mkfs.ext4: Device size reported to be zero.

[micgolee]

root@ubuntu:~# sudo time sync
0.00user 0.00system 0:00.01elapsed 10%CPU (0avgtext+0avgdata 2032maxresident)k
0inputs+0outputs (0major+70minor)pagefaults 0swaps
.

root@ubuntu:~# sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/nbd1
mke2fs 1.44.1 (24-Mar-2018)
mkfs.ext4: Device size reported to be zero. Invalid partition specified, or
partition table wasn't reread after running fdisk, due to
a modified partition being busy and in use. You may need to reboot
to re-read your partition table.

any idea what is wrong

[HankB]

TIL I get this error when trying to create a filesystem on an Extended Partition. It is necessary to create a Logical Partition within the Extended Partition and the EXT4 filesystem can be created there.

I have no idea if this relates in any way to the reported issue.

OS: RpiOS, 64 bit

root@mb1:/home/hbarta# dpkg -l e2fsprogs
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name           Version      Architecture Description
+++-==============-============-============-====================================
ii  e2fsprogs      1.47.0-2     arm64        ext2/ext3/ext4 file system utilities
root@mb1:/home/hbarta#