[Sussex] Partitions problems from "the nugget"

John big-john at dsl.pipex.com
Sat Nov 29 01:00:17 UTC 2003


Hi list,

I won't bore you with the "why's and how's", but I've managed to kill both
of my linux install's. I'm v confused as to how I should re-install. What I
would like to know is that having read/heard that the proper way of
installing stuff is to have seperate partitions, and having tried to
decypher the "wisdom?" from O'really's Running Linux, I have come across
this http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2001/10/11/filesystem.html

The link article suggests that I need seperate /, /usr, /home, /var and /tmp
partitions (well that's how I read it anyway). Which is all well and good.
But my confusion arises because I normally have mandrake and debian(knoppix
3.3) installed on just 2 partitions (plus the ubiquitous windows and a linux
swap partition).

All this has until today sat happily on a 120 gig drive (about 20 gig's for
the windows, 1 gig for the swap, 50 gig's for mandrake and 49 for the
debian/knoppix). Now given that I have the best part of 100 gig's available
to do my re-install's, and following on from the advice in the O'really
link, should I just chop the linux part of my drive into 10 equal pieces or
do some of the "parts" work acros both systems ? I also understand that it's
wise to have some partitions larger than others because of what they do, or
what you would normally have stored in them - another ?????

Or, have I understood this all "arse about face" and would I just have to
have 2 seperate partitions for the mandrake and knoppix and additional space
for any "data" that I manage to produce ???

Sorry if this sounds like I'm being really thick, but I'm having "Linux
withdrawl symptoms" after only 3 hours and hence any advice, instructions,
guidance, etc on this is much appreciated

regards

John D. :-(





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