I prefer to minimize the number of partitions. If you don't have a 1024 cylinder limitation, then I'd prefer to use a single filesystem. The argument for a small root partition is that filesystem damage is likely to still allow the system to boot. I used to follow that advice, and wound up putting /usr, /home, and /var all on separate partitions. That leads to a lot of fragmentation (one partition getting full while others still have space). In the mean time, I have found Linux filesystems and programs that run with root privileges are reliable enough that I no longer worry about filesystem damage. I used to want /home in a separate partition so I could unmount it while I reinstalled the OS. Now I run Debian and never have to reinstall the OS. I might want /usr on a separate partition which I could mount read-only, if I had lots of users and was worried about security. However, I'm the only user. I do still put /backup in a separate partition so it's unmounted except when backups are actually being updated. More to protect against my own command errors than anything else. Of course, YMMV. - Jim Van Zandt >From: "Rafael Skodlar,,," <raffi@linwin.com> >Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 23:05:43 -0700 > >Why not put whole root there? As I said, in all these years I've >never seen a reason for separate /boot and nobody was able to >convince me otherwise. As far as kernel location goes it doesn't >matter where it is as long as you point to it correctly. Root >partitions are small and give you basic tools you need to boot in >single mode. /boot by itself is useless and I had to fix many systems >that others have installed with separate /boot partition but could >not boot up. > >BIOS limitaion is long time gone so there is no need for bootup kludges >in systems with new motherboards anymore. > >On Sun, Sep 01, 2002 at 09:51:40PM -0400, James R. Van Zandt wrote: >> >> Mainly I put /boot on a separate partition, and put that partition >> within the first 1024 cylinders, to work around BIOSes that cannot >> boot images above that point. For this application, it would have the >> extra advantage of making your kernel images equally available from >> whatever distribution you're running at the time. For example, you >> could run lilo from any of them. >> >> - Jim Van Zandt >> >> >> >From: "Rafael Skodlar,,," <raffi@linwin.com> >> >Sender: blinux-list-admin@redhat.com >> >Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 13:55:19 -0700 >> > >> >On Sun, Sep 01, 2002 at 12:02:31PM -0400, James R. Van Zandt wrote: >> >> >> >> Michael - >> >> >> >> Yes, you can run multiple Linux distributions on the same machine. I >> >> did this for a while. Put these on separate partitions, which are >> >> shared by all the distributions: >> >> >> >> /boot >> > >> >I don't understand why somebody need /boot, that's a separate partition >> >for the kernel and few related files. It makes more sense to keep /boot >> >in root partition which, in case of any problems, makes system bootable >> >to the point you can run some diagnostics and file repair. /boot by >> >itself never proved usefull since I started using Linux in 1994. I >> >discourage anybody from creating /boot including default configurations >> >in some distributions. >> > >> >With cheap disk drives it's easier to install different distributions on >> >different drives. >> > >> >one way I'm doing it is using removable cartridges (Syquest 1.5 GB) and >> >mount /home form the main disk drive. >> > >> >> /home >> >> /usr/local (or else make it a symbolic link to /home/local) >> >> swap >> >> >> >> Each distribution will mount the above, so you will have the same >> >> environment. Make a separate root partition for each distribution. >> >> These should be big because they will contain /dev, /etc, /usr, /var, >> >> and several others. Each distribution will have its own installed >> >> packages. >> >> >> >> You can use a different boot floppy for each distribution. If you use >> >> LILO, I think you can put a "root=" statement in the description >> >> section for each image. >> >> >> >> - Jim Van Zandt >> >> >> >> >> >> >From: "Michael Weaver" <drwho1@btinternet.com> >> >> >Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 11:19:00 +0100 >> >> > >> >> >Hi! >> >> >Can you run multiple distros of Linux on one PC? >> >> >Do you have to re-partition the hard drive for each one? >> > >> >-- >> >Rafael > >-- >Rafael