file system setup for new system - recommendations?

[Jay O'Brien]

Thanks to Stheg Olloydson, Adam Smith, and David Kelly for your 
thoughts and recommendations.

First, to answer your questions. It was my error on the RAM; yes,
I meant to say 1024MB, not 1024GB (blush). And, I'm (now) using 
FreeBSD 4.10 because it looks like it was the right one to choose 
to use as a learning vehicle.

David Kelly hit on my real issue. He said "A 120G HD is in the $70 
to $90 range these days so when the time comes to reconfigure just 
put another in with the new layout and shoot your data over." I 
hadn't looked at it that way.  Today I sent an order to Newegg for 
a second Seagate 120GB drive ($101.05 including tax & shipping). 

I will install the new drive and do exactly what David suggests, 
build the new layout and "shoot it over". Based on your collective 
guidance the new system will have a bit better thought out file 
structure. Once I can see that it is doable to make these kind of 
changes with a second HD, then I won't be as apprehensive about 
making file structure changes in the future, and it will also meet 
my backup requirements. 

I'm leaning now toward using the default file structure, with 
somewhat larger partitions. I appreciate the caution about the 
reason for separate partitions that could fill, under a trouble 
condition, without killing everything else. A powerful reason to 
make individual partitions.

But first I need to get my new HD and make it work with what I 
have working now. David, unknowing, you were a salesman for 
newegg!

Now to learn more about grofs(8); I wasn't aware of that 
capability at all. I was one of the first users of CP/M and 
begrudgingly went to DOS; I was a "power user" of DOS for years. 
I had a small amount of experience with unix as a user on the Bell 
Labs system, (before I retired from the Bell System in 1985) so, 
based on these three operating systems, command line stuff is not 
new to me. What is new to me are all the powerful commands like 
grofs. It's fun learning a new language, and encouraging to be 
accepted into this support group.

Thanks, folks, this is what the internet is all about; helping 
each other. 

Jay O'Brien, W6GO
Rio Linda, CA USA

http://obri.net