>. This command will apply all operations in the list so that all changes are permanently written to your disks. After the operations have been applied, the list is cleared and there will be no way to undo any operation.
0077                                                 </para>
0078                                                 <para>
0079                                                         This command is only enabled if the list of operations is not empty.
0080                                                 </para>
0081                                         </listitem>
0082                                 </varlistentry>
0083                         </variablelist>
0084                 </para>
0085         </sect2>
0086 
0087         <sect2 id="menu-device">
0088                 <title>The Device Menu</title>
0089                 <para>
0090                         <variablelist>
0091                                 <varlistentry id="menu-device-selectcurrentdevice">
0092                                         <term>
0093                                                 <menuchoice>
0094                                                         <guimenu>Device</guimenu>
0095                                                         <guimenuitem>Select Current Device</guimenuitem>
0096                                                 </menuchoice>
0097                                         </term>
0098                                         <listitem>
0099                                                 <para>Allows you to select a device from a submenu with all available devices of the system.
0100                                                 </para>
0101                                         </listitem>
0102                                 </varlistentry>
0103                                 <varlistentry id="menu-tools-refresh">
0104                                         <term>
0105                                                 <menuchoice>
0106                                                         <shortcut><keycap>F5</keycap></shortcut>
0107                                                         <guimenu>Device</guimenu>
0108                                                         <guimenuitem>Refresh Devices</guimenuitem>
0109                                                 </menuchoice>
0110                                         </term>
0111                                         <listitem>
0112                                                 <para>
0113                                                         <action>Refreshes the devices</action>: This command forces &partman; to scan and read the devices on your computer again. This may for example be useful if you plugged in an external USB hard disk after you started &partman;.
0114                                                 </para>
0115                                         </listitem>
0116                                 </varlistentry>
0117                                 <varlistentry id="menu-device-createpartitiontable">
0118                                         <term>
0119                                                 <menuchoice>
0120                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;&Shift;<keycap>N</keycap></keycombo></shortcut>
0121                                                         <guimenu>Device</guimenu>
0122                                                         <guimenuitem>New Partition Table</guimenuitem>
0123                                                 </menuchoice>
0124                                         </term>
0125                                         <listitem>
0126                                                 <para>
0127                                                         <action>Creates a new partition table</action>: This command creates a new and empty GPT or MSDOS partition table on the currently selected device. This will delete all partitions on the device and all data on them, so you will want to be careful with this command.
0128                                                 </para>
0129                                                 <para>
0130                                                         This command is only enabled if a device is selected and no partition on this device
0131                                                         is currently mounted.
0132                                                 </para>
0133                                         </listitem>
0134                                 </varlistentry>
0135                                 <varlistentry id="menu-device-exportpartitiontable">
0136                                         <term>
0137                                                 <menuchoice>
0138                                                         <guimenu>Device</guimenu>
0139                                                         <guimenuitem>Export Partition Table</guimenuitem>
0140                                                 </menuchoice>
0141                                         </term>
0142                                         <listitem>
0143                                                 <para>Allows you to export a list of all partitions on the selected device into a file.
0144                                                 </para>
0145                                         </listitem>
0146                                 </varlistentry>
0147                                 <varlistentry id="menu-device-importpartitiontable">
0148                                         <term>
0149                                                 <menuchoice>
0150                                                         <guimenu>Device</guimenu>
0151                                                         <guimenuitem>Import Partition Table</guimenuitem>
0152                                                 </menuchoice>
0153                                         </term>
0154                                         <listitem>
0155                                                 <para>Allows you to import partition table from a previously exported file.</para>
0156                                                 <para>This will delete all partitions on the device and all data on them,
0157                                                 so you will want to be careful with this command.</para>
0158                                                 <para>This command is only enabled if a device is selected and no partition on this device is
0159                                                 currently mounted. Importing into logical devices such as LVM Volume Groups is currently not supported.</para>
0160                                         </listitem>
0161                                 </varlistentry>
0162                                 <varlistentry id="menu-device-smartstatus">
0163                                         <term>
0164                                                 <menuchoice>
0165                                                         <guimenu>Device</guimenu>
0166                                                         <guimenuitem>SMART Status</guimenuitem>
0167                                                 </menuchoice>
0168                                         </term>
0169                                         <listitem>
0170                                                 <para>Shows a SMART report. SMART is a monitoring system included in hard disk and solid-state drives
0171                                                 that detects and reports on various indicators of drive reliability, with the intent of enabling the
0172                                                 anticipation of hardware failures.</para>
0173                                         </listitem>
0174                                 </varlistentry>
0175                                 <varlistentry id="menu-device-properties">
0176                                         <term>
0177                                                 <menuchoice>
0178                                                         <guimenu>Device</guimenu>
0179                                                         <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>
0180                                                 </menuchoice>
0181                                         </term>
0182                                         <listitem>
0183                                                 <para>Shows information about currently selected devices. In this dialog you can find capacity, sector sizes,
0184                                                 partition table type as well as used and maximum number of primary partitions.</para>
0185                                         </listitem>
0186                                 </varlistentry>
0187                         </variablelist>
0188                 </para>
0189         </sect2>
0190 
0191         <sect2 id="menu-partition">
0192                 <title>The Partition Menu</title>
0193 
0194                 <para>
0195                         <variablelist>
0196                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-new">
0197                                         <term>
0198                                                 <menuchoice>
0199                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>N</keycap></keycombo></shortcut>
0200                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0201                                                         <guimenuitem>New</guimenuitem>
0202                                                 </menuchoice>
0203                                         </term>
0204                                         <listitem>
0205                                                 <para>
0206                                                         <action>Creates a new partition</action>: Opens the dialog to create a new partition where you will be able to set type, size, position and file system of the partition to create.
0207                                                 </para>
0208                                                 <para>
0209                                                         Please note that the partition table on a device may impose restrictions on how many partitions can be created. MS-DOS partition tables, for example, allow only four primary partitions.
0210                                                 </para>
0211                                                 <para>
0212                                                         This command is only enabled if an unallocated area on a device is selected.
0213                                                 </para>
0214                                         </listitem>
0215                                 </varlistentry>
0216                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-resize">
0217                                         <term>
0218                                                 <menuchoice>
0219                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>R</keycap></keycombo></shortcut>
0220                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0221                                                         <guimenuitem>Resize/Move</guimenuitem>
0222                                                 </menuchoice>
0223                                         </term>
0224                                         <listitem>
0225                                                 <para>
0226                                                         <action>Resizes or moves a partition</action>: Opens the dialog to resize or move an existing partition. Depending on the partition's file system and the external tools installed on your computer, not all three possible resize-related actions -- that is, moving the partition, making it smaller (<quote>shrinking</quote> it) or making it larger (<quote>growing</quote> it) -- may be available in this dialog. See <xref linkend="menu-tools-filesystemsupport"/>.
0227                                                 </para>
0228                                                 <para>
0229                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is selected that is not currently mounted and whose file system can be shrunk, grown or moved. For an extended partition, it is only enabled if none of the logicals in the extended partition are mounted.
0230                                                 </para>
0231                                         </listitem>
0232                                 </varlistentry>
0233                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-delete">
0234                                         <term>
0235                                                 <menuchoice>
0236                                                         <shortcut>&Del;</shortcut>
0237                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0238                                                         <guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem>
0239                                                 </menuchoice>
0240                                         </term>
0241                                         <listitem>
0242                                                 <para>
0243                                                         <action>Deletes a partition</action>: This command deletes the currently selected partition.
0244                                                 </para>
0245                                                 <para>
0246                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is selected that is not currently mounted. For an extended partition, it is only enabled if it does not contain any logical partitions.
0247                                                 </para>
0248                                                 <warning>
0249                                                         <title>Warning: Possible loss of data</title>
0250                                                         <para>Deleting a partition means that all data on the partition is destroyed.</para>
0251                                                 </warning>
0252                                         </listitem>
0253                                 </varlistentry>
0254                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-shred">
0255                                         <term>
0256                                                 <menuchoice>
0257                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;&Del;</keycombo></shortcut>
0258                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0259                                                         <guimenuitem>Shred</guimenuitem>
0260                                                 </menuchoice>
0261                                         </term>
0262                                         <listitem>
0263                                                 <para>
0264                                                         <action>Shreds a partition</action>: This command shreds the currently selected partition.
0265                                                 </para>
0266                                                 <para>
0267                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is selected that is not currently mounted. For an extended partition, it is only enabled if it does not contain any logical partitions.
0268                                                 </para>
0269                                                 <warning>
0270                                                         <title>Warning: Loss of data</title>
0271                                                         <para>Shredding a partition means that all data on the partition is destroyed.</para>
0272                                                 </warning>
0273                                         </listitem>
0274                                 </varlistentry>
0275                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-copy">
0276                                         <term>
0277                                                 <menuchoice>
0278                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>C</keycap></keycombo></shortcut>
0279                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0280                                                         <guimenuitem>Copy</guimenuitem>
0281                                                 </menuchoice>
0282                                         </term>
0283                                         <listitem>
0284                                                 <para>
0285                                                         <action>Copies a partition</action>: This command copies the currently selected partition to &partman;'s clipboard.
0286                                                 </para>
0287                                                 <para>
0288                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is selected that is not currently mounted and whose file system can be copied. Extended partitions can not be copied.
0289                                                 </para>
0290                                         </listitem>
0291                                 </varlistentry>
0292                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-paste">
0293                                         <term>
0294                                                 <menuchoice>
0295                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;<keycap>V</keycap></keycombo></shortcut>
0296                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0297                                                         <guimenuitem>Paste</guimenuitem>
0298                                                 </menuchoice>
0299                                         </term>
0300                                         <listitem>
0301                                                 <para>
0302                                                         <action>Paste a partition</action>: This command pastes the partition from &partman;'s clipboard to the currently selected partition or unallocated area.
0303                                                 </para>
0304                                                 <para>
0305                                                         When pasting to an unallocated area, a dialog will open allowing you to move or grow the inserted copy. When overwriting an existing partition this dialog will not be shown.
0306                                                 </para>
0307                                                 <para>
0308                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is currently in the clipboard and a valid target (either a partition or an unallocated area) is selected. The target must also be large enough to hold the source and can not be mounted. You can not copy a partition onto itself.
0309                                                 </para>
0310                                                 <warning>
0311                                                         <title>Warning: Possible loss of data</title>
0312                                                         <para>Pasting a partition on an existing one means that all data on the existing partition is destroyed and replaced with the data from the pasted partition.</para>
0313                                                 </warning>
0314                                         </listitem>
0315                                 </varlistentry>
0316                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-edit-mount">
0317                                         <term>
0318                                                 <menuchoice>
0319                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0320                                                         <guimenuitem>Edit Mount Point</guimenuitem>
0321                                                 </menuchoice>
0322                                         </term>
0323                                         <listitem>
0324                                                 <para>
0325                                                         <action>Opens a dialog</action> to edit the mount point and the mount options.
0326                                                 </para>
0327                                                 <para>
0328                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is unmounted.
0329                                                 </para>
0330                                         </listitem>
0331                                 </varlistentry>
0332                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-mount">
0333                                         <term>
0334                                                 <menuchoice>
0335                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0336                                                         <guimenuitem>Mount/Unmount</guimenuitem>
0337                                                 </menuchoice>
0338                                         </term>
0339                                         <listitem>
0340                                                 <para>
0341                                                         <action>Mounts or unmounts a partition</action>: This command mounts or unmounts the selected partition, depending on its current state.
0342                                                 </para>
0343                                                 <para>
0344                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is selected that can be mounted or unmounted. If the operating system does not know a mount point for the partition you can not mount it from &partman;.
0345                                                 </para>
0346                                         </listitem>
0347                                 </varlistentry>
0348                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-check">
0349                                         <term>
0350                                                 <menuchoice>
0351                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0352                                                         <guimenuitem>Check</guimenuitem>
0353                                                 </menuchoice>
0354                                         </term>
0355                                         <listitem>
0356                                                 <para>
0357                                                         <action>Checks a partition</action>: This command checks the selected partition and its file system for errors and tries to correct any problems it finds. During this process the file system on the partition will also be resized to fill the partition completely.
0358                                                 </para>
0359                                                 <para>
0360                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is selected that can be checked and is not currently mounted.
0361                                                 </para>
0362                                         </listitem>
0363                                 </varlistentry>
0364                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-backup">
0365                                         <term>
0366                                                 <menuchoice>
0367                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0368                                                         <guimenuitem>Backup</guimenuitem>
0369                                                 </menuchoice>
0370                                         </term>
0371                                         <listitem>
0372                                                 <para>
0373                                                         <action>Backs up a partition</action>: This command backs up the file system on the selected partition to a file. You will be asked where to store the image file after activating this command.
0374                                                 </para>
0375                                                 <para>
0376                                                         The created image file is a sector-for-sector copy of the file system on the partition. It is not compressed and does not have any additional meta information or header added to it, thus it can be directly mounted using a loop device outside of &partman; if the operating system supports that.
0377                                                 </para>
0378                                                 <para>
0379                                                         This command is only enabled if a partition is selected and the file system on it can be backed up. The partition must also not be mounted.
0380                                                 </para>
0381                                         </listitem>
0382                                 </varlistentry>
0383                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-restore">
0384                                         <term>
0385                                                 <menuchoice>
0386                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0387                                                         <guimenuitem>Restore</guimenuitem>
0388                                                 </menuchoice>
0389                                         </term>
0390                                         <listitem>
0391                                                 <para>
0392                                                         <action>Restores a partition</action>: This command restores a file system from an image file to a partition. You will be asked for the name of the image file to restore after activating this command. The target to restore to must be large enough for the image file.
0393                                                 </para>
0394                                                 <para>
0395                                                         The command is only enabled if either an unallocated area is selected or a partition that is not currently mounted.
0396                                                 </para>
0397                                                 <warning>
0398                                                         <title>Warning: Possible loss of data</title>
0399                                                         <para>Restoring a partition on an existing one means that all data on the existing partition is destroyed and replaced with the data from the restored image file.</para>
0400                                                 </warning>
0401                                         </listitem>
0402                                 </varlistentry>
0403                                 <varlistentry id="menu-partition-properties">
0404                                         <term>
0405                                                 <menuchoice>
0406                                                         <guimenu>Partition</guimenu>
0407                                                         <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>
0408                                                 </menuchoice>
0409                                         </term>
0410                                         <listitem>
0411                                                 <para>
0412                                                         <action>Shows a partition's properties</action>: This command shows a dialog with information about the currently selected partition or unallocated space.
0413                                                 </para>
0414                                                 <para>
0415                                                         What is displayed and what can be modified in this dialog depends on the type of partition, the type of the file system on the partition and on the partition being currently mounted or not.
0416                                                 </para>
0417                                                 <para>
0418                                                         Not all file systems, for example, support setting a label. It is also generally not possible to modify any properties if the partition is mounted.
0419                                                 </para>
0420                                                 <para>
0421                                                         This is a list of all partition and file system properties that can in general be modified in this dialog:
0422                                                         
0423                                                         <itemizedlist>
0424                                                                 <listitem>
0425                                                                         <para>Set or modify a file system's label</para>
0426                                                                 </listitem>
0427                                                                 <listitem>
0428                                                                         <para>Change the partition's file system.</para>
0429 
0430                                                                         <warning>
0431                                                                                 <title>Warning: Possible loss of data</title>
0432                                                                                 <para>Changing the file system for a partition always means that all data on the partition is destroyed.</para>
0433                                                                         </warning>
0434                                                                 </listitem>
0435                                                                 <listitem>
0436                                                                         <para>Recreate the file system on the partition</para>
0437 
0438                                                                         <warning>
0439                                                                                 <title>Warning: Possible loss of data</title>
0440                                                                                 
0441                                                                                 <para>Recreating a file system on a partition always means that all data on the partition is destroyed. Recreating a file system should only be used as a last resort if the file system on a partition cannot be repaired anymore.</para>
0442                                                                         </warning>
0443                                                                 </listitem>
0444                                                                 <listitem>
0445                                                                         <para>Change a partition's flags</para>
0446                                                                         <para>Depending on the type of partition table used, there will be several flags available for each partition on the partition table. In most cases, modifying the flags is not necessary and should be considered an advanced feature.</para>
0447                                                                 </listitem>
0448                                                         </itemizedlist>
0449                                                 </para>
0450                                                 <para>
0451                                                         The command is only enabled if either an unallocated area or a partition is selected.
0452                                                 </para>
0453                                         </listitem>
0454                                 </varlistentry>
0455                         </variablelist>
0456                 </para>
0457         </sect2>
0458 
0459         <sect2 id="menu-tools">
0460                 <title>The Tools Menu</title>
0461                 <para>
0462                         <variablelist>
0463                                 <varlistentry id="menu-tools-volumegroup">
0464                                         <term>
0465                                                 <menuchoice>
0466                                                         <shortcut><keycombo action="simul">&Ctrl;&Shift;<keycap>L</keycap></keycombo></shortcut>
0467                                                         <guimenu>Tools</guimenu>
0468                                                         <guimenuitem>New Volume Group</guimenuitem>
0469                                                 </menuchoice>
0470                                         </term>
0471                                         <listitem>
0472                                                 <para>Create a new logical device such as <link linkend="glossary-lvm">LVM</link> Volume Group.</para>
0473                                         </listitem>
0474                                 </varlistentry>
0475                                 <varlistentry id="menu-tools-filesystemsupport">
0476                                         <term>
0477                                                 <menuchoice>
0478                                                         <guimenu>Tools</guimenu>
0479                                                         <guimenuitem>File System Support</guimenuitem>
0480                                                 </menuchoice>
0481                                         </term>
0482                                         <listitem>
0483                                                 <para>
0484                                                         <action>Shows the file system support dialog.</action> This dialog shows in detail which operations can be performed for which of the supported file systems.
0485                                                 </para>
0486                                                 <para>
0487                                                         Here is an example how the dialog might look like with most external tools installed:
0488                                                 </para>
0489                                                 <para>
0490                                                         <screenshot>
0491                                                                 <mediaobject>
0492                                                                         <imageobject><imagedata fileref="filesystemsupport.png" format="PNG"/></imageobject>
0493                                                                         <textobject><phrase>File system support dialog with most external tools installed</phrase></textobject>
0494                                                                 </mediaobject>
0495                                                         </screenshot>
0496                                                 </para>
0497                                                 <para>
0498                                                         The blue check marks mean <quote>supported</quote>, the red crosses mean <quote>not supported</quote>. Some combinations are never supported, for example checking a linuxswap file system, because they are inherently impossible. Others cannot be supported because the external tools lack the functionality.
0499                                                 </para>
0500                                                 <para>
0501                                                         If you have installed new tools while &partman; is running click on <guibutton>Rescan Support</guibutton> to force a recheck of installed  file system support tools.
0502                                                 </para>
0503                                         </listitem>
0504                                 </varlistentry>
0505                         </variablelist>
0506                 </para>
0507         </sect2>
0508 
0509         <sect2 id="menu-settings-help">
0510                 <title>The Settings and Help Menu</title>
0511 
0512                 <para>
0513                 &partman; has the common &kde; <ulink url="help:/fundamentals/menus.html#menus-settings">Settings</ulink> and
0514                 <ulink url="help:/fundamentals/menus.html#menus-help">Help</ulink> menu described in
0515                 the &kde; Fundamentals with an additional submenu <guisubmenu>Panels Shown</guisubmenu>,
0516                 where you can toggle the display of the <guimenuitem>Devices</guimenuitem>,
0517                 <guimenuitem>Pending Operations</guimenuitem>, <guimenuitem>Information</guimenuitem>
0518                 and panels <guimenuitem>Log Output</guimenuitem> on and off.
0519                 </para>
0520         </sect2>
0521         </sect1>
0522 
0523 </chapter>