Re: server change for mindprod.com

Martin Gregorie wrote:
Name Size %used Comment
/boot 256 MB 9% contain kernel boot image(s)
/ 2 GB 16% root login, essential programs, temp disk, etc
/var 2 GB 14% system logs, NNTP files, mailboxes
/usr 15 GB 24% standard Linux programs
/home 15 GB 44% all logins and user data.
swap 1 GB - excessive (4 x RAM)
....
Modern installers tend to use just three partitions (/boot, / and swap) but I think that's not a good approach, just simple. I use more because:

- /home is separate and contains everything I've added (e.g. Java)
because this way I can reformat the other partitions, do a clean
install and not have lost any of my data. There are some post-install
tweaks needed but they're minor.

- /var is separate so that runaway logging, overflowing mailboxes or
gigantic print jobs can't fill all the available disk and interfere
with normal system operation.

- /usr is separate because I thought it seemed a good idea at the time.
In practise it just wastes space because its read-only data except
when its being upgraded.

I run Fedora 7, and have pretty much the same experience and a not dissimilar setup to Martin's. I have /opt in its own partition, and install all my servers, Java, RDBMS data directories, installation files and the like in there. I provide symlinks to it, many with the alternatives mechanism, so that things like /usr/java/java map to /opt/java/jdk$PREFERRED_VERSION, and some /usr/bin/xxx programs symlink to an /opt/xxx/bin/xxx. /home/whomever is symlinked to /opt/home/whomever for reasons identical to what Martin offered.

The point of that paragraph is that one can follow the principles with variations in the details.

--
Lew
.