Set the inode size?

[kiff]

I'll give it a try, and let you know how it goes. If it doesn't work I can always re-install. Thanks for your help.

[Orographic]

... One option would be the use somethimg like a live gparted or Ubuntu Hardy cd and create and format the partitions with that. Then install Intrepid but ask it not to format the partition.

I'm new to Ubuntu but am trying to get my head around this. How do I ask Gparted via the Hardy live CD not to format?

I tried to install Intrepid yesterday over my Hardy install by removing Hardy and recreating the partition it was on but then got something like 'No root file system is detected.'

A simple rundown on how to use Gparted to setup Intrepid with 128 inodes or whatever they are called would be really great for beginners.

[Steve1961]

I'm new to Ubuntu but am trying to get my head around this. How do I ask Gparted via the Hardy live CD not to format?

I tried to install Intrepid yesterday over my Hardy install by removing Hardy and recreating the partition it was on but then got something like 'No root file system is detected.'

A simple rundown on how to use Gparted to setup Intrepid with 128 inodes or whatever they are called would be really great for beginners.

if you boot with a hardy cd or a gparted cd just create the partitions you need manually. For example, with hardy you should find the partition editor in the system/administration editor (which is just gparted). Select the disk to partition from the drop down menu and create two new partitions. One should be an ext3 partition and another should be a swap partition. The ext3 partition can be any size you want, and the swap partition should be around one and a half to two times your ram up to a max of about 2GB. You can create more complex partitioning schemes if you want but this is just for a simple setup.

Once done boot with the Intrepid cd and when you get to the partitioning stage select manual. Then select the ext3 partition and hit edit. Mount it as / but select the option not to partition it. Then select the swap partition and again select edit and make sure it's set as swap (you don't need to mount this).

[Orographic]

Thankyou! That last paragraph was what I needed. Will look into it when I get some time.

This is why I am sticking with Ubuntu, there is so much support here. I have also been reading various help files here on terminal and other things to get a handle on it all.

[Orographic]

if you boot with a hardy cd or a gparted cd just create the partitions you need manually. For example, with hardy you should find the partition editor in the system/administration editor (which is just gparted). Select the disk to partition from the drop down menu and create two new partitions. One should be an ext3 partition and another should be a swap partition. The ext3 partition can be any size you want, and the swap partition should be around one and a half to two times your ram up to a max of about 2GB. You can create more complex partitioning schemes if you want but this is just for a simple setup.

Once done boot with the Intrepid cd and when you get to the partitioning stage select manual. Then select the ext3 partition and hit edit. Mount it as / but select the option not to partition it. Then select the swap partition and again select edit and make sure it's set as swap (you don't need to mount this).

Just on this issue. In your last sentence there: Do I also have to select 'not to partition' the swap file? Should this swap file be an extended partition?

[Orographic]

I followed Steve1961's advice and it seems to have worked great! Inserted the Hardy live CD and used Gparted to create ext3 and swap partitions. Then I inserted the live Intrepid CD and once it got to the Partition Manager, I selected manual and then just set up ext3 as root and didn't check the format box.

I can now back up to and restored from Acronis no probs at all. The restore took about 3 minutes.

I know there are other ways to do this but for folk already using Windows its great to be able to still use the Acronis boot CD for imaging. I hope others find this thread useful. I'm a beginner Linux and Gparted user and I could do it no problems.

[Steve1961]

Just on this issue. In your last sentence there: Do I also have to select 'not to partition' the swap file? Should this swap file be an extended partition?

it can be a primary or extended partition. Also, the partitioning of the swap partition probably doesn't matter, but better to be safe than sorry

[mikex]

I can now back up to and restored from Acronis no probs at all. The restore took about 3 minutes.

I ran into the same problems, but even though Acronis reports errors on the drive, it definitely does make a good image and does restore it properly, although, yes, it takes longer. I verified it works OK last night by restoring an image. Complete success. I'll just make images when I don't need the PC for a while.

[kiff]

I'll give it a try, and let you know how it goes. If it doesn't work I can always re-install. Thanks for your help.

In the end I didn't change the inode size, I found a different application for mounting ext3 partitions in windows: ext2fsd.

In some senses it's a little clunkier than Ext2 IFS, but it works, and it will do until the Ext2 IFS developers enable their app to use 256-bit inodes.

[eks]

Ok, I've bumped into exactly the same problem. I can reformat my /home to 128 bytes inodes, but I'd rather first understand it. What's the difference of having inodes of 128 or 256 bytes?

After reading this, I take is just extended attributes to the Access Control List (what is that?). And why Intrepid's default changed to 256 then?