WARNING: Re-reading the partition table failed with error 16: Device or resource busy

WARNING: Re-reading the partition table failed with error 16: Device or resource busy

We will see this error from RHEL6 on words. This error is due to the partition table changes are not updated to kernel. When ever we change the partition table and try to save the table changes we get this error. Even you will get the following error as well


The kernel still uses the old table. The new table will be used at
the next reboot or after you run partprobe(8) or kpartx(8)
Syncing disks.

when you see this error and executing partprobe command can not do anything, in RHEL5 based partprobe is the command to update the partition table changes to kernel, but from 6 we have to use partx command to update the partition table changes to kernel. 

Use below command to update the partition table changes.

partx -a /dev/sda

This will update the partition table changes of /dev/sda hard disk to the kernel.

Try to run above command two times, because first time it will try to sync previous partition table changes.

Hope this helps some one.