private boolean createPartitionedIndex(Formatter f) throws IOException {
    long start = System.currentTimeMillis();

    // create partitions based on TimePartitionCollections object
    for (CollectionManager dcm : tpc.makePartitions()) {
      tp.addPartition(dcm);
    }

    List<TimePartition.Partition> bad = new ArrayList<TimePartition.Partition>();
    for (TimePartition.Partition dc : tp.getPartitions()) {
      try {
        dc.makeGribCollection(f); // ensure collection has been read successfully
        if (trace) f.format(" Open partition %s%n", dc.getDcm().getCollectionName());
      } catch (Throwable t) {
        logger.error(" Failed to open partition " + dc.getName(), t);
        f.format(" FAIL on partition %s (remove) %n", dc.getDcm().getCollectionName());
        bad.add(dc); // LOOK may be a file leak ?
      }
    }

    // remove ones that failed
    for (TimePartition.Partition p : bad) tp.removePartition(p);

    // choose the "canonical" partition, aka prototype
    int n = tp.getPartitions().size();
    if (n == 0) {
      logger.error(" Nothing in this partition = " + tp.getName());
      f.format(" FAIL Partition empty collection = %s%n", tp.getName());
      return false;
    }
    int idx = tpc.getProtoIndex(n);
    TimePartition.Partition canon = tp.getPartitions().get(idx);
    f.format(" Using canonical partition %s%n", canon.getDcm().getCollectionName());

    // check consistency across vert and ens coords
    if (!checkPartitions(canon, f)) {
      logger.error(
          " Partition check failed, index not written on {} message = {}",
          tp.getName(),
          f.toString());
      f.format(" FAIL Partition check collection = %s%n", tp.getName());
      return false;
    }

    // make the time coordinates, place results into canon
    createPartitionedTimeCoordinates(canon, f);

    // ready to write the index file
    writeIndex(canon, f);

    // close open gc's
    tp.cleanup();

    long took = System.currentTimeMillis() - start;
    f.format(" CreatePartitionedIndex took %d msecs%n", took);
    return true;
  }