HOW TO: Find the UUID for your partitions

[Patrick K]

Type "blkid" in a terminal. It returns the UUID for all partitions.

[jdong]

Also, vol_id -u /dev/real_name returns the UUID of any block device

(blkid fails on NTFS drives)

[Patrick K]

I tried your command and got this in return:

"error open volume"

Both with properly mounted partitions and unmounted volumes. Nothing was visibly running that would have these partitions open. Although I don't know that that should matter.

[Rui Pais]

I tried your command and got this in return:

"error open volume"

Both with properly mounted partitions and unmounted volumes. Nothing was visibly running that would have these partitions open. Although I don't know that that should matter.

with the vol_id you need administrative powers. Run it with sudo.

[Dirty Ole]

I was looking for this. :guitar:

[Patrick K]

With sudo I get "unknown vloume type".

[chakkaradeep]

With sudo I get "unknown vloume type".

I think you are doing some mistake, Here is my output,


chaks@chaks-laptop:~$ sudo vol_id /dev/sda4
ID_FS_USAGE=filesystem
ID_FS_TYPE=ext3
ID_FS_VERSION=1.0
ID_FS_UUID=961c6d4f-79c9-4edf-a774-d394c7384fa7
ID_FS_LABEL=
ID_FS_LABEL_SAFE=

[chakkaradeep]

Type "blkid" in a terminal. It returns the UUID for all partitions.

I think it does not return UUID for Windows Partition. To be more clear, here is the output,


chaks@chaks-laptop:~$ sudo blkid
/dev/sda1: TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda3: UUID="faff795a-7767-4e57-bc84-4ea62fd4c2f1" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda4: UUID="961c6d4f-79c9-4edf-a774-d394c7384fa7" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda5: TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda6: TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda7: UUID="f6ba4a42-67e2-4d68-acc5-a1424e1d5082" TYPE="swap"
/dev/sda8: UUID="b4456ccd-3ae9-44fd-9499-0a33fbae8683" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sdb1: SEC_TYPE="msdos" UUID="0000-0000" TYPE="vfat"
chaks@chaks-laptop:~$ sudo vol_id /dev/sda1
ID_FS_USAGE=filesystem
ID_FS_TYPE=ntfs
ID_FS_VERSION=3.1
ID_FS_UUID=46E435E7E435D9BF
ID_FS_LABEL=
ID_FS_LABEL_SAFE=


The vol_id does give UUID for /dev/sda1 than blkid

[Patrick K]

With vol_id I still just get pk@pk-desktop:~$ sudo vol_id /dev/sda5
/dev/sda5: unknown volume type


With blkid this is what I get
pk@pk-desktop:~$ blkid
/dev/sda1: LABEL="WIN98" UUID="0000-0E54" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda5: LABEL="ELF" UUID="0000-0E74" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda6: LABEL="FACTOID" UUID="0000-0E75" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda7: LABEL="GADZOOKS" UUID="0000-0E5F" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda8: UUID="e1484135-3eb4-4f17-b03c-5e1e0d88b480" TYPE="swap"
/dev/sdb1: LABEL="DIONYSUS" UUID="0000-0ED9" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb6: LABEL="JOVE" UUID="0000-0D8B" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb7: LABEL="FAVS" UUID="0000-0ED9" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb8: LABEL="FAVS2" UUID="0000-0D85" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb9: LABEL="MOVIES" UUID="0000-0D47" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda9: LABEL="HAM" UUID="4598-9D46" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda10: UUID="063da081-4ed5-4c75-a789-81de30b946bb" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda11: UUID="9f8d6e0b-f3b0-40e3-9e26-b3dcc3f84410" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sdb5: SEC_TYPE="msdos" LABEL="TEMP" UUID="0000-0DAA" TYPE="vfat"


Blkid shows vfat volumes on my system.

[mcduck]

One more way to do this is 'ls -la /dev/disk/by-uuid'
$ ls -la /dev/disk/by-uuid/
total 0
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 180 2007-04-21 11:01 .
drwxr-xr-x 6 root root 120 2007-04-21 11:01 ..
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-04-21 11:01 10f09c96-b5c3-4992-a1cb-d7d314cc3204 -> ../../sda1
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-04-21 11:01 365d417b-a50b-4df9-8249-f17f37a542aa -> ../../hda3
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-04-21 11:01 4533-DAA2 -> ../../sda2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-04-21 11:01 5eb2a44a-b765-4cd2-abe9-751ff3aa0046 -> ../../hda5
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-04-21 11:01 66280a28-42cb-4664-ad19-0a0753ebda3a -> ../../hda6
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-04-21 11:01 9877-489A -> ../../hda1
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-04-21 11:01 B043-DF50 -> ../../hda2

[chakkaradeep]

With vol_id I still just get

With blkid this is what I get
pk@pk-desktop:~$ blkid
/dev/sda1: LABEL="WIN98" UUID="0000-0E54" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda5: LABEL="ELF" UUID="0000-0E74" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda6: LABEL="FACTOID" UUID="0000-0E75" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda7: LABEL="GADZOOKS" UUID="0000-0E5F" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda8: UUID="e1484135-3eb4-4f17-b03c-5e1e0d88b480" TYPE="swap"
/dev/sdb1: LABEL="DIONYSUS" UUID="0000-0ED9" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb6: LABEL="JOVE" UUID="0000-0D8B" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb7: LABEL="FAVS" UUID="0000-0ED9" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb8: LABEL="FAVS2" UUID="0000-0D85" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdb9: LABEL="MOVIES" UUID="0000-0D47" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda9: LABEL="HAM" UUID="4598-9D46" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda10: UUID="063da081-4ed5-4c75-a789-81de30b946bb" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda11: UUID="9f8d6e0b-f3b0-40e3-9e26-b3dcc3f84410" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sdb5: SEC_TYPE="msdos" LABEL="TEMP" UUID="0000-0DAA" TYPE="vfat"


Blkid shows vfat volumes on my system.

Ofcourse vol_id is correct. Becoz, for your partition entries, /dev/sda5 should be the starting of the extended partition.

Can you please post the output of sudo fdisk -l

[Patrick K]

Sda5 is the E:\ drive in windows. It isn't the ext partition, sda2 is the ext partition.Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 610 4899793+ b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda2 611 19457 151388527+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 611 5325 37873206 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda6 5326 10040 37873206 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda7 10041 14749 37825011 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda8 19327 19457 1052226 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda9 14750 15532 6289416 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda10 15533 17559 16281846 83 Linux
/dev/sda11 17560 19326 14193396 83 Linux
I can't say if it shows ntfs since I don't have that file system.

[Rui Pais]

thats strange... i wonder if you get a wrong answer from vol_id because of the layout of your partition table.
Maybe the 1st logical partition being number 5 instead of number 3 (and no 3 nor 4 is available) had confused the tool.
In that case you would have found a bug...

whats the output of:
sudo vol_id -u /dev/sda1 or
sudo vol_id -u /dev/sdb1

[chakkaradeep]

/dev/sda2 611 19457 151388527+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 611 5325 37873206 b W95 FAT32
[/CODE]


Can the start position be same for two partitions ??

I think there is some problem at the start of extendable partition:confused: :confused:

[Patrick K]

pk@pk-desktop:~$ sudo vol_id -u /dev/sda1
/dev/sda1: unknown volume type
pk@pk-desktop:~$ sudo vol_id -u /dev/sdb1
/dev/sdb1: unknown volume type
I figured out where vol_id gets in info. From /dev/.udev/db/filename. I just looked and the two partitions that were mounted automatically during the upgrade to Feisty, have the UUID number in thrie files. The ones I mounted manually don't. Here is one that was mounted automaticallypk@pk-desktop:~$ sudo vol_id -u /dev/sdb5
0000-0DAAThis one has a UUID number in its db file.



Chak, I don't think there is any problem with a logical partition starting at the same location as the extended partition. It's that way on both hard drives on this machine and on the drive in my other machine.

[chakkaradeep]

I figured out where vol_id gets in info. From /dev/.udev/db/filename. I just looked and the two partitions that were mounted automatically during the upgrade to Feisty, have the UUID number in thrie files. The ones I mounted manually don't. Here is one that was mounted automaticallyThis one has a UUID number in its db file.


Oh..is that udev bug or vol_id bug of not getting updated with mounted partitions :)


Chak, I don't think there is any problem with a logical partition starting at the same location as the extended partition. It's that way on both hard drives on this machine and on the drive in my other machine.

Oh..if its working, no problem Patrick :)

[Rui Pais]

I figured out where vol_id gets in info. From /dev/.udev/db/filename. I just looked and the two partitions that were mounted automatically during the upgrade to Feisty, have the UUID number in thrie files. The ones I mounted manually don't. Here is one that was mounted automaticallyThis one has a UUID number in its db file.

Hi, you must have found a bug, or some config is broken in your box. vol_id should show the partition informations no matter if it's mounted or not mounted.

You should file a bug report.

[linuxguiri]

For some reason my fstab has identical UUIDs for two different partitions.

Both /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda5 both have the same UUID.

blkid returns this:

/dev/sda1: SEC_TYPE="msdos" LABEL="DellUtility" UUID="07D6-0A19" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda2: TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda4: LABEL="DellRestore" UUID="0000-0000" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda5: LABEL="MEDIADIRECT" UUID="07D6-0A19" TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sda6: UUID="edf1bb5c-d9be-4f2a-b969-9a92f592e6bc" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda7: UUID="a241564b-e465-424f-a4bf-74997cae5ef1" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"
/dev/sda8: TYPE="ntfs"
/dev/sda9: UUID="292d9827-7ed5-4d5e-99bd-6af09c234b27" TYPE="swap"
/dev/sda10: UUID="d09ffb9e-5fa4-4eee-986c-f1ad46cfe8da" SEC_TYPE="ext2" TYPE="ext3"


"sudo vol_id -u /dev/sda1" returns the same results.

Also, dev/sda4 doesn't have any UUID associated with it.

Is there another way of looking up UUIDs?

This is after a clean install of Feisty BTW.

[Patrick K]

I might do that. I found a ton of broken links (660 of 694 files) in this directory. I Googled vol_id but understandable info is sparse.