Re: [tlug] new computer configuration

[Scott Robbins <scottro@example.com>]

On Wed, Jun 26, 2002 at 08:29:44PM -0700, nitin kakkar wrote:
> 
> Hi All
> 
>   I am getting a new computer for a friend (P4 1.6  IWill MB) , He wants  Linux (RH 7.2), Win 98 and capability to have more one os like Sun Os, Free BSB or XP (just to play around for a while, he wants to change this from time to time ).
> 
> Also some partition should be shared between Linux and windows.


> 
>  The disk he got is 30or 40GB. Can anyone please suggest how  should we make the partitions, Win98 does not make them and linux only support 4 primary partitions so please explain how to make partitions and of what type.
>
There are many ways to do it--probably the easiest.  Use the Win98
boot disk's fdisk and make a partition for Win98.  Depending upon how
much stuff he puts in there, you can easily get by with 1.5 gigs.
Then, if you put in XP, it gives you a chance to choose the size of
the partition and create it. You can put it on Fat32 if you like, and
then the Win9x can access it.  (Also, it's safe to write to a Fat32
partition in Linux, whereas writing to an NTFS one is considered
experimental.)

Both of these will probably have to be primary partitions, I haven't
installed either on a multiboot box in awhile, so I don't remember. 
XP's bootloader will give you a choice of booting either 98 or XP, I
think. (Someone confirm or correct that--Win2k does, but by the time I
got to XP, I'd dropped 9x completely)

Then, you can put in Linux.  You'll need a swap partition--while the
formula of 2x the machine's RAM is no longer considered a must, you
should have enough room to do that--and you can partition the rest of
it as you like--separate for /usr etc, or everything in /.  
j
You can let RH put its Grub bootloader in the MBR--since the first
partition will be Fat32, Grub should have no trouble seeing it and
adding it to the boot menu. If you choose it, then you should be put
into XP's bootloader, and choose either XP or Win98 there.  (Again,
someone please confirm or correct that, that's how it works with
2k--my present setup is XP and various Unix/Linux O/S's.)

Put the RH, including swap, on logical drives in extended partitions.
This will leave you the possibility of having two more primary
partitions, which will be necessary for FreeBSD or Solaris.

Then, you can put in FreeBSD. It will require a primary partition,
which can be created during installation.  Up to 4.4 I think it was,
their auto partitioning had a terribly small /var partition, but now
the default is something like 250 megs.  During installation, choose
to not install a boot loader.  You'll be able to boot it from Grub, by
editing the RH /boot/grub/grub.conf. 

Solaris will also require a primary partition.  BTW, that partition
will be seen by Linux as a swap partition--once, I almost told a Linux
install to go ahead and format it before realizing that I didn't have
a 4 gig swap partition. :)

How much space you give to each one will depend upon how much you
think you'll be putting in each one.  The Win98, as I said, will have
plenty of space if you give it 1.5 gigs--I think a basic install uses
600-700 megs.  XP should have at least 2 gigs.  For me, a RedHat
install--putting in both KDE and Gnome, printing support, development,
kernel development, Japanese support, print support, X and a few other
things took about 1800 megs in 7.1, 2100 in 7.2 and 2600 in 7.3  :)

I use FreeBSD for a LOT of things so I have that partition fairly
large, about 7 gigs.  Solaris will easily fit in a 2 gig partition--of
course, again it depends upon what you're going to add to it.

FWIW with my XP installation, I have a relatively small NTFS
partition, and large Fat32 partition--as I said, I can write to that
with few worries in Linux, in case I want to transfer something.
FreeBSD can mount ext2 and ext3 partitions--AFAIK, it can't do Reiser,
xfs and jfs yet, but RH 7.1's default is ext3. (You will have to
recompile the FreeBSD kernel and add that support, however).

HTH a bit
Scott Robbins
primary partition--I think it's fairly straightforward, and you either
put its loader in the Solaris partition or skip it--I haven't
installed Solaris in awhile, but I do remember that it was pretty
easy to decide about the bootloader. That too can be booted from Grub.