Flash Ubuntu Server to a 5TB HDD for Raspberry Pi 5, then resize the root partition to 250GB within MBR partition table limits.

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Step 1: Flash Ubuntu Server Image onto the 5TB Drive

1. Download the official Ubuntu Server image for Raspberry Pi from the Ubuntu website.
2. Use Raspberry Pi Imager to write the image to your 5TB HDD:
   • Select the downloaded Ubuntu Server image.
   • Select your 5TB drive as the target.
   • Flash the image.
3. After flashing, the image creates two partitions by default:
   • sda1 — FAT32 boot partition (~512MB)
   • sda2 — ext4 root partition (~3.2GB)

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Step 2: Resize the Root Partition (/dev/sda2) to 250GB on the Host Linux System you imaged with

Note: Do not connect this to the Pi! These actions need to be performed on a linux PC where this is an external device.

Note: The 5TB disk uses an MBR (msdos) partition table, which limits partitions to a maximum of ~2TB. To avoid partition size errors, resize root to 250GB.

1. Check disk and partition layout:
   lsblk
2. Unmount partitions if mounted:
   sudo umount /dev/sda1 sudo umount /dev/sda2
3. Launch parted to modify partitions:
   sudo parted /dev/sda
4. Inside parted:
   • Delete existing root partition:bashCopyEditrm 2
   • Create a new root partition sized at 250GB:
     mkpart primary ext4 512MB 250GB
   • Verify partitions:arduinoCopyEditprint
   • Exit parted:nginxCopyEditquit
5. Format the new root partition as ext4:
   sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2
6. Run filesystem check on the new partition:
   sudo e2fsck -f /dev/sda2
7. Resize filesystem to fill the new partition size:
   sudo resize2fs /dev/sda2

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Step 3: Boot Raspberry Pi 5 with the Resized 5TB HDD

1. Connect the 5TB HDD to the Raspberry Pi 5.
2. Power on and boot from the drive.
3. On first boot, the system will use the 250GB root partition.
4. (Optional) Once booted, you can create additional partitions in the remaining space or consider migrating to GPT to use full disk size later.

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Step 4: Verify Partition and Filesystem Size on Pi

After boot, verify sizes with:

bashCopyEditlsblk
df -h /

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Notes

• MBR Limit: The MBR partition table restricts partition sizes; for disks over 2TB, GPT is preferred.
• Future Expansion: For full 5TB usage as a single partition, convert the disk to GPT and reinstall Ubuntu Server.
• Data Partitions: You can use remaining unallocated space for data partitions formatted separately.