Before we explain how to repartition your drives, you need to have an idea of how much space you will be allocating for Linux. We will be discussing how to create these partitions later, in Section 2.3.3.
On UNIX systems, files are stored on a filesystem, which is essentially a section of the hard drive (or other medium, such as CD-ROM or diskette) formatted to hold files. Each filesystem is associated with a specific part of the directory tree; for example, on many systems, there is a filesystem for all of the files in the directory /usr, another for /tmp, and so on. The root filesystem is the primary filesystem, which corresponds to the topmost directory, /.
Under Linux, each filesystem lives on a separate partition on the hard drive. For instance, if you have a filesystem for / and another for /usr, you will need two partitions to hold the two filesystems.
Before you install Linux, you will need to prepare filesystems for storing the Linux software. You must have at least one filesystem (the root filesystem), and therefore one partition, allocated to Linux. Many Linux users opt to store all of their files on the root filesystem, which is in most cases easier to manage than several filesystems and partitions.
However, you may create multiple filesystems for Linux if you wish---for example, you may want to use separate filesystems for /usr and /home. Those readers with UNIX system administration experience will know how to use multiple filesystems creatively. In Chapter 4 we discuss the use of multiple partitions and filesystems.
Why use more than one filesystem? The most commonly stated reason is
safety; if, for some reason, one of your filesystems is damaged,
the others will (usually) be unharmed. On the other hand, if you store
all of your files on the root filesystem, and for some reason the
filesystem is damaged, then you may lose all of your files in one fell
swoop. This is, however, rather uncommon; if you backup the system
regularly you should be quite safe.
Another reason to use multiple filesystems is to divvy up storage between multiple hard drives. If you have, say, 40 megabytes free on one hard drive, and 50 megabytes free on another, you might want to create a 40-megabyte root filesystem on the first drive and a 50-megabyte /usr filesystem on the other. Currently it is not possible for a single filesystem to span multiple drives; if your free hard drive storage is fragmented between drives you will need to use multiple filesystems to utilize it all.
In summary, Linux requires at least one partition, for the root filesystem. If you wish to create multiple filesystems, you will need a separate partition for each additional filesystem. Some distributions of Linux automatically create partitions and filesystems for you, so you may not need to worry about these issues at all.
Another issue to consider when planning your partitions is swap space. If you wish to use swap space with Linux, you have two options. The first is to use a swap file which exists on one of your Linux filesystems. You will create the swap file for use as virtual RAM after you install the software. The second option is to create a swap partition, an individual partition to be used only as swap space. Most people use a swap partition instead of a swap file.
A single swap file or partition may be up to 16 megabytes in size. If you wish to use more than 16 megabytes of swap, you can create multiple swap partitions or files---up to eight in all. For example, if you need 32 megabytes of swap, you can create two 16-megabyte swap partitions.
Setting up a swap partition is covered in Section 2.3.4, and setting up a swap file in Chapter 4.
Therefore, in general, you will create at least two partitions for Linux: one for use as the root filesystem, and the other for use as swap space. There are, of course, many variations on the above, but this is the minimal setup. You are not required to use swap space with Linux, but if you have less than 16 megabytes of physical RAM it is strongly suggested that you do.
Of course, you need to be aware of how much space these partitions will require. The size of your Linux filesystems (containing the software itself) depends greatly on how much software you're installing and what distribution of Linux you are using. Hopefully, the documentation that came with your distribution will give you an approximation of the space requirements. A small Linux system can use 20 megabytes or less; a larger system anywhere from 80 to 100 megabytes, or more. Keep in mind that in addition to the space required by the software itself, you need to allocate extra space for user directories, room for future expansion, and so forth.
The size of your swap partition (should you elect to use one) depends on how much virtual RAM you require. A rule of thumb is to use a swap partition that is twice the space of your physical RAM; for example, if you have 4 megabytes of physical RAM, an 8-megabyte swap partition should suffice. Of course, this is mere speculation---the actual amount of swap space that you require depends on the software which you will be running. If you have a great deal of physical RAM (say, sixteen megabytes or more), you may not wish to use swap space at all.
Important note: Because of BIOS limitations, it is usually not possible to boot from partitions using cylinders numbered over 1023. Therefore, when setting aside space for Linux, keep in mind that you may not want to use a partition in the >1023-cylinder range for your Linux root filesystem. Linux can still use partitions with cylinders numbered over 1023, however, you may not be able to boot Linux from such a partition. This advice may seem premature, but it is important to know while planning your drive layout.
If you absolutely must use a partition with cylinders numbered over 1023 for your Linux root filesystem, you can always boot Linux from floppy. This is not so bad, actually---it only takes a few seconds longer to boot than from the hard drive. At any rate, it's always an option.