Disk Partitioning

[jdb]

Generally you do not share /boot nor /home as settings can conflict. You share swap if you do not hibernate and can create data partitions that you can share across many installs.
Whatever you other plans are for /boot I would suggest using the data partition.

see my post #6
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1451279

Because you can't share /home, I make a really big partition & mount it on /data.
That's where I put all my "stuff".
I don't even bother with a separate partition for /home, I only use it for configuration files.
I make my system partitions 10 G & that includes /home.

I can mount /data & use it no matter what system I boot from.

On Desktops I always have 2 disks with /data1 on the second disk to backup /data on the first disk.
rsync is a great app for that.
I don't like raid because if I do something stupid on /data I don't want it to immediately propogate to /data1.

jdb

[HegonBadde]

...
On Desktops I always have 2 disks with /data1 on the second disk to backup /data on the first disk.
...
jdb

right now on old desk top I use /home/xxx/data and /home/xxx/backup
Move my music, pictures, saves, downloads, etc to those partitions.

But I don't like to copy all that, it's nice it shows up as another drive for wine, but I think I'd rather put it in ~

[jdb]

right now on old desk top I use /home/xxx/data and /home/xxx/backup
Move my music, pictures, saves, downloads, etc to those partitions.

But I don't like to copy all that, it's nice it shows up as another drive for wine, but I think I'd rather put it in ~

you can use
ln -s file-path link-path
to make files in /data look like they're in ~/

I do that with thunderbird files for my mail, virtualbox files, etc.
I don't use wine so I don't know if it works with links.

jdb

[HegonBadde]

Here's a problem I don't have a solution for.

On other Laptops when I install onto an External USB Drive, I have to physically disconnect the internal hard drive to keep Grub completely off of it.
(Other wise I end up needing internal hd boot sector to boot external drive)

And when I do Kernel updates, it auto (re)installs grub to the internal HD with no check. (Yes there's a grub there, but it's not yours)

[HegonBadde]

you can use
ln -s file-path link-path
to make files in /data look like they're in ~/

I do that with thunderbird files for my mail, virtualbox files, etc.
I don't use wine so I don't know if it works with links.

jdb

It usually does, but there was an issue with hard links, sym links, or a bad drive. Something went funky one time and like a superstitous villager, I never tried that again.


Ok so the new plan would be
Internal HD (9.10 64 Installed)
/dev/sda1 20Gb Ext3 /
/dev/sda2 4Gb Swap
/dev/sda3 Remainder Ext3 /home/xxx/data

Directories symlinked into /home/xxx/data

/dev/sdb3 Remainder Ext3 /home/xxx/dup


External HD (10.4 64 Installed)
/dev/sda1 20Gb Ext3 /
/dev/sda2 4Gb Swap
/dev/sda3 Remainder Ext3 /home/xxx/data

Directories symlinked into /home/xxx/data

/dev/sdb3 Remainder Ext3 /home/xxx/dup

[jdb]

Here's a problem I don't have a solution for.

On other Laptops when I install onto an External USB Drive, I have to physically disconnect the internal hard drive to keep Grub completely off of it.
(Other wise I end up needing internal hd boot sector to boot external drive)

And when I do Kernel updates, it auto (re)installs grub to the internal HD with no check. (Yes there's a grub there, but it's not yours)

I have a lot of system partitions on my disk & it can be a nightmare when the competing grubs all try to take control

I have a separate partition I mount as boota and I keep a grub directory there with a menu I maintain manually.
I used to do it with the old grub but I use grub2 now & it works just as well.

When I install a new system it writes it's own /boot entries and installs grub in the disk mbr (master boot record).
I then boot to a live flash and re-install grub to the mbr but point it towards /boota.
I then make a new entry in my /boota menu for the new system.

The only trick is to remember to update the /boota menu when a system upgrades the kernel.

It's nice to have control over the boot menu look & feel, boot options, etc.

jdb

[HegonBadde]

I seem to remember there was a trick to this where you can *edit* the contents of the boot partition into the /boot mountpoint directory.

Then while you had actually booting it was reading the directory, and when you were making saves it's a partition?


*More Edit magic*
Basically during boot time the other device isn't mounted.
So it's working off it's "native" copy.

Run mode Desktop
I think it causes problem because you want each side to be "stand alone" and your now set to edit someone elses native.

[HegonBadde]

Set the boot entry for the Other device as a chainloader and select the other drives active boot entry. when it's setup it right, you should be able to go back and forth from Internal -> External -> Internal -> Ext. etc... and never boot anything.

(e)External has (i)Internals back up and Internal has a reference to Externals backup.

Basically one has data of the other (din)"data in"
It sees its own back up as (dup)"duplicate" data.
it sees the the (ddin)"duplicate data in" which should not be modifiable, just a read only place to get a stable copy.




Internal HD (9.10 64 Installed)
/dev/sda1 20Gb Ext3 /
/dev/sda2 4Gb Swap
/dev/sda3 Remainder/2 Gb Ext3 /home/xxx/din
/dev/sda4 R/2 Gb Ext3 /home/xxx/data
Directories symlinked into /home/xxx/

/dev/sdb3 R/2 Gb Ext3 /home/xxx/dup -> External /dev/sda3
/dev/sdb4 R/2 Gb Ext3 /home/xxx/ddin -> External /dev/sda4


External HD (10.4 64 Installed)
/dev/sda1 20Gb Ext3 /
/dev/sda2 4Gb Swap
/dev/sda3 R/2 Gb Ext3 /home/xxx/din
/dev/sda4 R/2 Gb Ext3 /home/xxx/data
Directories symlinked into /home/xxx/

/dev/sdb3 R/2 Gb Ext3 /home/xxx/dup -> Internal /dev/sda3
/dev/sdb4 R/2 Gb Ext3 /home/xxx/ddin -> Internal /dev/sda4