Partition Layout in the Handbook

[Marc Fonvieille]

On Fri, Jan 18, 2008 at 01:52:19PM +0200, Marc Silver wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 17, 2008 at 03:08:34PM +0100, Marc Fonvieille wrote:
> > If it's to use the sizes you have when you press A, you will miss in
> > part the point of the section which is:
> > 
> > - introducing a working vanilla layout (not always the default
> >   sysinstall sizes).
> > - example of auto-default ('A') use;
> > - exemple of manual partitions creation (which should be different from
> >   the default sizes you get with 'A').
> 
> Fair point.  Is it then worth at least mentioning in the Handbook what
> the default sizes would be if auto partitioning is used, or would that
> just end up confusing users?  
> 

To quote release notes for 7.0:

---
      On systems where the disk capacity is larger than (3 * RAMsize +
10GB), the default sizes will now be as follows:
      Partition 	Size
      swap 	RAMsize * 2
      / 	512 MB
      /tmp 	512 MB
      /var 	1024 MB + RAMsize
      /usr 	the rest (8GB or more)

      On systems where the disk capacity is larger than (RAMsize / 8 + 2
GB), the default sizes will be in the following ranges, with space
allocated proportionally:
      Partition 	Size
      swap 	from RAMsize / 8 to RAMsize * 2
      / 	from 256MB to 512MB
      /tmp 	from 128MB to 512MB
      /var 	from 128MB to 1024MB
      /usr 	from 1536MB to 8192MB

      On systems with even less disk space, the existing behavior is not
changed.
---

As you can see, it's difficult to give what will be used by the
auto-partitioning system.
Here's what I think: we should give as example of a "good" partition
layout something like (in Table 2-2. Partition Layout for First Disk)

/	  from 256MB to 512MB
swap      RAMsize * 2
/tmp      from 128MB to 512MB
/var      from 128MB to 1024MB
/usr	  the rest


Regarding the auto function the current text says:

---
Disklabel can automatically create partitions for you and assign them
default sizes. Try this now, by Pressing A. You will see a display
similar to that shown in Figure 2-19. Depending on the size of the disk
you are using, the defaults may or may not be appropriate. This does not
matter, as you do not have to accept the defaults.
---

Maybe we could use something like that:

Disklabel can automatically create partitions for you and assign them
default sizes. The default sizes are calculated with an internal
partition sizing algorithm based on the disk size. Try this now, by
Pressing A. You will see a display similar to that shown in Figure 2-19.
Depending on the size of the disk you are using, the defaults may or may
not be appropriate. This does not matter, as you do not have to accept
the defaults.

-- 
Marc