On 2011/09/14 15:01 (GMT+0800) George OLson composed:
So here is a question about multiple roots - when setting up 2 or 3 20gb root partitions for future experimentation, do those partitions have to be primary partitions? Also, do the root partitions have to be next to the swap and next to the /home partition, or can they be anywhere on the drive?
Suppose I setup my TB drive so that it is like this:
/dev/sdb1 2gb, linux swap to be copied from /dev/sda1 as RAID or with rsync
I don't know if rsync can do swap partitions, or why anyone would want to. I don't see much point in using RAID for a swap partition either. Without, you'd have 4G instead of 2G.
/dev/sdb2 20gb, root partition be copied from /dev/sda2 as RAID or with rsync /dev/sdb3 443.75gb, data partition, copied from /dev/sda3 as RAID or with rsync /dev/sdb4 extended partition covering the next set of partitions /dev/sdb5 20gb, root partition for later use and experimentation (will I be able to point grub to this partition on another day if I install another system to test?)
Existing "Grubs" can be modified both to chainload later installed OSes and/or to load their kernels and initrds directly. The relevant contents of menu.lst are nothing but commands to Grub that could be run from a Grub shell if there was no menu.lst at all, one of the major advantages of Grub over Lilo.
/dev/sdb6 20gb, root partition for later use and experimentation /dev/sdb7 remaining gb on the disk for extra data storage that will be backed up separately
Is that a scheme that would work, and would give me the flexibility of being able to install the next upgrade in a different root to test it, and things like that?
All but your swap proposition is sane. I habitually put the root partitions much closer to the start of the HD, where traditionally faster I/O is available, and there is never a question of a BIOS being too old to reach a Grub that is installed way up high on the physical device. I have a lot of old systems where such situations could otherwise pop up. Whether 1T & up disks have significant speed variation from start to end I have no idea. -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org