fstab/changing default system directories

[Ev0luti0n_]

Hello folks!

How do you configure your linux distro so it assumes that the system folders, user preferences, and installation files/folders, etc, are on another partition?

I have two partitions, i just wanted to keep one only for the SO which has 10gb, and the other which also has kubuntu 9.10 on her (so it's just point out the new path since it's a mirror of the actual install on the 10gb partition) for games, apps, resuming, all of my stuff?

Changing the home folder it's sorta easy, and you just have to mount it on fstab. Does it work out the same way with the other folders? if so, which folders should i mount so i don't f**k things up?

I appreciate any help, and thanks in advance for reading....

[lmilano]

Re: fstab/changing default system directories

Hi

I think this is more of a semantics point, but what folks would call "system files" is everything but the home directories.

In any case, I wouldn't mess around too much with things. What I would do in a situation like yours is to leave:

/ in the first partition
/home in the second partition

simple as that, then, if you want, you can create a /opt in the /home partition, something like

"sudo mkdir /home/opt"

Then, you make /opt in the root partition a symbolic link to /home/opt

"sudo ln -sf /home/opt /opt"

(please check the syntax before doing it)

This way your partitioning is very simple, and 10Gb should be more than enough for the system files. A lot of the heavy stuff can go in /opt. Say games, the ones you download (typical 500Gb or more games), can be unpacked in /opt and installed there.

You could do something similar with /tmp but I would be a little more careful with that folde, because it may be needed at boot time and perhaps needed before /home is mounted.

Of course the alternative is the traditional "one partition per directory". One for /usr, one for /var, etv

But this is really hard to get right, and it is very wasteful (it is hard to plan ahead how much space you need in each partition)

Hope this brainstorming helps !

[Ev0luti0n_]

Re: fstab/changing default system directories

thank you!

I had no clue this was possible with such a simple command. Although I solved things in another way, this method seems very simple to use and I shall try it in a near future.

[Snowhog]

Re: fstab/changing default system directories

Not knowing the level of experience or knowledge you have....

Pyschocats Ubuntu Linux Resources, if you don't know about it, is a site you need to bookmark. Visit it and read through what is there. You will find all sorts of useful information on setting up your HD for installation of *buntu.

[lmilano]

Re: fstab/changing default system directories

thank you!

I had no clue this was possible with such a simple command. Although I solved things in another way, this method seems very simple to use and I shall try it in a near future.

My pleasure. I just fixed a typo in my post. To check the syntax, you can type "[Alt][F2]" and then "man:ln" in the address bar. Yes, KDE/Linux is that powerful and beautiful

[oshunluvr]

Re: fstab/changing default system directories

Hello folks!

How do you configure your linux distro so it assumes that the system folders, user preferences, and installation files/folders, etc, are on another partition?

I have two partitions, i just wanted to keep one only for the SO which has 10gb, and the other which also has kubuntu 9.10 on her (so it's just point out the new path since it's a mirror of the actual install on the 10gb partition) for games, apps, resuming, all of my stuff?

Changing the home folder it's sorta easy, and you just have to mount it on fstab. Does it work out the same way with the other folders? if so, which folders should i mount so i don't f**k things up?

I appreciate any help, and thanks in advance for reading....

linux doesn't care if files are on a different partition or not - as long as things are mounted properly. I always recommend keeping /home and /tmp on separate partitions for file safety (in the case of /home) and to prevent accidentally filling up your / partition ( in the case of /tmp).

The answer to your question is "yes, it's sorta easy, and you just have to mount it on fstab."

If you want to "move" a directory to a new partition - it's easier to do it from a live cd so you can move all the files without issues.