Installation question - multi-boot

satimis · 06-17-2006, 11:13 AM

Hi folks,

I have a SATA HD of 80G in capacity with FedoraCore5_64 running on it.

# fdisk -l

Code:

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1          13      104391   83  Linux
/dev/sda2              14        1734    13823932+  83  Linux
/dev/sda3            1735        3008    10233405   83  Linux
/dev/sda4            3009        9729    53986432+   5  Extended
/dev/sda5            3009        3262     2040223+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

/dev/sda1 /boot
/dev/sda2 /
/dev/sda3 /home
/dev/sda5 swap

occupying about 25G totally. /dev/sda3 (/home) is 15G in size with a Data file running on it.

The ext partition has not been touched yet. Now I want to create new partitions on the ext partitionins for installing Ubuntu 64bit on it as follows;

/dev/sda6 / (Ubuntu) 10G
/dev/sda7 /home (Ubuntu) 5G

My questions are.

1) Can I repartition the ext partition manually before installing Ubuntu
2) On installing Ubuntu how to avoid the partitioning steps and installing / and /home direct to the partitions created for them in advance.
3) How to make /home of Ubuntu connected automatically at boot to the Data file on /home of FC5_64 without confusing its /home.
4) How to create multi-boot
5) Any advice to avoid corrupting the existing FC5_64

Please advise. TIA

B.R.
satimis

Brian1 · 06-18-2006, 10:26 AM

You should have no problem creating the new partitions from the current install.

Now if I understand you, you what to use common partitions. I myself do not perfer this due to what some distro use to setup. The only thing I would keep common is swap and /boot.

So you have a directory in your fc home and you want to share the Ubuntu install. Should be no problem. You need to set the directory read and write to all and then link the directory to the Ubuntu home directory.

First mount the fc /home as say /home_fc under Ubuntu.
Set permissions to the directory
Then link the directoy ' ln -s /home_fc/<username>/<directory name> /home/<username>/<directory name>

I am not positive that will work but what will for sure is quite similiar
Make a new partition at root of the drive and use that as the directory. The use link command to both home user accounts.

Brian1

satimis · 06-18-2006, 06:17 PM

Hi Brian1,

Tks for your advice.

Quote:

You should have no problem creating the new partitions from the current install......

I haven't installed Ubuntu before. Whether I can natvigate installation manually directing /, /home , etc. to the partitions created before hand. The most important step is about /boot and swap whether they can be shared with FC5 rather than wipe out the latter's /boot completely. What precaution I have to take.

Quote:

Now if I understand you, you what to use common partitions.

That is what I prefer, if possible a common partition holding all working data/files, which can be shared between Ubuntu and FC5 rather than mounting /home of FC5 after starting Ubuntu.

Quote:

So you have a directory in your fc home and you want to share the Ubuntu install. Should be no problem. You need to set the directory read and write to all and then link the directory to the Ubuntu home directory.

First mount the fc /home as say /home_fc under Ubuntu.
Set permissions to the directory
Then link the directoy ' ln -s /home_fc/<username>/<directory name> /home/<username>/<directory name>

I am not positive that will work but what will for sure is quite similiar
Make a new partition at root of the drive and use that as the directory. The use link command to both home user accounts.

I'll try it after installing Ubuntu, copying the directory (working data/files) from /home of FC5 to a spare partition and smylink it to a directory on /home of Ubuntu. If it can be linked automatically on starting Ubuntu without problem then I'll create another symlink to a directory on FC5 /home to see what will happen. If everything working without problem then I'll remove the old data directory on /home of FC5.

Tks.

B.R.
satimis