Default partitioning not include separate /home?

Trio3b · Post by **Trio3b** » 2011/06/26 20:16:45

Centos noob with fresh install of Centos 5 DVD on AMD w ATI Radeon 9250 /1 gb RAM/320gb HDD. Don't see an "installation" forum so posting here.

Read here -> http://www.centos.org/docs/5/html/Installation_Guide-en-US/s1-diskpartauto-x86.html and following page which seems to indicate the default option on a new unformatted 320gb HD is suitable for most users, so selected it just to see. Install went fine. Using KDE as default desktop.

cat /etc/fstab shows:
[code]
[root@centosdesktop user]# cat /etc/fstab
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 / ext3 defaults 1 1
LABEL=/boot /boot ext3 defaults 1 2
tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs defaults 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol01 swap[/code]

I am used to other setups which include a separate /home partition by default. Went to >system>disk management and apparently to not have permissions "there are no filesystems which you are allowed to mount or unmount-contact administrator". There is no option to enter with root privileges.

fdisk -l shows:
[code]
Disk /dev/hda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 14 38913 312464250 8e Linux LVM[/code]

Am I able to access via GUI/ admin password the disk partitioning? Can't seem to find it in menus. I found LVM but completely unfamiliar with it. Might it be best to reinstall and choose a custom partitioning scheme as below rather than try to resize and adjust from current install?

/boot <- also not used to seeing this in other systems (probably a good idea but new to me)
/
swap
/home
/var
/tmp ?

Any help appreciated
Thanks
[Moderator edit: Added [i]code[/i] tags to preserve formatting.]

pschaff · Post by **pschaff** » 2011/06/26 22:44:44

[quote]
Trio3b wrote:
Centos noob with fresh install of Centos 5 DVD on AMD w ATI Radeon 9250 /1 gb RAM/320gb HDD. Don't see an "installation" forum so posting here. [/quote]
Good choice. :-)

[quote]
Read here -> http://www.centos.org/docs/5/html/Installation_Guide-en-US/s1-diskpartauto-x86.html and following page which seems to indicate the default option on a new unformatted 320gb HD is suitable for most users, so selected it just to see. Install went fine. Using KDE as default desktop.[/quote]
Good choice. :-) ;-)

[quote]
...
Might it be best to reinstall and choose a custom partitioning scheme as below rather than try to resize and adjust from current install?
[/quote]
Unless you want to learn a lot messing around with the physical and logical volumes, and perhaps still have to reinstall, it would be easier to just reinstall and custom partition. OTOH you have nothing to lose by experimenting with the current system, and can always fall back on a fresh install.

The /boot is required as GRUB does not understand LVM. LVM is generally a good idea as it allows flexibility to add physical volumes and expand/change volume groups and logical volumes later, but does add additional complexity. For instance, if you did want to add a /home logical volume you could shrink the / filesystem and make space for it, or add another disk as an additional physical volume to the volume group and then create a new logical volume for /home.

man lvm
man pvcreate
man vgextend
man lvcreate
etc.

The GUI administration tools should prompt for the root password as required, but do not handle all administrative tasks. To work at the command line learn how to [url=http://wiki.centos.org/TipsAndTricks/BecomingRoot]become root[/url] as required.

Trio3b · Post by **Trio3b** » 2011/06/27 01:12:34

Wow, you weren't kidding. Read here ->. http://www.centos.org/docs/5/html/Deployment_Guide-en-US/s1-system-config-lvm.html , but way over my head.

Reinstalled, I think I created a boot partition and now there are two, so that tells me CentOS creates its own at install. However, in addition to / I did add:

/home
/var
/tmp

And these show up in the LVM but show as uninitialized AND unmounted and yet when I mount /home it shows as already mounted. Am assuming it is referring to the /home directory on the root partition that CentOS creates by default at installation. I guess what I'm saying is I am used to the /home directory being created and mounted on a separate partition. If I bork the system, this current setup is going to take my data with it.

In LVM, initializing these volumes produces:
"pvcreate command failed. Command attempted: "/usr/sbin/pvcreate -M 2 /dev/hda5" - System Error Message: Can't open /dev/hda5 exclusively. Mounted filesystem?"

and yet LVM shows these as unmounted. Hmmm.. guess I'll have to read up on the installer some more.

markkuk · Post by **markkuk** » 2011/06/27 08:15:38

If you created /home, /tmp and /var as partitions during installation then they aren't managed by LVM. You can use gparted for GUI management of traditional partitions.

jlehtone · Post by **jlehtone** » 2011/06/27 11:18:54

[quote]Trio3b wrote:
Reinstalled, I think I created a boot partition and now there are two, ...

And these show up in the LVM but show as uninitialized AND unmounted and yet when I mount /home it shows as already mounted.[/quote]
Could you use the [url=https://www.centos.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=25128&forum=47]getinfo[/url]?

Damian_S · Post by **Damian_S** » 2011/06/28 15:11:48

Can someone please confirm that /var mounted on its own partition is ok?
I thought I read in the RHEL install docs, not only is /var mounted outside of / not supported, it will not work.

pschaff · Post by **pschaff** » 2011/06/28 16:00:45

[quote]
Damian_S wrote:
Can someone please confirm that /var mounted on its own partition is ok?
I thought I read in the RHEL install docs, not only is /var mounted outside of / not supported, it will not work.[/quote]
Please review the recommended reading and do not hijack threads. Start a new topic for your question.

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