Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Partitioning strategy...?

[Pandu Poluan]

On Nov 26, 2011 1:05 AM, "James" <wireless@×××××××××××.com> wrote:
>
> Pandu Poluan <pandu <at> poluan.info> writes:
>
>
> > Everytime I read some guide on LVM, my eyes becomes blurry, the room
> > starts spinning, and I can hear wolves howling ... :D
> > Seriously, LVM looks mighty nice, but it also looks (and is!) mighty
complex.
>
> I feel your pain....
> I too have had trouble sorting out new installs with raid, GPT,
> and LVM.
>
> Have you seen these guides?
>
> http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/gentoo-x86+raid+lvm2-quickinstall.xml

This one I've read. Okay, glanced. After finding myself starting blankly at
the screen for a couple of minutes, I decided to read it again later :-)

> http://www.rodsbooks.com/gdisk/
>

Haven't seen this one before. Gotta check it out. Thanks!

> > So, I want to start from something simple.
> > Comments, suggestions, are welcome :)
>
> (OK)
>
> Well the problem is multifaceted, imho, with LVM being just
> a singular issue among the mix. Grub is evolving and the old
> grub has troubles with RAID. Add mdadm, disk over 2T, UUID and the
> issues becomes really murky quickly.
>
> What (IMHO) needs to happen, is the community needs to write some
> install guides, based on notes from several installations, that
> allow for various types of installations (with explicit syntax in-line)
> that starts from simple to complex.
>
> If we keep using  the same installation semantics (examples)
> then the only thing that will change is the additional information on
> the installation complexity.  We could use the new gentoo wiki
> for development.  I know much of this is redundant with the handbook
> for installation, which would still be the "master reference" for
> installations, but there would be a multiplicative example base
> to compliment the handbook and more specifically focused to the
> issues of a given installation. There is precedence for this; The
> handbook already has version for different hardware architectures.
>
> So what I'm proposing is that when someone feels motivated, keep notes
> on your particular installation details, and post the notes (as
> a work in progress) to the gentoo wiki. Then the next time someone
> performs an installation, then look at the 'work in progress', use
> the example, edit (add more detail) to the example, and update
> the wiki. Over time these guides, focused on a particularly specific
> example, could be referenced along with the installation handbook,
> as a compliment. Just look at the handbook in section 4, Preparing
> the disk. Woefully antiquated!
>

Actually, I have been keeping notes of all my installs, complete with
remarks to keep reminding my why I did this or that.

More for my own documentation, actually. I've honed my installation
procedure so much that it only bears a passing resemblance to the handbook.

I'll try to distill the notes and see if I can upload it to the wiki.

>
> So I would also break it down into (2) main examples. One with a very
simple
> boot/root/swap scheme and another with many physically separate
partitions,
> such as (Pandu) seeks.  In the second example of many (maximum)
partitions, a
> discussion of the merits, such as why /tmp should be on a separate
> partition and such could be included. In fact, if only these (2) examples
were
> developed, we could removed the parts of the installation
> instructions, such as GPT, or LVM or RAID in order to create
> the other simpler installation instruction guides.  Also how
> you reference the drives (UUID) in the fstab is an
> integral part of the installation landscape, that is changing.
> Not to mention legacy bios and the latest issue of UEFI.
>

I was once somewhat familiar with UUID-based fstab when I was still using
Ubuntu. Too bad I've deleted my last Ubuntu VM a couple of weeks ago. Let's
see if I can still find my installation notes...

Rgds,