Partition table

The partition table records a block device's division into partitions.

The partition table traditionally used on PC BIOS platforms is the MBR. But see also UEFI.

Determining if having MBR or GPT

In order to determine if a harddisk has an MBR or a GPT, the following could do:

sudo parted /dev/sda print

Note: print (in parted) can be abbreviated with a simple p.

Linux:

`fdisk`	Well known, stable, recommended for the MBR-partition layout.
`parted`	One of the first Linux utitilities that supported GPT partitions.
`gdisk`	GPT enabled version of `fdisk` (?)
`cgdisk`
`cfdisk`	curses-based with user-friendly interface (for example: it displays free space more clearly). The man page of `cfdisk` states that `cfdisk` provides basic partitioning functionality and that `fdisk` should be used for advanced features.
`cgdisk`	GPT enabled version of `cfdisk` (?)
`sfdisk`
`sgdisk`	GPT enabled version of `sfdisk` (?)

On Windows, partitition tables can apparently be manipulated with diskpart.exe.