HD install questions

Hi all,

After giving up on a Gentoo install (I'm too much a newbie). I decided to try a HD install of Overclockix. I'm using a spare box with Intel 810 chipset and 20 gig drive. I'm using a kvm switch to connect my USB optical mouse, ps2 kb, and lcd monitor with my main XP box. I have a D-link router to share my cable connection.

Overclockix live CD runs fine. I started using it because it has the nforce2 net drivers and ran well on my main box. I decided to sick with it for a HD install omn my 2nd machine because it seems to be more current than the regular Knoppix

On the second box I first tried to partition a 512 meg linux swap and the rest EXT3 and use the new Knoppix installer with "Knoppix style" install. My swap partition was not recocgnized so I tried the "Debian style" This used the existing swap partition but mounted the EXT3 partition as ext2 and I had no network. I reformatted ext2 and tried again. Still no network.

Finally I reformatted with one large extended partition and divided this into the swap and EXT2 partitions. Now the "Knoppix style" install recognized the swap partition and everything installed fine and network is up.

After some research I decided I want the the Debian style install because I read that with it I could use apt-get to install and update packages. I have not yet tried the new partition table (using the 20 gig extended) with the Debian style install.

So what's up with this? If I reinstall again with the new partition table (using the extended partition) will the Debian style install work with my network? Is the Debian style install better? Do I need it to use apt-get? Would I have better luck with the regular Knoppix live CD install?

Thanks

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Is the Debian style install better?

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It depends what you want. The Knoppix style basically puts the live CD on HD, the Debian install is a fastrack to installing Debian Sid. There are advantages to either.

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Do I need it to use apt-get?

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I don't think so.

I'm not sure why you're using extended partitions. Seems to me that it's a messy way of doing things. I always make my Linux partitions primary. Always.

I'd advise 3 partitions:

/ 3.5Gig max
swap 1/2 Gig max

/home what you have left

Use ext3 or Reiser for everything but swap.

I finally used an extended partition because the installer would not recocgnize my swap partition until I did. Initially I tried I created a swap partition and a primary.

A swap partition should be type 82, not type 83.
I noticed that with the debian install, you have to mkswap /dev/whatever to activate the swap partition.

Hmmm. Maybe I'll try again.

OK. I'm going to do this again. I'll try a Debian style install using the new installer. First swapoff dev/hda(x), so I can repartition. Then I will delete all partitions. Next I will create a 512meg swap partition HDA1 (at beginning of drive for performance). I will then create a primary 2 gig (HDA2) ext3 for root. The rest will be another primary (HDA3) ext3 partition.

I will run mkswap /dev/hda1 and install into the 2 Gig partition.

I'm not sure how the installer sets up all the various partitions. Will I now have /usr /var /home partitions in /dev/hda2? Do I need to reconfigure so /dev/hda3 is /home?

I have a feeling that there is a optimum size for a swap partition and that it is better to have multiple swaps of around 128Meg. I read this some time ago and can't find the reference, so some of the other forummers might be able to correct me on this one. Basically (if I remember right) the swap needs to be 2xRAM size. man mkswap.

I set up a seperate partition for the /home directory which I mounted ('mount /mny/hda9' - the partition is, obviously, hda9) I then copied all the /home directory files onto the partition (make a note of the respective permissions of the /home directory and the directories in the original /home and in the newly mounted partition and make sure that they all match)

Delete the directories in /home. Obviously you won't be in a graphical login (except root which doesn't have it's home directory in /home).

Edit /etc/fstab so that the partition mounts at /home and replace the 'noauto,users,etc,etc..' with 'defaults'

Umount the partition and 'mount /home'

Or, if you want to do it the windows way, Reboot ;)

I re-installed after formatting ext2. Now as before (see my earlier post in the this thread) I have no internet. Seems install only gets network right if I use Knoppix style install.

Why can't I use ext3 or get network right with Debian style install?

Is there a way to use the partition scheme I want before installing, maybe with a configuration file instead of having to move directories and edit config files afterwards?