Partition layout and types

Partition layout and types

There are two kinds of major partitions on a Linux system:

• data partition: normal Linux system data, including the root partition containing all the data to start up and run the system; and
• swap partition: expansion of the computer's physical memory, extra memory on hard disk.

Most systems contain a root partition, one or more data partitions and one or more swap partitions. Systems in mixed environments may contain partitions for other system data, such as a partition with a FAT or VFAT file system for MS Windows data.

Most Linux systems use fdisk at installation time to set the partition type. As you may have noticed during the exercise from Chapter 1, this usually happens automatically. On some occasions, however, you may not be so lucky. In such cases, you will need to select the partition type manually and even manually do the actual partitioning. The standard Linux partitions have number 82 for swap and 83 for data, which can be journaled (ext3) or normal (ext2, on older systems). The fdisk utility has built-in help, should you forget these values.

The standard root partition is about 100-500 MB, and contains the system configuration files, most basic commands and server programs, system libraries, some temporary space and the home directory of the administrative user. A standard installation requires about 250 MB for the root partition.

Swap space is only accessible for the system itself, and is hidden from view during normal operation. Swap is the system that ensures, like on normal UNIX systems, that you can keep on working, whatever happens. On Linux, you will never see irritating messages like Out of memory, please close some applications first and try again, because of this extra memory. Using memory on a hard disk is naturally slower than using the real memory chips of a computer, but having this little extra is a great comfort. We will learn more about swap when we discuss Processes in Chapter 4.

Linux generally counts on having twice the amount of physical memory in the form of swap space on the hard disk. When installing a system, you have to know how you are going to do this. An example on a system with 512 MB of RAM:

• 1st possibility: one swap partition of 1 GB
• 2nd possibility: two swap partitions of 512 MB
• 3rd possibility: with two hard disks: 1 partition of 512 MB on each disk.

The last option will give the best results when a lot of I/O is to be expected.

Read the software documentation for specific guidelines. Some applications, such as databases, might require more swap space. Others, such as some handheld systems, might not have any swap at all by lack of a hard disk. Swap space may also depend on your kernel version.

The rest of the hard disk(s) is generally divided in data partitions, although it may be that all of the non-system critical data resides on one partition, for example when you perform a standard workstation installation. When non-critical data is separated on different partitions, it usually happens following a set pattern:

• a partition for user programs
• a partition containing the users' personal data
• a partition to store temporary data like print- and mail-queues
• a partition for third party and extra software

Once the partitions are made, you can only add more. Changing sizes or properties of existing partitions is possible but not advisable.

The division of hard disks into partitions is determined by the system administrator. On larger systems, he or she may even spread one partition over several hard disks, using the appropriate software. Most distributions allow for standard setups optimized for workstations (average users) and for general server purposes, but also accept customized partitions. During the installation process you can define your own partition layout using either Disk Druid, a straight forward graphical tool, or fdisk, a text-based tool for creating partitions and setting their properties.

A workstation or client installation is for use by mainly one and the same person. The selected software for installation reflects this and the stress is on common user packages, such as nice desktop themes, development tools, client programs for E-mail, multimedia software, web and other services. Everything is put together on one large partition, swap space twice the amount of RAM is added and your generic workstation is complete, providing the largest amount of disk space possible for personal use, but with the disadvantage of possible data integrity loss during problem situations.

On a server, system data tends to be separate from user data. Programs that offer services are kept in a different place than the data handled by this service. Different partitions will be created on such systems:

• a partition with all data necessary to boot the machine
• a partition with configuration data and server programs
• one or more partitions containing the server data such as database tables, user mails, an ftp archive etc.
• a partition with user programs and application
• one or more partitions for the user specific files (home directories)
• one or more swap partitions (virtual memory)

Servers usually have more memory and thus more swap space. Certain server processes, such as databases, may require more swap space than usual; see the specific documentation for detailed information. For better performance, swap is often divided into different swap partitions.