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LinuxFAQ_Partitioning
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Partitioning your HDD for linux install
I often see people ask (here and in other forums) questions about how their HDD should be partitioned to install some form or another of linux. I'll try to lay out a few different methods for you.
First off I'm experianced mostly with linux redhat, so I'll focus on that distribution. The info should apply to any version of linux though.
Also, as far as I know all popular distibutions provide disk partitioning utilities during the install so you only have to have an empty partition or free space on your drive
1) linux as the only operating system: You will need to have at least 2 partitions to install linux. to run linux os's need a swap partition and a root (/) partition. In general the swap partition should be 2x the physical amount of RAM you have in your system. If it's to be a desktop system and you have a lot of ram then you could easily get away with 1x your RAM. the root partition is where the OS and all files are stored, so if you are installing Xwindows I'd recommend 1.5Gig minimum to give plenty of space for all addons that you want.
However if you are going to be working heavily with the machine and think you might re-install often or want to have you user files seperate then I'd suggest a partitioning scheme like
/ /home <swap>
this way all if you have to re-install linux you only have to format the root partition and all you user files should remain where they were.
Since I can't possibly perdict the size of HDD you will be using I won't give sizes for the partitions.
2) if you are dual booting linux and some other OS (ie windows) I'd use a partitioning scheme like
windows (if you have an older version of linux it is advisible to keep this partition small) / /home another fat partition to store your windows files <swap>
This is by no means the ONLY way that you should partition your drive. Everyone has their own style. I have just found through experiance that these methods work well for me.
I hope this gives you an idea as to how you should start off. Once you get used to working with your new linux system you will probably find a partitioning scheme that will work better for you.
Best of luck Ben
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LinuxFAQ_Partitioning
Return to Linux FAQ Main Page.
Partitioning your HDD for linux install
I often see people ask (here and in other forums) questions about how their HDD should be partitioned to install some form or another of linux. I'll try to lay out a few different methods for you.
First off I'm experianced mostly with linux redhat, so I'll focus on that distribution. The info should apply to any version of linux though.
Also, as far as I know all popular distibutions provide disk partitioning utilities during the install so you only have to have an empty partition or free space on your drive
1) linux as the only operating system: You will need to have at least 2 partitions to install linux. to run linux os's need a swap partition and a root (/) partition. In general the swap partition should be 2x the physical amount of RAM you have in your system. If it's to be a desktop system and you have a lot of ram then you could easily get away with 1x your RAM. the root partition is where the OS and all files are stored, so if you are installing Xwindows I'd recommend 1.5Gig minimum to give plenty of space for all addons that you want.
However if you are going to be working heavily with the machine and think you might re-install often or want to have you user files seperate then I'd suggest a partitioning scheme like
/ /home <swap>
this way all if you have to re-install linux you only have to format the root partition and all you user files should remain where they were.
Since I can't possibly perdict the size of HDD you will be using I won't give sizes for the partitions.
2) if you are dual booting linux and some other OS (ie windows) I'd use a partitioning scheme like
windows (if you have an older version of linux it is advisible to keep this partition small) / /home another fat partition to store your windows files <swap>
This is by no means the ONLY way that you should partition your drive. Everyone has their own style. I have just found through experiance that these methods work well for me.
I hope this gives you an idea as to how you should start off. Once you get used to working with your new linux system you will probably find a partitioning scheme that will work better for you.
Best of luck Ben
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