Slicing up big disk section

Helen Payne helen@daisy.UUCP { Article also posted to comp.sys.hp} We have a HP827 running HP/UX 8.02, using Informix Online 4.0 and several 1.3Gb disks, with a default section 5 of approx 900Mb. A particular application would like to live on a 200Mb partition. Informix will allow me to configure database chunks specifying a raw disk device and an offset, so there shouldn't be a problem there. (X-posting to comp.databases.informix in case someone knows otherwise) I would like to configure a unix file system of roughly 200Mb on the first part of section 5, and a couple informix database chunks on the last part. I have tested this (in part) by using mkfs to make a "short" system at the start of section 5. 'df' reported a file system of the desired size. I spoke to HP support and they assure me that it is NOT possible to divide the section in two as the device driver gives you a 900Mb section, end of story. ie. "that's the way it works". I was unable to get a more technical explanation. When I asked if I could put a short file system at the start of the partition, and specify an offset to Informix to build a raw database using the rest of the partition, they said that this was also not possible. Is there anyone out there who has succeeded in such an exercise, or is able to tell me why it won't work?