kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

[kapil]

when i was doing fresh installation of kubuntu on my laptop.
i clicked the option saying format complete hard disk and install kubuntu.
but i thought root will take around 20GB space and rest 80GB will be given to home directory.
but just now i realised it is not the case.

following is the output of fdisk:

  Device Boot   Start     End   Blocks  Id System
/dev/sda1  *      1    14244  114414898+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda2      14245    14593   2803342+  5 Extended
/dev/sda5      14245    14593   2803311  82 Linux swap / Solaris

my requirement is 20 gb to root and rest to home.. so when i upgrade to new version.. settings will be preserved.

Please tell me what i should have done at installation..
and more importantly.. what i should do now

thanks in advance

[dibl]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

These should help:

http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/separatehome

and

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0

I personally use a Parted Magic Live CD to do the partitioning, in advance of booting the Kubuntu installation CD. Doing it that way, you can choose "manual" and "partitions already exist" during Kubuntu installation, and simply select the partitions that you already made.

Parted Magic Live CD ISO from here: http://partedmagic.com/download.html

[kapil]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

Following the first link..(ubuntu/separatehome)
it is given for ubuntu.. i could not find Partition Editor in Systems..
though the later data to make the new partition a home partition looks useful.

Following second link.
pretty good.. except for the fact that.. too much of options is not good for newbie..

1.i donno which one is better.. or which one will work easy yet reliable.

I saw the KDE Partition manager is built on kde4.. and i decided to install that..
but i could not find it in KPackageKit.. i tried Kde Partition manager, partition manager.. none could find it..
2. is search functionality such lousy.. or i am doing it in wrong manner?

also..
3. why does KPackageKit not show all the programmes installed on my computer?

[kubicle]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

my requirement is 20 gb to root and rest to home.. so when i upgrade to new version.. settings will be preserved.

separate /home only helps in preserving your settings if you do a clean install to a new version. If you upgrade to a newer version, your settings will be preserved even without a separate /home partition. That said, having a separate /home is not a bad idea (only a matter of preference).

I saw the KDE Partition manager is built on kde4.. and i decided to install that..
but i could not find it in KPackageKit.. i tried Kde Partition manager, partition manager.. none could find it..

the package is "partitionmanager", but installing the partition manager won't do much good, because you can't edit a mounted filesystem (and you can't unmount your root partition while running the system). If you wish to edit your root filesystem, I'd recommend doing it with a liveCD.

The steps to create a separate home system are (in short):
1. Shrink the root filesystem/partition to the size you want it to be (20Gb)
2. Create a new filesystem/partition for /home (80Gb)
3. Mount both filesystems
4. Move everything *under* /home in your root filesystem into the new /home partition (if running a livecd, your mounted filesystems should be under /media)
5. Edit /etc/fstab in your root filesystem (if you are running a livecd, this will likely be /media/disk/etc/fstab or something similar) to mount your new partition as /home during boot-up.
The line to add will be something like:

UUID=xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxxx /home ext4 relatime 0 2

(this uses ext4 filesystem, mount option relatime...use "sudo blkid" to get the correct UUID for your /home filesystem)

EDIT: And of course, back up any important data before working on filesystems, just in case something goes wrong.

[kapil]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

ok.. looks neat guide..
only..i am total novice..
what live cd you talking? the kubuntu live CD or the partition live CD?
if kubuntu.. then can i proceed till partition is done.. i didn't know that..

[kubicle]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

what live cd you talking? the kubuntu live CD or the partition live CD?

Any LiveCD that comes with a partition manager tool (or the ability to install one) will do, so kubuntu LiveCd will work, too. (I can't remember if kubuntu liveCDs have partitionmanager, but if it doesn't you can install it while running the liveCD with "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install partitionmanager" if you have a working internet connection...note that installing packages while running a livecd is only temporary, as the files are on ram and not disk, so things you install on a running livecd system are gone the next time you boot.)

if kubuntu.. then can i proceed till partition is done..

I'm not sure what you mean by this, but you can perform all the necessary operations on a single livecd session.

[kapil]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

@kubicle: nevermind.. you answered what i was intended to ask.

i booted using live cd and installed gparted.. also did partition.
but i donno what went wrong.. i was not able to copy paste or even create any new file in the new partition.

i was getting impatient so i reinstalled kubuntu.
with
/ 20gb (primary) ext4
swap 2gb and /home 90gb in extended partition.

[kubicle]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

but i donno what went wrong.. i was not able to copy paste or even create any new file in the new partition.

The file operations likely needed root access (starting dolphin with 'kdesudo dolphin', for example, or using sudo if copying/moving from cli)...I take it you were able to mount the new filesystem?

i was getting impatient so i reinstalled kubuntu.

That is sometimes the quickest/easiest way to go, especially if you haven't modified the system much.

[kapil]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

.. yes that is quickest way

short answer: yes.. the drive was mounted.
long answer:
when i booted from live cd and used gparted..
on first go.. it could not resize the root partition.. then as per suggested i unmounted the root partition.
resized, created new partition. after i hit the 'apply' button in gparted.. gparted took over the control.
after it was done.. and by itself mounted the new drive.

when i booted from the hard disk. the new drive was created.. and also mounted.
i could open that drive.. there was single folder present there.. 'lost+found' but i could not do anything apart from opening that folder.

[kubicle]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

when i booted from live cd and used gparted..
on first go.. it could not resize the root partition.. then as per suggested i unmounted the root partition.
resized, created new partition. after i hit the 'apply' button in gparted.. gparted took over the control.
after it was done.. and by itself mounted the new drive.

Sounds like you did everything right.

when i booted from the hard disk. the new drive was created.. and also mounted.
i could open that drive.. there was single folder present there.. 'lost+found' but i could not do anything apart from opening that folder.

I would have performed the file operations from the livecd session rather than booting on the installed system (to negate some potential problems). But your main problem was likely that the new filesystem was owned by root:root so you didn't have write access to it as a user (which is why you would have needed to start dolphin as root to write the home directories to the new filesystem...the home directories would have been writable for their respective users since they are owned by user:user).

[kapil]

Re: kubuntu formed a single root partition while installation

got it..
will remember this. thanks