GParted Help

[merlin1012]

Hello & sorry if this was covered, I did try searching but too many responses.
Sparky will be the second OS on a laptop with another distro but I'm not sure how to repartition the disk. In the past other installations only asked how much of the drive to give the second OS and the installation did the rest.
Please let me know if I should go to GParted to ask for this help but I still wouldn't know the specs for Sparky (yes, it is detailed in the help installation wiki)

Thanks for the help
Merl

[penguin]

I have 2 Linux and Windows OS on my 256 GB SSD.

35 GB - Windows  NTFS
25 GB - Arch        EXT4
25 GB - Sparky    EXT4
4 GB   - Swap

Difference is a storage partition NTFS

First three Primary Partition
Storage    Logical partition

For both Linux  home is installed under / (root)

See some videos on youtube

Hope it helps.

[Wombat]

I usually allow 40gb for /root, 4gb for swap and half the remainder for /home and what is left I call /store, all EXT4 format other than the swap.

Your problem is you will need to repartition one allready being used by the current distro to include room for sparky/root and sparky/home but still keeping whatever the previous distro has included without introducing any odd properties that will cause errors with your current distro. You could try saving the contents of your /home, shrink with gparted, re-install the contents to the now reduced /home and then install sparky in the newly reclaimed unused space by selecting to manually partition when asked that option during the live install...... maybe better to start with a clean disk partitioned from scratch for extra distros?

[bardo]

Sparky will be the second OS on a laptop with another distro but I'm not sure how to repartition the disk.

Hi merl,

i am not certain, if i understand your problem properly (lack of information). Would you be more clear about 4 things:

• The current state of the disk (partition table, and is there crucial data in the partitions to be taken care of)
• The intended outcome (what you would like to achieve)
• Your experience level (would you be able to properly execute admin tasks, or do you need someone to "babysit" with you while doing it)
• Could you boot from a custom CD to perform some tasks

?

[merlin1012]

Hello all;

Sorry for the delay, life got in the way.

Most of this is a response to 'bardo':
-(Image didn't load, screen snap of GParted of disk)
-I would like to install Sparky as the second OS on this laptop
-My self-assessment is above average; given the commands I can execute them and understand if the output is as expected
-Yes (I'm currently trying to install from a live USB)

Trying to install, I get up to the point where Sparky (or some disk partition program under install tool control) asks how to re-partition the disk; this is where I get stuck as in the past during install other OSs would just ask (basically) what percentage then do the rest ("sub-partition" and format as needed). But, what I understand, I have to is set how much for one partition & format, set another section for partition & format, etc.

Just realized there is a step-by-step install Wiki; I'll have that open on another computer while trying to install on this one.

I'll let you all know how it comes out!
Merl

[merlin1012]

I'm still stuck in the same position "Creating a Partition".

The first OS currently occupies the whole disk: /dev/sdb1 (500M) & /dev/sdb2 (55G)
I've reduced the size of /sdb2 to 25G.
I try to create a new partition in the free space, 20G; type: Primary; File System: ext4; Mount Point: /; Flags: ?  :o
This is the screen where I get confused: which Mount Point to select? which Flags to select? Does Type need to change to Extended? The install Wiki does not give these details.
I understand I need to create at least 2 (would like to create 3) partitions but what Mount Point & what Flags? (As an aside: this is where previous OSs recognized they were second onto the disk, had me repartition the disk to give them room then they did the rest in the Free Space)

What more details do I need to add? Anyone who has installed Sparky as second OS would have gone thru this part of the install, I just need those details having not had to make those informed choices before.

Thanks in advance;
Merl

[pavroo]

I try to create a new partition in the free space, 20G; type: Primary; File System: ext4; Mount Point: /; Flags: ?

If possible use Primary partition; if not have to make extended one, then new logical.
ext4 is common file system for most Linux distros.
Mount point / (root).
Flag (optional): boot
That's all.

[merlin1012]

Thank you all for your patience with me & responding in an effort to help.
It came to my attention, when I finally tried to implement your suggestions that I was butting heads with an LVM. So, even with GParted, I can't adjust the size of the partition, unless I wipe the disk and start over; maybe some day.
I have another computer that I might try to install Sparky on, sooner if I had another 60 minutes in a day.  ;D

Merl

[paxmark1]

An lvm is the thing to have to resize easily.   I do like it a lot on my desktop,  One place I go to when I need to find the right tools to deal with lvm is

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/4/html/Cluster_Logical_Volume_Manager/LVM_CLI.html

there are numerous other tutorial and references. 

As noted elsewhere in wiki and in forum, the Calamares installer will not work with any distros that use it and lvm.  You will have to use the advanced installation I believe. 

https://github.com/calamares/calamares/issues/889

If you are in it for the long haul, getting a job in system admin, etc. learning the tools for lvm is well worth the time.