PGPart - Partition Manager for PGSD/FreeBSD/GhostBSD

A modern, graphical partition manager for PGSD, FreeBSD and GhostBSD, similar to GParted but designed specifically for BSD systems. Built with Go and the Fyne UI framework.

Requirements

System Requirements

• PGSD, FreeBSD 14.0 or later, or GhostBSD
• Root privileges (for partition operations)
• X11 or Wayland display server

Build Requirements

• Go 1.18 or later
• GCC or Clang (for Fyne CGO dependencies)
• Required system packages:

  pkg install go gcc git pkgconf mesa-libs libglvnd

Optional Packages (for extended filesystem support)

• e2fsprogs: For ext2/ext3/ext4 filesystem formatting

  pkg install e2fsprogs

• fusefs-ntfs: For NTFS filesystem formatting

  pkg install fusefs-ntfs

• smartmontools: For detailed disk information and SMART status monitoring

  pkg install smartmontools

Installation

From Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/pgsdf/pgpart.git
   cd pgpart

2. Install dependencies:

   go mod tidy

3. Build and install the application:

   sudo make install

Usage

Running the Application

GUI Mode (default):

For full functionality, run with root privileges:

sudo ./pgpart

Or if installed system-wide:

sudo pgpart

CLI Mode:

PGPart can also be used from the command line for scripting and automation:

sudo pgpart <command> [options]

Command-Line Interface

PGPart supports the following CLI commands:

List all disks and partitions

pgpart list

Displays a formatted table of all disks, their partitions, sizes, filesystems, and mount points.

Create a new partition

pgpart create <disk> <size> <fstype>

Examples:

pgpart create ada0 10G ufs      # Create 10GB UFS partition
pgpart create ada0 512M swap    # Create 512MB swap partition
pgpart create nvd0 20G ext4     # Create 20GB ext4 partition

Supported filesystems: ufs, fat32, ext2, ext3, ext4, ntfs

Delete a partition

pgpart delete [-f] <disk> <index>

Examples:

pgpart delete ada0 3         # Delete partition 3 (with confirmation)
pgpart delete -f ada0 3      # Force delete without confirmation

Warning: Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone!

Format a partition

pgpart format [-f] <partition> <fstype>

Examples:

pgpart format ada0p3 ext4       # Format partition 3 as ext4
pgpart format -f nvd0p2 ufs     # Force format without confirmation

Warning: Formatting destroys all data on the partition!

Resize a partition

pgpart resize <disk> <index> <size>

Examples:

pgpart resize ada0 2 20G      # Resize partition 2 to 20GB
pgpart resize ada0 1 512M     # Resize partition 1 to 512MB

Copy a partition

pgpart copy <source> <dest>

Example:

pgpart copy ada0p1 ada0p2     # Copy partition 1 to partition 2

Shows real-time progress during the copy operation.

Show detailed disk information

pgpart info <disk>

Example:

pgpart info ada0              # Show SMART status and disk details

Displays:

• Disk model and serial number
• Temperature and power-on hours
• SMART status and attributes
• Disk capabilities (TRIM support, SSD/HDD type)

Check partition alignment

pgpart align <disk|partition>

Examples:

pgpart align ada0             # Check all partitions on ada0
pgpart align ada0p1           # Check specific partition

Displays alignment status for each partition:

• Start offset in sectors and bytes
• Alignment type (4 KiB, 128 KiB, 1 MiB, 4 MiB, or misaligned)
• Performance recommendations
• Summary of aligned vs. misaligned partitions

Why Alignment Matters:

• Modern disks use 4K physical sectors (Advanced Format)
• SSDs have erase block sizes (128 KiB - 4 MiB)
• Misaligned partitions cause performance degradation
• 1 MiB alignment recommended for optimal performance

Manage GPT Attributes

GPT partitions support special attributes that control boot behavior and partition properties.

List current attributes:

pgpart attr-list <partition>

Set an attribute:

pgpart attr-set <partition> <attribute>

Unset an attribute:

pgpart attr-unset <partition> <attribute>

Available Attributes:

• bootme - Platform required/system partition (marks partition as bootable)
• bootonce - Boot from this partition once, then clear the flag
• bootfailed - Indicates partition failed to boot
• noblockio - Disable block I/O protocol for this partition

Examples:

pgpart attr-list ada0p1             # List all attributes for ada0p1
pgpart attr-set ada0p1 bootme       # Mark ada0p1 as bootable
pgpart attr-unset ada0p1 bootonce   # Remove bootonce flag

Important Notes:

• GPT attributes are only supported on GPT-partitioned disks
• MBR and BSD disklabel partitions do not support these attributes
• The bootme attribute is commonly used to mark EFI system partitions
• Setting bootonce is useful for testing new boot configurations

GUI Basic Operations

Viewing Disks and Partitions

1. Launch the application
2. Select a disk from the left panel
3. View partition layout and details in the right panel

Creating a New Partition Table

1. Select a disk
2. Click the "New Partition Table" button in the toolbar
3. Choose the partition scheme (GPT, MBR, or BSD)
4. Confirm the operation

Warning: This will destroy all existing data on the disk!

Creating a New Partition

1. Select a disk with an existing partition table
2. Click the "New Partition" button
3. Enter the size in MB
4. Select the partition type:
   • freebsd-ufs: FreeBSD UFS filesystem
   • freebsd-swap: Swap partition
   • freebsd-zfs: ZFS partition
   • ms-basic-data: FAT32/NTFS compatible
5. Click "Create"

Deleting a Partition

1. Select a disk
2. Click the "Delete Partition" button
3. Select the partition to delete
4. Confirm the operation

Resizing a Partition

Method 1: Visual Drag Handles

1. Select a disk with partitions
2. View the partition layout visualization
3. Drag the resize handles on the left or right edge of a partition
4. Release to see the resize confirmation dialog
5. Confirm to apply the resize operation

Method 2: Resize Dialog

1. Select a disk
2. Click the "Resize Partition" button in the toolbar
3. Select the partition to resize
4. Use the slider or enter the new size in MB
5. Review the preview showing current size, new size, and difference
6. Confirm the operation

Important Notes:

• The dialog shows minimum and maximum allowed sizes
• You cannot resize a partition to overlap with adjacent partitions
• Minimum size is 10 MB
• Maximum size extends to the next partition or end of disk
• Warning: Resizing may result in data loss. Always backup first!

Formatting a Partition

1. Select a disk
2. Click the "Format" button
3. Select the partition
4. Choose the filesystem type:
   • UFS (native FreeBSD filesystem)
   • FAT32 (compatible with Windows/Linux)
   • ext2/ext3/ext4 (Linux filesystems - requires e2fsprogs package)
   • NTFS (Windows filesystem - requires fusefs-ntfs package)
5. Confirm the operation

Important Notes:

• Warning: Formatting will destroy all data on the partition!
• ext2/ext3/ext4 formatting requires: pkg install e2fsprogs
• NTFS formatting requires: pkg install fusefs-ntfs
• If required packages are missing, you'll see an error message with installation instructions
• ZFS pools must be created using the zpool create command directly

Copying a Partition

1. Click the "Copy Partition" button in the toolbar
2. Select the source partition (partition to copy from)
3. Select the destination partition (where to copy to)
4. Review the warning - destination data will be overwritten
5. Confirm the operation
6. Monitor the progress bar during the copy operation

Important Notes:

• Destination partition must be equal or larger than source
• All data on the destination partition will be destroyed
• The operation may take several minutes depending on partition size
• Progress is shown with percentage and elapsed time
• Source partition remains unchanged (read-only operation)

Moving a Partition

1. Click the "Move Partition" button in the toolbar
2. Select the source partition (partition to move)
3. Select the destination partition (where to move to)
4. Review the warning - this will copy data and delete source
5. Confirm the operation
6. Monitor the progress during the move operation

Important Notes:

• Move = Copy + Delete source partition
• Destination must be equal or larger than source
• Source partition will be deleted after successful copy
• All data on destination will be destroyed
• Cannot be undone - ensure you have backups!
• Operation may take several minutes

Viewing Detailed Disk Information

1. Select a disk from the left panel
2. Click the "Disk Info" button in the toolbar
3. View comprehensive disk information in the tabbed dialog:
   • General: Model, serial number, firmware version, capacity, temperature, power-on hours
   • SMART Status: Overall health status with color-coded indicators (green=PASSED, red=FAILED, orange=UNKNOWN)
   • SMART Attributes: Detailed list of all SMART attributes with current values, worst values, thresholds, and status
   • Capabilities: Disk type (SSD/HDD), TRIM support, and other features

Important Notes:

• Requires smartmontools package: pkg install smartmontools
• Temperature warnings appear if disk temperature exceeds 60°C
• SMART data requires the disk to support SMART monitoring
• Some attributes may not be available on all disk models

Using Batch Operations

Batch operations allow you to queue multiple partition operations and execute them sequentially:

1. Click the "Batch Operations" button in the toolbar
2. Add operations to the queue using the operation buttons:
   • Add Format: Queue a partition format operation
   • Add Delete: Queue a partition deletion
   • Add Resize: Queue a partition resize operation
   • Add Copy: Queue a partition copy operation
3. Manage your queue:
   • Remove Selected: Remove an operation from the queue
   • Clear All: Remove all operations
   • Move Up/Down: Reorder operations in the queue
4. Configure execution options:
   • Stop on error: Check to halt execution if any operation fails
   • Uncheck to continue executing remaining operations after failures
5. Click Execute All to run all queued operations

Operation Status Indicators:

• ⏸ Pending - Operation queued but not started
• ▶ Running - Operation currently executing
• ✓ Completed - Operation finished successfully
• ✗ Failed - Operation failed with error

Important Notes:

• Operations execute in queue order (top to bottom)
• All operations are destructive and cannot be undone
• Review your queue carefully before executing
• Progress bar shows overall completion across all operations
• Failed operations show error details in the status
• You can reorder operations before execution to optimize efficiency

Best Practices:

• Group similar operations together (e.g., all deletions, then all formats)
• Delete operations should typically come before create operations
• Format operations should come after partition creation
• Always verify source/destination for copy operations
• Use "Stop on error" for critical sequences where order matters

Using Undo/Redo

PGPart tracks partition operations and allows you to undo reversible changes:

Reversible Operations:

• Create Partition - Can be undone by deleting the created partition
• Resize Partition - Can be undone by resizing back to original size

Non-Reversible Operations (data destructive):

• Delete Partition - Cannot restore deleted data
• Format Partition - Cannot restore previous filesystem or data
• Copy Partition - Cannot "uncopy" data
• Move Partition - Cannot restore (source was deleted)

How to Use:

1. Click the Undo button (◀) in the toolbar to reverse the last reversible operation
2. Click the Redo button (▶) to re-apply an undone operation
3. Confirm the undo/redo action in the dialog that appears

Important Limitations:

• Undo only reverses structural changes, not data
• Undoing a partition resize requires sufficient free space
• Operation history is lost when you close the application
• Some operations cannot be undone and are marked as such in history
• Always backup important data before performing partition operations

Refreshing the Disk List

Click the "Refresh" button in the toolbar to rescan all disks.

Architecture

The application is organized into the following packages:

• main: Application entry point and theme configuration with GUI/CLI mode selection
• internal/partition: Core partition detection and management
  • partition.go: Disk and partition detection using geom/gpart
  • operations.go: Partition operations (create, delete, format, resize)
  • copy.go: Partition copying and moving with progress tracking
  • diskinfo.go: Detailed disk information and SMART status retrieval
  • batch.go: Batch operation queue management and execution
  • history.go: Operation history tracking and undo/redo management
  • alignment.go: Partition alignment checking and optimization
  • attributes.go: GPT partition attribute management
• internal/ui: User interface components
  • mainwindow.go: Main application window and UI logic
  • partitionview.go: Interactive partition visualization with drag handles
  • resizedialog.go: Advanced resize dialog with slider and validation
  • copydialog.go: Copy and move partition dialogs with progress bars
  • diskinfodialog.go: Detailed disk information display with SMART data
  • batchdialog.go: Batch operations queue manager with execution controls
  • attributesdialog.go: GPT attribute editing dialog with checkboxes
• internal/cli: Command-line interface for scripting
  • cli.go: CLI command parser and handlers for all operations

BSD Tools Used

PGPart uses the following FreeBSD system utilities:

• geom: Disk geometry and information
• gpart: Partition table manipulation
• newfs: UFS filesystem creation
• newfs_msdos: FAT filesystem creation
• mount: Mount point detection
• file: Filesystem type detection
• fstyp: FreeBSD native filesystem detection
• diskinfo: Partition size information
• dd: Disk data copying (with progress monitoring)
• sha256: Partition data verification
• smartctl: SMART status monitoring and disk health assessment

Development

Project Structure

pgpart/
├── main.go                    # Application entry point (GUI/CLI mode)
├── theme.go                   # UI theme configuration
├── internal/
│   ├── partition/
│   │   ├── partition.go       # Disk detection
│   │   ├── operations.go      # Partition operations
│   │   ├── copy.go            # Partition copying and moving
│   │   ├── diskinfo.go        # SMART status and disk info
│   │   ├── batch.go           # Batch operation queue
│   │   ├── history.go         # Undo/redo history tracking
│   │   ├── alignment.go       # Partition alignment checking
│   │   └── attributes.go      # GPT attribute management
│   ├── ui/
│   │   ├── mainwindow.go      # Main UI
│   │   ├── partitionview.go   # Partition visualization
│   │   ├── resizedialog.go    # Resize dialog
│   │   ├── copydialog.go      # Copy/move dialogs
│   │   ├── diskinfodialog.go  # Disk information dialog
│   │   ├── batchdialog.go     # Batch operations manager
│   │   └── attributesdialog.go # GPT attributes editor
│   └── cli/
│       └── cli.go             # Command-line interface
├── go.mod                     # Go module definition
└── README.md                  # This file

Building for Development

go run .

Running Tests

go test ./...

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the BSD 2-Clause License.

Copyright (c) 2025, Pacific Grove Software Distribution Foundation Author: Vester (Vic) Thacker

See the LICENSE file for full license details.

Disclaimer

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! Partition operations can result in data loss if used incorrectly. Always backup important data before performing partition operations.

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please visit: https://github.com/pgsdf/pgpart