EFI$HELP.HLB  —  INITIALIZE
    Initializes the specified volume.

    Format

      INITIALIZE  device-name label-string

1  –  Parameter

 device-name

    Specification of the target EFI$CP device.

    Only FAT12 and FAT16 operations are supported by this version of
    EFI$CP, as are long file names. FAT32 is not supported.

    The FAT12 volume structure does not permit arbitrary capacities.
    Disks and partitions with fewer than 4085 clusters are always
    FAT12, and the selected capacity must match one of the predefined
    devices.

    For operations on disk devices or partitions with capacities
    within the FAT12 capacity range (1 to 8399 blocks, or from 1 to
    4084 clusters, inclusive), the disk capacity must match that of a
    recognized floppy device. Most commonly, this is either the 1.44
    megabyte (2880 blocks) or the 2.88 megabyte (5760 blocks) floppy
    disk, or an LD partition of a matching size, or a partition file
    of a matching size. FAT12 access and initialization is entirely
    table-based, per Microsoft Extensible Firmware Initiative FAT32
    File System Specification.

    For operations in the FAT16 range (of 8400 to 4194304 blocks,
    inclusive), arbitrary disk capacities are supported.

    FAT32 operations are not supported. Disks using FAT32, or equal
    or larger than 4194304 blocks cannot be accessed.

    Disks equal or larger than 2097152 blocks will often default
    to FAT32, though EFI$CP will force disks in this capacity range
    to FAT16 up to the FAT16 addressing limit of 4194304 blocks,
    inclusive.

    For additional related information, please see the EFI$_UNRECRX
    error.

 label-string

    Alphanumeric string of from one to eleven characters, inclusive.
    While permissible within the FAT specifications, EFI$CP does
    not presently accept spaces and special characters within this
    string.

    If the label parameter is specified as a null string, the default
    volume label NO NAME will be used; an unlabeled volume is not
    permitted.

2  –  Description

    Formats the contents of the target volume.

    This is the OpenVMS analog of the fdisk utility on various other
    platforms.

3  –  Qualifiers

3.1    /CONTIGUOUS

    Requests the target partition be created contiguously. When used
    to create SYS$EFI.SYS or SYS$DIAGNOSTICS.SYS or other similar
    partition directly, the partition file must be contiguous.

    Partition file volumes that will not be used for console-level
    bootstrap operations or files that will be copied to another
    volume (contiguously) before use for bootstrap need not be
    created contiguously.

    Must be specified only with /CREATE.

3.2    /CREATE

    Requests the creation of a partition file.

    Must be specified only with /DEVICE_ALIAS.

3.3    /DEVICE_ALIAS

       /DEVICE_ALIAS=alias
       /NODEVICE_ALIAS (default)

    This qualifier selects the device name alias to be used for
    references to a directly-accessed partition file; for direct
    access to a partition file. The specified string will be the
    device name for subsequent accesses.

    The permissible character set for this string is that of devices;
    the same symbol character set used for logical names. Like a
    logical name, there is no requirement to mimic the OpenVMS device
    name fields.

    The specified alias must include a trailing colon.

3.4    /LABEL

       /LABEL=(item[=keyword])

    Specifies a volume label string to be synthesized, or a volume
    label string to be obtained from an external source.

    HOST_      DENSE     Use the current OpenVMS host version string,
    VERSION              less any punctuation characters or spaces,
                         as the volume label, or as the suffix
                         portion of the volume label string. A
                         maximum of up to the first six characters of
                         the version string is used. Can be combined
                         with PREFIX_STRING, though the aggregate
                         label name string length limit remains 11
                         characters.
    HOST_      UNDERSCORESUse the current OpenVMS host version
    VERSION              string, replacing all punctuation with
                         underscores, as the volume label, or as
                         the suffix portion of the volume label
                         string. A maximum of up to the first eight
                         characters of the version string is used.
                         Can be combined with PREFIX_STRING, though
                         the aggregate label name string length limit
                         remains 11 characters.
    LOGICAL_   LNM       Translates the specified logial name or,
    NAME                 if no string is specified, translate the
                         logical name EFI$INIT_VOLUME_LABEL. Cannot
                         be combined with other items.
    PREFIX_    PFX       Use the specified string as the prefix for
    STRING               the volume label. A total of 11 characters
                         can be specified. Can be combined with HOST_
                         VERSION, though the aggregate label name
                         string length limit remains 11 characters.

3.5    /LOG

       /LOG (default)
       /NOLOG

    Displays status-related and informational messages resulting from
    the INITIALIZE request.

3.6    /OVERRIDE

       /OVERRIDE=keyword

    When used with the keyword GEOMETRY, this operation overrides
    the FAT12 disk volume geometry requirement check. So long as
    the FAT12 volume matches the FAT12 volume size requirements, the
    volume structures will be initialized using the designated FAT12
    geometry requirements values.

    The geometry reported by the target device will not be altered.

    To subsequently MOUNT the volume, see MOUNT/OVERRIDE=GEOMETRY.

3.7    /SIZE

       /SIZE=size

    Specifies the target volume size for a partition file creation.
    Must be specified with /CREATE.

    Within the range of volume capacities restricted to use of
    the FAT12 volume structure, the specified size must match the
    capacity of the recognized floppy devices. Typical floppy disk
    capacities are 720, 1440, 2400, 2880, and 5760 blocks, with the
    2880 block double-sided high density 3.5 inch floppy disk being
    the most common choice.

    To create a FAT16 volume, the specified size must be between
    8400 and 1048576 blocks (512 megabytes) for the default FAT16
    structures, though this tool does allow volumes to be FAT16 up to
    4194304 blocks (2 gigabytes); up to the theoretical limit of the
    FAT16 volume structure.

    Attempts to create volumes above 2 gigabytes in capacity are
    rejected; this is a hard upper-capacity limit within this tool.
    Volumes of 2 gigabytes through larger must utilize FAT32 volume
    structures, and this tool does not presently support the creation
    of nor any operation with FAT32 volume structures.

    Must be specified only with /CREATE.

3.8    /STRUCTURE

       /STRUCTURE=(header=keyword,partition=digit,volume=keyword)

    Determines the specifics of the structure.

    Qualifier Not Yet Implemented.

    HEADER     GPT       reserved for MBR-GPT header creation
    HEADER     MBR       Creates an MBR-format partition header
    HEADER     NONE      No partition header is created; the entire
                         volume is used.
    PARTITION  digit     Specifies a partition entry; a digit between
                         zero and four inclusive
    VOLUME     EFI       Creates an EFI-typed FAT volume
    VOLUME     FAT       Creates a natively-typed FAT volume
    VOLUME     DIAGNOSTIC reserved

 EFI$CP> INITIALIZE DVA0: "HELLO"
 EFI$CP> MOUNT DVA0: HELLO
 %EFI-I-SEEKMBR, searching for Master Boot Record
 %EFI-I-ONEPART, single-partition volume; no Master Boot Record partitioning
 %EFI-I-SEEKBPB, searching for BIOS Parameter Block
 %EFI-I-SEEKBPBOK, valid BIOS Parameter Block detected
 %EFI-I-MOUNTED, FAT volume HELLO has been mounted
 -EFI-I-NOPARTITION, the target volume is not partitioned
 %EFI-I-MOUNTED, FAT volume HELLO       has been mounted

 EFI$CP> INITIALIZE DVA0: ""
 EFI$CP> MOUNT DVA0:/OVERRIDE=ID
 %EFI-I-SEEKMBR, searching for Master Boot Record
 %EFI-I-ONEPART, single-partition volume; no Master Boot Record partitioning
 %EFI-I-SEEKBPB, searching for BIOS Parameter Block
 %EFI-I-SEEKBPBOK, valid BIOS Parameter Block detected
 %EFI-I-MOUNTED, FAT volume NO NAME     has been mounted
 -EFI-I-NOPARTITION, the target volume is not partitioned
Close Help