System partition and boot partition: Difference between revisions

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{{Redirect-distinguish|Boot partition|BIOS boot partition}}

'''System partition''' and '''boot partition''' are computing terms for [[disk partition]]s of a [[hard disk drive]] that must exist and be properly configured for a system to operate correctly. There are two different definitions for these terms: One[[Microsoft]] thatdefinition developed(used fromby the simple firmware on PC's allowing Operating Systems to manage their own Boot Loader's ___location[[Windows]]) and one,the common indefinition servers,used forby Firmwareevery thatother managesoperating the ___location and selection of Boot Loader. The difference comes from the differing view that the partition is intended to hold a single Operating Systems "boot" code and that the "system" firmware controls the partition with the boot code.

==PCCommon definition==

In context of many PCevery operating systemssystem, save those developed by [[Microsoft Corporation]], system partition and boot partition are defined as follows:

*The ''boot partition'' is a [[primary partition]] that contains the [[boot loader]], a piece of software responsible for booting the OS. For example, in the standard [[Linux]] directory layout ([[Filesystem Hierarchy Standard]]), boot files (such as the [[Linux kernel|kernel]], [[initrd]], and boot loader [[GRUB]]) are mounted at <code>/boot/</code>.<ref>{{cite book|last=Petersen|first=Richard|title=Ubuntu The Complete Reference|year=2009|publisher=McGraw-Hill|___location=New York|isbn=0-07-164368-0|page=473|chapter=Chapter 21: Basic System Administration}}</ref> Despite Microsoft's radically different definition (see below), System Information, a utility app included in [[Windows NT]] family of operating systems refers to it as "boot device".<ref>{{cite book |last=Andrews |first=Jean |first2=James |last2=Chellis |title=A+ Guide to Software |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=9781285414980 |page=21 |edition=6th}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Donald |first=Lisa |title=MCSA / MCSE: Windows Server 2003 Environment Management and Maintenance Study Guide: Exam 70-290 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9780470327616 |pages=116–117 |edition=2nd |date=2008}}</ref>

*The ''system partition'' is the disk partition that contains the [[operating system]] folder, known as ''system root''. By default, in Linux, operating system files are mounted at <code>/</code> (the [[root directory]]).

In Linux, a single partition can be both a boot and a system partition if both <code>/boot/</code> and root directory are in the same partition.

==ServerMicrosoft definition==

In the context of Microsoft Windows, and Firmware with System Partition support such as EFI,defines the terms are defined as follows:

*The ''system partition'' is a primary partition that contains the boot loadersloader, a piece of software responsible for booting one or morethe OS'.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Mitch|last1=Tulloch|first2=Ingrid|last2=Tulloch|title=Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking|year=2002|publisher=[[Microsoft Press]]|___location=Redmond, WA|isbn=0-7356-1378-8|page=1087|edition=2nd}}</ref> This partition holds the [[boot sector]] and is marked active.<ref name=winternals5>{{cite book|last1=Russinovich|first1=Mark E|last2=Ionescu|first2=Alex|last3=Solomon|first3=David A|title=Windows Internals|year=2008|publisher=Microsoft Press|___location=Redmond, WA|isbn=0-7356-2530-1|edition=5th}}</ref>{{rp|970}}

*The ''boot partitionspartition'' areis the disk partition that contains the operating system folder, known as ''system root'' or <code>%systemroot%</code> in [[Windows NT]].<ref>{{cite book|first1=Mitch|last1=Tulloch|first2=Ingrid|last2=Tulloch|title=Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking|year=2002|publisher=[[Microsoft Press]]|___location=Redmond, WA|isbn=0-7356-1378-8|page=174|edition=2nd}}</ref>

A single partition may be both a system and a boot partition. In case they are separate, however, the boot partition does not contain the boot software and the system partition does not have the system root.<ref name=winternals5 />{{rp|971}}