Partitions

Where do you want to install Vine Linux?

First, you'll have to define mount points for one or more disk partitions. You may also need to create and/or delete partitions at this time.

If you don't know how to partition your system, please read the section on partitioning in the Vine Linux Installation Guide or the Vine Linux Reference Guide.

The top screen shows your existing partitions. Each partition has five fields:

Mount Point:

This field indicates where the partition will be mounted when Vine Linux is installed and running. If a partition exists, but is labeled as "not set" you will need to define its mount point. You can use the Edit key or double-click on the partition.

We recommend that, unless you have a reason for doing otherwise, you should create the following partitions:

  • A swap partition (at least 16 MB) -- Swap partitions are used to support virtual memory. If your computer has 16 MB of RAM or less, you must create a swap partition. Even if you have more memory, a swap partition is still recommended. The minimum size of your swap partition should be equal to your computer's RAM, or 16 MB (whichever is larger).

  • A /boot partition (16 MB, maximum) -- The partition mounted on /boot contains the operating system kernel, along with files used during the bootstrap process. Due to the limitations of most PC BIOSes, creating a small partition to hold these files is a good idea. This partition should be no larger than 16 MB.

  • A root partition (500 MB-1 GB) -- This is where "/" (the root directory) resides. In this partitioning layout, all files (except those stored in /boot) reside on the root partition. A 500 MB root partition will permit the equivalent of a workstation-class installation (with very little free space), while a 1 GB root partition will let you install every package.

Device:

This field displays the partition's device name (for example, hda2 represents the second partition on your primary hard drive).

Requested:

The Requested field shows how much space the partition has. If you want to re-define the size, you must delete the current partition and recreate it using the Add button.

Actual:

The Actual field shows how much space the partition is using.

Type:

This field shows the partition's type (such as Linux Native or DOS).

As you scroll through the Partitions section, you might see an Unallocated Requested Partition message (in red text), followed by one or more partitions. A common reason for having an unallocated partition is a lack of sufficient free space for the partition.

To fix an unallocated requested partition, you must either move the partition to another drive which has the available space, resize the partition to fit on the current drive, or delete the partition entirely. Make changes using the Edit button or by double-clicking on the partition.

Partitioning Your System

The center row of buttons controls the partitioning tool's actions. You can add, edit and delete partitions here. In addition, there are buttons you can use to accept the changes you've made, or to reset and exit the partitioning tool.

Add:

Use the Add button to request a new partition. When selected, a dialog box will appear containing fields that must be filled in (such as mount point, size and type).

Edit:

Use the Edit button to change the mount point of a currently selected partition.

Delete:

Use the Delete button to delete a partition. A dialog box will appear asking you to confirm the deletion.

Reset:

Use the Reset button to cancel any changes you may have made.

Make RAID Device:

Use the Make RAID Device button ONLY if you have experience using RAID. To learn more about RAID, please refer to the Vine Linux Reference Guide.

Drive Summaries

This section displays your computer's disk configuration. It is only meant to provide a summary. Each line has the following fields:

Drive:

This field shows the hard drive's device name (such as hda or hdb).

Geom [C/H/S]:

The hard drive's geometry shows the number of cylinders, heads and sectors.

Total:

This field shows the total available space on the hard drive.

Free:

Here you'll see how much of the hard drive's space is still available.

Used:

These fields show how much of the hard disk's space is currently allocated to partitions, in megabytes and percentage.