[Nottingham] How to partition a server for general home use?

[david at gbenet.com]

On 10/05/12 22:01, Jason Irwin wrote:
> This should be easy, but all the documentation I can find seems to be
> pre-2007 and decidedly obtuse.
> 
> The situation:
> One HP Microserver
> 8GB RAM
> 2x2TB low power SATA HDDs
> Optional: 16GB bootable USB stick
> 
> Intended use:
> Bit of a back-up, bit of a file server (Samba is fine for my needs)
> Maybe a bit of a VM hosting at times (possible VBox, maybe something else)
> Might even run ownCloud (perhaps in a VM).
> So a general purpose dogsbody really.
> 
> The problem:
> How to partition the bugger?
> I'd like the drives to be in RAID1.  Fine, that's easy enough.
> I'd also like to use LVM for at least /home so that if I add other
> drives later I have less grief.
> But can /boot be on LVM?  What about /?  The docs I am finding say "no"
> to both.  And what about swap?
> So, near as I can figure, I need /boot and / as distinct, non-RAID,
> non-LVM partitions.
> Then RAID the remaining space (losing the matching/boot and / space on
> the second drive)
> LVM that and from /home in there
> That strikes me as being a bit wrong and overly complex.
> 
> I had originally though about have /boot and / on the USB stick, but
> then I got into a similar fankle with over /tmp and /var/log.
> 
> Does anyone know of an up-to-date reference on this?  I've nothing
> against command line-fu at all, but what I am running across assumes the
> reader is already an expert.  And is there some unwritten law about
> diagrams in Linux docs?  They appear to be forbidden.
> 
> Normally I just do /, /home and swap and leave it at that.  I've also
> never used LVM before.
> 
> Sorry for the semi-rant, any help appreciated!
> 
Hello Jason,

As I recall LVM was developed by IBM to amalgamate free hard disk space over a network.
Which means to say Bob Harry and Marry have 5MB 20Mb and 15MB respectively. With LVM these
free spaces on the respective hard disks would be treated as one in LVM.

You need a bootable O/S - to which you add RAID - which in principle is a collection of hard
disks that form a running back up - partitioning one drive means if you suffer a hard disk
failure then you have lost the lot.

My knowledge of RAID and LVM was with IBM's OS/2 Server not Linux. I'd suggest you install a
good robust Linux server - add RAID and LVM and play :) but you will need separate machines
over a network to use their free disk space.

David

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