Partitioning Your System
If you are performing a workstation- or server-class installation and you chose not to partition manually, please skip to the section called Network Configuration.
At this point, it's necessary to let the installation program know where it should install Red Hat Linux. This is done by defining mount points for one or more disk partitions in which Red Hat Linux will be installed. You may also need to create and/or delete partitions at this time (refer to Figure 15-9).
 | Please Note |
|---|---|
If you have not yet planned how you will set up your partitions, refer to Appendix B. As a bare minimum, you'll need an appropriately-sized root partition, and a swap partition of at least 16 MB. |
The partitioning tool used in Red Hat Linux 7.0 is Disk Druid. With the exception of certain esoteric situations, Disk Druid can handle the partitioning requirements for a typical Red Hat Linux installation.
Partition Fields
Each line in the "Partitions" section represents a disk partition. Each line in this section has five different fields:
- Mount Point:
A mount point is the location within the directory hierarchy at which a volume exists. The volume is said to be mounted at this location. This field indicates where the partition will be mounted. If a partition exists, but is "not set" you need to define its mount point. Double-click on the partition or use the Edit key.
- Device:
This field displays the partition's device name.
- Requested:
This field shows the partition's original size. To re-define the size, you must delete the current partition and recreate it using the Add button.
- Actual:
This field shows the space currently allocated to the partition.
- Type:
This field shows the partition's type (such as Linux Native or DOS).
Recommended Partitioning Scheme
Unless you have a reason for doing otherwise, we recommend that you create the following partitions:
A swap partition (at least 16MB) -- Swap partitions are used to support virtual memory. In other words, data is written to a swap partition when there is not enough RAM to store the data your system is processing. If your computer has 16MB of RAM or less, you must create a swap partition. Even if you have more memory, a swap partition is still recommended. The minimum size of your swap partition should be equal to your computer's RAM, or 16MB (whichever is larger). In Disk Druid, the partition field for swap should look similar to:
<Swap> hda2 125M 125M Linux swap
A /boot partition (16MB, maximum) -- The partition mounted on /boot contains the operating system kernel (which allows your system to boot Red Hat Linux), along with files used during the bootstrap process. Due to the limitations of most PC BIOSes, creating a small partition to hold these files is a good idea. This partition should be no larger than 16MB. In Disk Druid, the partition field for /boot should look similar to:
/boot hda1 16M 19M Linux native
A root partition (900MB-1.7GB) -- This is where "/" (the root directory) resides. In this setup, all files (except those stored in /boot) reside on the root partition. A 850MB root partition will permit the equivalent of a workstation-class installation (with very little free space), while a 1.7GB root partition will let you install every package. In Disk Druid, the partition field for / should look similar to:
/ hda2 900M 3669M Linux native
Problems When Adding a Partition
If you attempt to add a partition and Disk Druid can't carry out your request, you'll see a dialog box listing partitions that are currently unallocated, along with the reason they could not be allocated. Unallocated partition(s) are also displayed on Disk Druid's main screen (though you may have to scroll through the "Partitions" section to see them).
As you scroll through the Partitions section, you might see an "Unallocated Requested Partition" message (in red text), followed by one or more partitions. A common reason for this is a lack of sufficient free space for the partition. In any case, the reason the partition remains unallocated will be displayed after the partition's requested mount point.
To fix an unallocated requested partition, you must move the partition to another drive which has the available space, resize the partition to fit on the current drive, or delete the partition entirely. Make changes using the Edit button or by double clicking on the partition.
Drive Summaries
Each line in the Drive Summaries section represents a hard disk on your system. Each line has the following fields:
- Drive:
This field shows the hard disk's device name.
- Geom [C/H/S]:
This field shows the hard disk's geometry. The geometry consists of three numbers representing the number of cylinders, heads and sectors as reported by the hard disk.
- Total:
This field shows the total available space on the hard disk.
- Free:
This field shows how much of the hard disk's space is still unallocated.
- Used:
These fields show how much of the hard disk's space is currently allocated to partitions, in megabytes and percentage.
The Drive Summaries section is displayed only to indicate your computer's disk configuration. It is not meant to be used as a means of specifying the target hard drive for a given partition. That is done using the Allowable Drives field in the section called Adding Partitions.
Disk Druid's Buttons
These buttons control Disk Druid's actions. They are used to add and delete partitions, and to change partition attributes. There are also buttons that are used to accept the changes you've made, or to exit Disk Druid. Let's take a look at each button in order.
- Add:
used to request a new partition. When selected, a dialog box will appear containing fields (such as mount point and size) that must be filled in.
- Edit:
used to modify attributes of the partition currently selected in the "Partitions" section. Selecting Edit will open up a dialog box. Some or all of the fields can be edited, depending on whether the partition information has already been written to disk.
- Delete:
used to remove the partition currently highlighted in the Current Disk Partitions section. You'll be asked to confirm the deletion of any partition.
- Reset:
used to restore Disk Druid to its original state. All changes made will be lost if you Reset the partitions.
- Make RAID Device:
Make RAID Device can be used if you want to provide redundancy to any or all disk partitions. It should only be used if you have experience using RAID. To read more about RAID, please refer to Appendix E.
Adding Partitions
To add a new partition, select the Add button. A dialog box will appear (see Figure 15-10).
| Please Note |
|---|---|
You will need to dedicate at least one partition to Red Hat Linux, and optionally more. This is discussed more completely in Appendix B. |
Mount Point: Highlight and enter the partition's mount point. For example, if this partition should be the root partition, enter /; enter /boot for the /boot partition, and so on. You can also use the pull-down menu to choose the correct mount point for your partition.
Size (Megs): Enter the size (in megabytes) of the partition. Note this field starts with a "1" in it; unless changed you'll end up with a 1 MB partition.
Use remaining space: This check box indicates if the size you entered in the previous field is to be considered the partition's exact size, or its minimum size. When selected, the partition will grow to fill all available space on the hard disk. The partition's size will expand and contract as other partitions are modified. You can make multiple partitions growable; if you do, the additional free space will be shared among all growable partitions.
Partition Type: This field contains a list of different partition types (such as Linux Native or DOS). Select the appropriate partition type by using the mouse.
Allowable Drives: This field contains a list of the hard disks installed on your system. If a hard disk's box is highlighted, then a desired partition can be created on that hard disk. If the box is not checked, then the partition will never be created on that hard disk. By using different check box settings, you can direct Disk Druid to place partitions as you see fit, or let Disk Druid decide where partitions should go.
Ok: Select Ok once you're satisfied with the settings, and wish to create the partition.
Cancel: Select Cancel if you don't want to create the partition.
Editing Partitions
To edit a partition, select the Edit button or double-click on the existing partition (see Figure 15-11).
| Please Note |
|---|---|
If the partition already existed on your hard disk, you will only be able to change the partition's mount point. If you want to make any other changes, you will need to delete the partition and recreate it. |
Deleting a Partition
To delete a partition, highlight it in the "Partitions" section and double-click the Delete button. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.
Skip to the section called Choose Partitions to Format for further installation instructions.