How to make APM disk which can be detected by Linux' GParted?

[Muammer Hamutçu]

You can use "-b start_offset" parameter in the gpart(8):

# gpart create -s apm ad0
# gpart add -t apple-boot -b 64 -s 800k ad0

WBR, Andrey V. Elsukov

Hello, 

-b start-offset parameter indeed manages to add free space, but having tried that it
 didn't help Linux' GParted detect the partitioning :(

I have a clue on how to achieve a partition structure which GParted can detect: http://d1302.hizliresim.com/16/f/k2fd8.jpg

This partitioning is correctly detected by Linux' GParted. It's a dual-boot of FreeBSD and Ubuntu; I've tried it myself.

The only problem is I cannot remember how I achieved this partitioning (sounds ironic, yes.)

What I can say from what I remember is:

The 25K free space before the 1st partition (of type apple-boot) was automatically added by some partitioning tool. The second 1MB free space before the 8th partition was done by me using the Ubuntu Install's manual partition tool. 

It should be the first free space that matters. That first 25K free space seems to have something which makes Linux GParted (and Ubuntu Install for the same matter) detect the partitioning correctly. 

How could I remake such a partitioning, how is it done? Thanks. 

> 
> The problem is, the apple-boot partitions
 must have some 
free space before them (25K~1M in size) in order to be detected by Ubuntu Install (or Linux GParted for the same matter)
> 
> 
>
 If there's no such space before apple boot blocks, Ubuntu Install 
cannot see the partitions thereby making the installation of Ubuntu 
impossible.
> 
> The question is how can I properly add such free space using FreeBSD gpart? Or using any other partitioning tool? 

I
 haven't tried this, but does it work if you create a small FreeBSD 
partition (with gpart), and then delete it after you have created the 
others?

HTH