Partition file system;

How do I find my question?

hello,
you can chose /boot, /home /var etc,but important thing you must choose "/" for root partition.
sorry for my english.
hope this help..

I have more information:

I clicked the option: Manually edit partition table

naufal,
...Do I add them all, what do they mean & which one is the best?
or which ones are the best?

In the partitioning dialogue it is compulsory to have at least a root partition "/". All other directories will then be created under the root directory. However, this strategy make it more difficult to replace an installed operating system at a later time without wiping out everything.

A possible strategy, therefore, might be as follows.

/boot 30-100 MB
/ 8-40 GB
/home remainder
swap slightly more than the available RAM, e.g. 1032 MB if you have 1024 MB RAM

Everything not specifed (e.g. /var, /etc, /bin) will then be created in the root directory /.

Subsequently, the installed version of Linux can easily be replaced with another distribution without disturbing the contents of /home by NOT formatting it, while formatting /boot and /. Note, however, it is strongly advisable to make a backup of the home directories before doing this. Also, save copies of configuration files in /etc (e.g. /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow*, /etc/groups) so that these may be restored.

Naturally, other strategies are possible. Use your head! :-)

Stop using (etc) it is very confusing. Please say exactly what you mean & give it to me straight forward.

I am not that dumb, just tell me what partition to use & why & then just tell me what /, whatever to pick. If more then one or just one.

& I don’t understand what your trying to get at when you say

/boot 30-100 MB
/ 8-40 GB

Do you mean I should choose how much memory the computer should use on startup?

ok. partitioning can be simple or very hard. It depends on how complex you want it (or if you care that much).

If you want to do it manually, here it is straight-up:

1)an empty 10 GB partition (you can make a new one if you need to)
   Format: "ext3"
   Mount point: /

2) an empty 2 GB partition (once again, you can make one if you need)
     Format: "SWAP"

And then you should be able to start.

If you don't feel comfortable with it, then use the automatic settings.

Okay look, I don't need a lesson in partitioning. I already set up 20GBs for drive C:, 20GBs for drive D: which I installed Ubuntu on & the third drive 200GBs is for backup. That reminds me of another question. When I boot off of WindowsXP on drive C:, I can no longer see the other too drives in (My Computer), Why is that?

Anyway, I'm going to reinstall Ubuntu again later this week because I think I picked a bad file system. I need to know which one to use. I don't have the list of them with me but I'm sure one of you guys can find them for me.

1. Which file system should I use because I don't see ntfs listed or fat32. There are a bunch of other ones
2. Tell me what the different set of symbols mean after I choose the file system.
/
/boot
/home
/root

Oh, & someone told me earlier that I can use these symbols together, one; what are they for & do I need them together or at all?

Hopefully my question was clear enough this time.

Linux has a hierarchical file structure, where the topmost directory, known as the root directory, is called "/". Everything else appears under this.

In the Linux file system there is a directory called "/etc". It contains, among many things, important configuration files. It is a good idea to make backup copies of these. A complicated partitioning scheme might involve putting this directory in its own partition. You need to find your way around the "/etc" directory in due course.

/boot 30-100 MB means make a partition between 30 MB and 100 MB size where the directory called "/boot" will be mounted. This contains, among several things, the boot loader which controls the boot process that occurs when the machine starts up. It can be mounted within the root partition, but if you want to try out some more complicated things later, then having the directory "/boot" in its own partition simplifies matters. The size must be at least 30 MB, while 100 MB is more than sufficient even allowing for future expansion.

/ 8-40 GB means make a partition of size between 8 GB and 40 GB where the root directory called "/" will be mounted. Any directory in the Linux filesystem that does not reside in its own partition will go here. So, if you do not make a separate partition for the directory "/boot", or "/home", then it will go in this partition. For the main Linux installation, about 2-3 GB only are needed. However, some space is needed for temporary files, and all those tempting extra software packages that inevitably get downloaded.... So, 8 GB should be sufficient to begin with; 20 GB is a good middle option; and 40 GB should satisfy nearly everybody.

It is a good plan to put the directory called "/home" in a separate partition. This is so that upon subsequent (re)installations of Linux, you have the possibility to NOT format the partition, and thus preserve its contents. This directory is where all the user files go, i.e. your stuff. Make this as large as you wish, say all the remaining space on the disc when everything else is accounted for. If you choose to put the "/home" directory in the root partition, then the root partition will need to be larger, to accommodate your personal files.

The swap partition is equivalent to a Windows page file, except it must have its own partition. It should be at least slightly larger than the RAM capacity of your machine. So, if you have 1024 MB of RAM, then a swap partition that is 1032 MB fine. Some people might make it larger, say 1.5-2 times the RAM capacity, but in my experience this is unnecessary.

The must be a root partition and a swap partition as a bare minimum.

It is entirely optional what you do. You can choose "Guided partitioning", and let the installer do the job for you, or you can go for something really complicated. The scheme with three partitions containing "/boot", "/", and "/home" is something intermediate in complexity.

For Ubuntu Linux, use the EXT3 filesystem for its partitions, except the swap partition, which must be type SWAP. This is the default. On a dual-boot setup, Windows cannot normally access EXT3 format partitions, but Linux can access the Windows partitions. This is, in fact, the most sensible arrangement.

For more advice on partitioning, see <http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/partitioning>.

Thanks Chris Latham,
...You have been more helpful then anyone else so far. It looks like your talking about setting-up Ubuntu on more then one partition. Although I'm not interested in that I do have some questions. I did see the [swap] option, I now think I understand why it did not work for me. When you say [swap] & your also talking about (RAM) Random Access Memory in the same sentence & context I get the impression that [swap] is a separate partition for Ubuntu's Hibernation Mode. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I get the impression that this partition is to make the systems Hibernation Mode simpler & easier for the computer by setting-up a separate partition ahead of time so the Hibernation Mode always has space to initiate.

You said to use the (EXT3) file system, if this is correct then please confirm this. I did some reading & I think that the (EXT3) is less stable then the (EXT2). Now I'm not an expert on file systems so if you tell me to use the (EXT3) then I will. I want to know if this is the best one to use.

I think you also answered another one of my questions, I don't think I even asked this but according to you. You said when I boot off of WindowsXP, when I look in “My Computer”, I will not see the other partitions. I'm used to seeing them but you explained to me why I don't see them. You said something about Windows not recognizing the file system. That's a re-leaf because I was getting a little on edge trying to figure out why I was not seeing the other drive. Please make sure I'm understanding this correctly.

I'm willing to format & run a clean install as many times as needed to get this right. I already did this twice because I was having some problems installing software. I ran into some errors on the first try on installing an application. What happened was I ran out of (RAM) on the first attempt on installing Java so I has to do a forced restart. I though that was the problem why I could not install anything but I still seem to be having problems with this.

I just want to make it clear that I'm not interested in making multiple partitions for Ubuntu. I want to keep it simple. For drive C: I want WindowsXP, which I have already setup. Drive D:; I don't know what it's called in Ubuntu but I will have Ubuntu running on Drive D:. As time moves on I might install some other OSs.

But in conclusion I have plenty of space. My Hard-Drive is 250MB's. For now my plan was “WindowsXP = Drive C: 20GB's”, “Ubuntu Linux = Drive D: 20GB's ”, & the last drive I have 210GB's to spare to backup. Plus I have a 1TB external Hard-Drive for backup. So that mean I will not need a lot of space on my computer anyway. I only need the OSs running at all time.

The swap partition acts as an extension to the RAM. Blocks of memory (called pages) can temporarily be stored in the swap partition on the hard disc when not in use, thereby freeing up space in the RAM. However, hard discs are very much slower to access than RAM, and hence the process of swapping memory pages back and forth between RAM and disc involves slow, intensive disc activity, which is best avoided if at all possible.

During hibernation, a snapshot of the RAM is transferred to the swap partition. This is necessary since RAM is volatile, meaning the contents can only be sustained when the power is on. This snapshot is then restored to the RAM when the system is restarted. Clearly, for this to work the swap partition must be at least as large as the RAM.

The data in the swap partition are organized differently from data in other partitions; therefore, it must normally reside in its own special partition.

It is not compulsory to have a swap partition; Linux will work without it. Indeed, on some systems, such as diskless thin clients, one does not want a swap partition. However, for normal use it is advisable to have a swap partition.

There are various pros and cons to the different Linux filesystem formats. Experimenting with them is all part of the fun! :-) Joking aside, the best general purpose choice for Ubuntu Linux is EXT3. It works. Don't worry about it!

There are third-party Windows utilities for reading Linux filesystems which can be installed, but normally, Windows in its native state cannot access Linux partitions.

It is worth learning to use the command line with Linux. When all else fails one can normally login under a safe session, or even without the GUI, and type the relevant commands to get things working again. In particular, learn how to use the apt-get and dpkg comands.

For normal use, I recommend having at least 512 MB or RAM; 1 GB is better; more is unnecessary for normal use.

For a dual-boot system, install Windows first. If it is already installed, then use the Windows disk defragmentation utility repeatedly to tidy things up as much as possible. There is no harm in doing this many times more than appears necessary.

Now boot from the CD and begin the installation.

Choose manual partitioning when the installer gives you the option. The installer will show a list of any pre-existing partitions on your disk. Typically, Windows will have one or two partitions which occupy the whole disk. So, you might find something like this:

1. 20 GB FAT32 or NTFS
2. 230 GB FAT32 or NTFS

Here, partition 1 is drive C: as seen from Windows, and partition 2 is drive D:.

A simple partitioning scheme that then might suit you is as follows.

1. "/windows", FAT32 or NTFS, 20 GB, *DO NOT FORMAT*
2. "/", EXT3, 20 GB
3. "/home", 209 GB
4. swap 1032 MB

N.B. GB = gigabytes, MB = megabytes

Here, the items in quotes (e.g. "/windows") are the names of the directories in each partition.

The order of the partitions on the disk should be as shown above.

For the partition that contains the directory called "/windows", you may need to type the name in the dialogue box, if it is not available from the drop-down menu. This partition is simply the Windows drive C: as seen from the Linux point of view. Adjust the size at this point to 20 GB, or whatever you want. Be careful to ensure that the partition is NOT formatted: deselect the "format" check box.

If you have already made a drive D: partition, as seen from Windows, then this should be wiped out and split into three partitions for Linux. Make the partition that contains the root directory "/" about 20 GB size, in EXT3 format. The root directory is equivalent to a drive Windows drive C: for Linux. Make a separate partition for the "/home" directory equal to the remaining free space on the disc. The swap partition should be slightly larger than the RAM size, as explained previously. In my example, I have assumed that the total disc capacity is 250 GB, and the machine contains 1024 MB of RAM.

If you wish to leave space for installing other operating systems, then make the partition which contains the "/home" directory smaller. You will also need to adopt a slightly more complicated strategy for the partitioning since it is not possible to have more than four so-called primary partitions on a hard disk. This is achived using extended partitions and/or logical volumes. This is beyond the scope of what I am prepared to explain here, so you will have to read the documentation.

For further advice, see <https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/switching/index.html> and <https://help.ubuntu.com/8.04/switching/dualboot.html>. It is worth taking some time to read these web pages.

That's all from me for now.

Wow, you've been the most helpful person so far. Thanks a lot.

Anyway I still have a few more questions. First I will explain my current situation & system specs.

I had 500MBs of RAM but I just upgraded to 2GBs of RAM. & yes I do have 250GBs of Hard-Drive space.

So;

Hard-Drive: 250GBs

RAM: 2GBs

CPU: 2.8GHz

Okay so here is my first question; What is the "/home" partition used for? You said I can't have more then four partitions on my hard drive, is this correct? Will hibernation work without the "SWAP" partition?

Also, it's not called standby in Ubuntu it's called suspend. It doesn't work; actally I just got it working but hibernation does not work. So I wen't into "System" + "Administration" = "Hardware Drivers" but it does not show me my drivers. Is there a way to see what I have. In Windows, in the device manager it shows all the drivers & if something is found that is not installed it shows a question mark (?). Does Ubuntu have something like that?

Another thing, I know it strays off my question but this is important. Whenever I try & use "sudo" or "su" I type in my password. Mind this is the only password I use on Ubuntu; "So meaning" this is the correct password. It gives me some kind of error. It's really annoying because I can't install anything. If you could help me with this then this would be great. I'm wondering because a problem can be install in different directors; as I have heard. Can problem accrue because I set up the partitions wrong?

Anyway thanks for replying to my question, hope to hear from you again.

The /home directory is basically user space in the harddrive. each user is given a subfolder under /home and user store all their files underneath this.

/home can be just a folder on the root partition, or it can be its own partition which is mounted to the root partition. The second solution allows easier re-installs, since you can install the root partition with a new linux install without formatting (and therefore destroying all the information) on the /home partition.

Regarding the su and sudo. What does "some kind of error" mean. In order to give you good advice, it it necessary that you state the exact error that you get.