Disk-Space Allocation

The database server searches the chunk free-list pages in the dbspace for contiguous free space equal to the initial extent size for the table. When adequate space is found, the pages are allocated, and the associated chunk free-list page is updated.

If the database server cannot find adequate contiguous space anywhere in the dbspace, it allocates to the table the largest available amount of contiguous space. No error message is returned if an allocation is possible, even when the amount of space allocated is less than the requested amount. If the minimum extent size cannot be allocated, an error is returned. (Extents cannot span two chunks.)