Brian Durant wrote:
OK, due to a download problem with a couple of the large CD iso files, I am trying the bootbf2.4.iso Andrew Bloch net install. When I get to the hard disk partitioning, I am not really sure what to do. My hard disk looks like the following at this time:I don't know what the shmfs partition is. What I'd do, assuming you're wiping any remnants of SuSE in favor of Debian, is to choose the "Partition a Disk" option, and delete any existing partitions, then create new partitions according to one of two schemes:/dev/hda7 reiserfs 9.29 GB (mount point) / /dev/hda5 ext2 15.1 MB /boot shmfs shm 57.9 MB /dev/shmThis is from a SuSE 7.3 Pro install. I don't have a problem with the setup, if it will work with Debian, but I am unsure as to how to proceed with the Debian install prompts:1) prompt for /dev/hda6 as swap I guess this is OK, I assume that shmfs is swap? I got this info from KDE Control Panel under SuSE 7.3. It uses KDE 2 something.2) prompt for hda disk partition. I assume this provides an opportunity to reformat the entire hard disk, but all I really want to do is reformat the partitions at the same size for the same uses as I have now, unless there is a reason not to.
1) A large / partition, followed by a swap partition of two times your RAM size. Some folks would put the swap partition first, followed by the / partition; the debate goes on as to which is more efficient/faster/better/etc. This scheme of having one large partition for everything (except swap) has the advantage of being easy to setup and understand, and is less likely to present "no space left on device" errors for the newbie who doesn't yet have the skill to estimate what size to make different partitions.
2) A bunch of smaller partitions, sized according to need. This scheme has the advantage of being a bit more secure/safe: you can mount certain partitions read-only for example, or if a log file goes crazy and fills up a partition it can only fill up the log file partition and not bring the system to its knees, or if file system should occur, it'll probably only affect that partition and not the entire system, and backups can be easier to manage, etc.
If you're a newbie, I'd recommend taking the first scheme, use Debian for a day or two. Then do the install all over again, wiping the drive, using the second scheme. Then do it again in a week or so, wiping the drive, and making a choice then as to which scheme you feel comfortable using. The first two installs are not for the purpose of figuring out which scheme you want to use; they're just to get you familiar with the install process, kind of like how rebuilding your car's engine will give you a huge education, but rebuilding it thrice will give you an even better education.
Kent