Computers with an Intel Itaniumprocessor use the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI)
between firmware, hardware,
and OS. EFI has a new type of disk
partitioning system, called the GUID (globally unique identifier) partition
table (GPT). Unlike Master Boot Record (MBR)
partitioned disks, data
critical to platform operation is located in
partitions instead of unpartitioned or hidden sectors.
GPT partitioned disks have redundant primary and
backup partition tables for improved partition data structure integrity.
Microsoft Support HowTo HOW TO: Use the Diskpart.efi Utility to Create a GUID Partition Table Partition on a Raw Disk in Windows.
Transitioning to the Intel Itanium Architecture (PDF) This paper reviews reasons to adopt Itanium microarchitecture, what the Itanium 2 processor provides, how to make the transition, and where the Intel Itanium-based solutions ecosystem can provide an advantage to the developer or end user.
