Partitions

[kubicle]

Re: Partitions

I posted a few links here: http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=3087334

As for recommendations, Ntfs doesn't natively support POSIX file permissions, so even if it was possible to install linux on ntfs, I'd not consider it a good idea. For a pure data partition it's an option if you wish to share the partition with a windows dual boot installation.

For a common desktop system, use swap for swap, and make an informed choice about native linux filesystems. Ext3 (the older ext2, although a tad faster lacks journaling which makes it vulnerable to corruption), ReiserFS, JFS and XFS are valid choices, but personally I'd recommend ext3 (or possibly reiserfs) for a new user. Because of the relative rarity of JFS and XFS, it may be harder to find support for these in case of problems.

There are also new filesystems on the horizon, like ext4 and reiser4, so one question to consider is how easy it would be to convert your existing filesystems once these can be called 'ready for production'.

[integr8e]

Re: Partitions

If I wanted to, how would I go about converting my existing ext3 to reiser4 or ext4? Could I resize my current partition with GParted, create a new reiser4 or ext4 partition and then transfer my data from the ext3 partition to the other?

[dibl]

Re: Partitions

I've been doing a little digging into the subject of Linux filesystems -- trying to get current. Here are a couple fairly informative links:

http://linux.wordpress.com/2006/09/2...it-default-fs/

http://linuxgazette.net/102/piszcz.html

http://linuxgazette.net/122/piszcz.html

I'm getting ready to configure some of my drives and partitions to XFS, and install the Gutsy RC on it, just to see how it goes.

[integr8e]

Re: Partitions

I've been reading about XFS (yes, I just now got around to reading the articles; I've been busy lately), and it sounds like good stuff. How's Gutsy running on your XFS partition?

[ponygirldefiance]

Re: Partitions

back in the first part of this partition discussion a few of you mentioned an extended fifth partition. can someone explain to me how this is done? thanks

[Snowhog]

Re: Partitions

That link is here. The short answer is that you do it in the pre-planning stages of getting ready to set up your Linux system, not after you already have one configured and installed.

[ponygirldefiance]

Re: Partitions

Thanks yes i figured as much. i missed that answer when i read through it earlier. i have 4 machines right now i am working on. so i am taking a lot of notes and learning as much as i can so i don't get hung up on the other ones as i run into glitches and other things. thanks

[Colonel Amon Goeth]

Re: Partitions

One thing the Gentoo community has done is to provide a lot of useful documentation. This was required since it is built and compiled by the user almost from the ground up. Here's what they say about partitions. I strongly recommend you have a read of this http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handboo...?part=1&chap=4

I would recommend these partitions
swap
/boot
/home
/

Plus maybe these
/var
/usr

Swap is required for virtual memory. A /boot partition keeps your kernels and boot loader. /var is is where your log files are stored so by keeping a separate partition it prevents cancerous log files from filling up your disk. /usr is for non system programs so it can be reformatted and replaced and your system should still run.
Swap partition shouldn't need to be any more than 1GB. You can get away with a lot less if you are really short on disk space. You can add swap space on the fly anyway. You probably don't even need 1GB for your /var partition unless you run a mail server. /boot partition only needs a couple hundred megabytes but make it 1 or 2 Gig in case you want to experiment with several different kernels. 10GB for /usr, 10GB for / and the rest for /home

[Qqmike]

Re: Partitions

“back in the first part of this partition discussion a few of you mentioned an extended fifth partition. can someone explain to me how this is done? Thanks”

Yes, as Snowhog pointed out, that’s been pointed out in your previous thread.


fyi, Logistically, when you are in GParted live CD, you would first create 3 primary partitions, leaving the rest of the disk as unallocated space. Click on the unallocated space, then Partition > New, and in the dialogue box, select Extended under type, format ext3 (or whatever you wish to use), and make it as big as possible—out to the “end” of that drive. Click OK and then Apply. That gives you a large, Extended partition, which is the fourth primary partition on your disk.

To create a fifth partition, it will be a primary partition, but will be called a Logical partition and contained in the Extended partition, click on the Extended partition, then Partition > New, in the dialogue specify Logical as the type, give the size, OK, then Apply. Now you have a fifth partition on your disk, within which you can put anything, including a Linux OS you wish to be bootable.

And you can see why Snowhog advises this be done in the planning phase. If not, and if you have already created 4 "regular" primary, usable partitions on your disk, and if you need another primary partition, then you must change what you've already done. Usually, that means getting rid of your 4th partition, making that space the Extended partition, putting a 5th partition (Logical) within the newly created Extended partition, then re-doing what used to be on your (old) 4th partition in your newly created 5th partition. A mess, but do-able, as many of us have unluckily found out at times. May require back-up work on your existing (old) 4th partition to save any important stuff you need (data & programs).

Best to do it in the planning phase of setting up your drive, again, as Snowhog already said.

[kbunt]

Re: Partitions

Sorry, I have some questions about partitions, too. I'm also going on a bit of a tangent. I'm building a 2nd computer and it will have XP on it. Is it okay to have three or four distros with XP on the same HDD?

That would be a lot of partitions, wouldn't it? If you have about two partitions per distro install (home and root?) with one large partition for data?

Also, if you have XP, you have to defrag a lot, right? It doesn't effect the Linux side, right?

I have read about sharing the /home directory but I am concerned about compatibility issues. Which debian-based distros can share /home? I guess I'd rather not worry about it and just have 'extra' /home partitions?

[Qqmike]

Re: Partitions

If at all possible, put Windows on the first partition of that disk.
See:
How To GRUB Methods - Toolkit
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3081671.0
for dual-booting all your distros and why having Windows on the first partition is helpful..

You can have as many OSes as you want on that dive (as far as I know). I’ve read blogs where people have dozens; I’ve had 6-10 distros on one drive.

My advice is to use SATA drives – do not mix IDE with SATA drives. That’s more up-to-date, and simplifies possible multi-booting issues.


Good question about defragging, but I’m pretty sure that the defragger, called from Windows, will see only the Windows drive, C: (EDIT: I meant to say, the Windows partition.). Others will help here with this and your other questions (I’ll help by standing aside).

[eriefisher]

Re: Partitions

Without add-ons windows will not recognize the linux drives/partitions.

eriefisher

[dibl]

Re: Partitions

We recently chased down the limit on the number of Linux partitions allowable on a hard drive, and if I recall correctly it was 17 or 18, consisting of 4 primary, and (if one of them is extended) the rest are logical partitions within the extended partition. So that's the outer bounds to answer the question "can I have a lot of OS's on one hard drive".

I personally had Win XP and 3 Linux OS's installed on my system at one point about a year ago, mainly to learn how these things work. But I had them on multiple hard drives -- Win XP shared a hard drive with one of the Linuces.

On the IDE/SATA thing, I agree with Qqmike -- it's pretty tricky to mix 'n match, if you hope to control the Grub bootloader. If you insist on doing it, (like me), you need to use a mental model and understand that the IDE/PATA drive is a "Grub Magnet". Whenever you install a *buntu Linux OS on that machine, it will write the Grub bootloader to the MBR of that IDE drive, regardless of where you think you told it to put Grub. So if that's not what you want to have happen, you need to either "zeroize" the IDE drive (as in DOS "fdisk", with no format), or else physically disconnect it from the system bus while you're installing Linux.

[ponygirldefiance]

Re: Partitions

Colonel Amon Goeth

thanks for the link. it has a lot of useful info on it.

[ponygirldefiance]

Re: Partitions

Without add-ons windows will not recognize the linux drives/partitions.

eriefisher

what add ons are you referring to if you don't mind sharing them. thanks