Advice on partitioning before install

[Bagleemo]

Hello ya'll -

I've just bought my box of SuSE Personal 8.0 Linux and I'm about ready to begin. I also have just purchased a new harddrive. So currently I have the following config:
Primary IDE:
1 hard drive w/ windows ( master) - I want to keep this
1 CD rom (slave)
Secondary IDE:
1 hard drive formatted windows (master) -I'm going to replace this
1 CD burner (slave)

I am going to remove the secondary hard drive since I need the IDE slot for the new one. What I want to end up with is my old Windows harddrive, choosable to boot from, and this new harddrive. I'd like the new harddrive to be half linux (30 gigs) and half Windows format (30 more gigs - no OS just FAT space for Windows Apps.) I guess I"ll need some kind of swap partition or something too.....

What do I need to do? Will the SuSE partitioning utility allow me to do this? Should I install my new drive on the secondary IDE channel or the primary? Should I format it Fat 32 before I start installing Linux?

Thank you -

Amos

[Cadillac84]

You should probably arrange to NOT have the CD and the hard drive on the same channel if that is avoidable. Somewhere in here I read that the CD presence will slow the hard drive.

So, if you really plan to use this machine to copy CDs, why not put the two CDs on the secondary IDE and put your one or two hard drives on the primary.


The only thing I'd be concerned about is how to consolidate the Windows part of the hard-drive so that you don't damage anything during the partitioning. SuSE has a very nice Druid that will handle the partitioning for you, but make sure you understand what will happen to the Windows stuff before you turn it completely loose.

One of the things I really like about SuSE Install is that it tells you when it thinks something you're doing doesn't make sense.


If the new drive is currently empty, let SuSE's Druid take care of it. You'll end up with 30 GB of unallocated space which it will format as FAT32 if you want or you can get Windows to do that later if you're careful not to let Windows run off and erase your Linux partition.

I think you'll have fun with it. SuSE is *my* favorite -- FWIW.

Regards,

Chuck Moore
CNMoore@Knology.net

[Bagleemo]

First off, thanks for the speedy advice... Glad to know the SuSE install can handle such a situation. However:

>Cadillac84 wrote:
>
>"So, if you really plan to use this machine to copy CDs, why not >put the two CDs on the secondary IDE and put your one or two >hard drives on the primary. "

I'd love to do that. The trouble is that according to Nero, my burning software, having both the drive playing the CD and the drive burning the new one on the same channel messes up the 'on the fly' copy process. So they advocate having them on different IDE channels - hence my configuration. I guess I could configure as your reccomend below, but then I will have to always copy data from a CD drive to my harddrive before it gets burned onto the new CD. Kinda slow....
Do you think it will work if I keep the Harddrive master / CD slave channel config? Which should be primary master, my new empty drive or the old Windows drive? Do you recall where I can find the posting that describes how a hard drive gets slowed down when it has a CD drive on the same channel?

Thanks -

Amos

[demian]

Originally posted by Bagleemo
The trouble is that according to Nero, my burning software, having both the drive playing the CD and the drive burning the new one on the same channel messes up the 'on the fly' copy process.

Yeah, that might be true for Nero but you're installing linux, right? So do your CD burning with linux and everything will be fine. I've got a DVD-ROM and my burner attached to the secondary IDE channel and I burnt more on-the-fly copies than you can shake a stick at and not one of them produced a coaster.

I never burnt CDs using windows but I've seen people doing it and I was quite amazed how sluggish the system performs while burning a CD. Linux handles that much better, believe me. I can compile a kernel, run a DC client while I browse the web and burn some stuff. No problem there.

[Cadillac84]

Y'know, I'm not sure if I remember this correctly or not, but I think I remember that Windoze will boot only from the 1st IDE channel. If that's right, and if you're going to have the Win OS on the old drive, you're going to want to have it Master on Primary and the new drive Master on Secondary.

That said, you're going to want to let Linux handle the dual boot, I'd say. You have lots of choices there, but probably it'll be fine to tell LILO (more about that later) to boot from that first drive.

You'll be using either YAST or YAST2 for installation. YAST is an acronym for Yet Another Setup Tool and the #2 is the graphical one. I am using junk machines for Linux (486s and <166 Pentiums with things like on-board graphics (2 MB) and the YAST suits me better -- I can't imagine what YAST2 has to offer that anyone needs. You'll have three panes which will help you keep track of disk space, tell you about the packages you are considering, etc.

When it comes time to decide about LILO or Grub, I can't advise you. Either should be fine; I use LILO which stands for LInux LOader. It works somewhat like Boot Magic and will let you decide which way to go. When you configure LILO (or Grub) you can install it in the Master Boot Record of the Linux drive or on another drive, etc. I think you'll HAVE TO install it on the Primary.

If that isn't clear, when the time comes, come back and ask the Q specifically and someone will give you an answer.

ALSO, since you bought the BOX, go to SuSE.org and register that puppy and let them help you with that question.

I've used SuSE and I like it, but my BOXED version is being held hostage by some mail-order outfit that is p_____ me off at the moment.

Good luck.

Chuck

[DMR]

Originally posted by demian
Yeah, that might be true for Nero but you're installing linux, right?Actually demian, the suggestion of having your CD devices on separate IDE channels isn't a Nero issue, it has to do with the way the IDE bus itself works.

Unlike SCSI, IDE is a single-threaded interface; it can only address one device per channel at any given time, and must wait until it has entirely completed a request to/from that device before it can address any other device on the channel. In the case of on-the-fly CD->CD burning with both devices on the same channel, this means that a data read operation from the source CD must be completed before the data write operation to the target CD can be initiated. Obviously, this creates a speed/performance bottleneck.

It is certainly possible to achieve perfectly good performance and reliable burns with both devices on the same bus/channel, especially given the speed of today's devices and advances in IDE/ATA technology. However, you should, at least theoretically if not measurably, see some performance increase by putting the devices on separate channels.

[Bagleemo]

Great - I'm going to try Windows disk Master primary, with a slave CD burner, and empty drive on Master Secondary, with slave CD drive. Somebody holler if this ain't right....

Thanks to all who replied for your generous help!

-Amos