Root partition size and configuration

[Alberto Davila]

Hi,

I use FC1 and initially setup my / partition with 5.5GB, then just
realized it is a bit small for a server configuration (I already have
/usr/local = 20GB, /boot = 100MB and /home = 5GB) ... I did not know mysql
will put the databases under /var and that /usr/lib would be big as
well... so my problem now is how to expand the size of "/" without
re-install ?

Also, would it be better to try to move (or redirect with a symlink) /var
and/or /usr/lib ? Finally, I installed the mysql RPM distributed with the
distribution so, is there a way to tell it to use /usr/local to store
databases ?

Thanks, Alberto



		
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[Kevin Fries]

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Alberto M R Davila wrote:

| Hi,
|
| I use FC1 and initially setup my / partition with 5.5GB, then just
| realized it is a bit small for a server configuration (I already
| have /usr/local = 20GB, /boot = 100MB and /home = 5GB) ... I did
| not know mysql will put the databases under /var and that /usr/lib
| would be big as well... so my problem now is how to expand the size
| of "/" without re-install ?
|
| Also, would it be better to try to move (or redirect with a
| symlink) /var and/or /usr/lib ? Finally, I installed the mysql RPM
| distributed with the distribution so, is there a way to tell it to
| use /usr/local to store databases ?

The only mounts that I insist are on separate partitions are /home and
/var

/home this is the one everyone gets right because that is where user
files are stored.

/var is where syslog logs an other odds and ends (as you have found
with MySQL).

/boot is also a good choice in my opinion so that upgrades and
reinstalls can reformat the root partition insuring that old software
does not remain behind.

However, /usr/local is controlled by root admins anyway.  I would look
to move as much of that directory back onto your root, and move /var
into a separate partition to insure that rouge database updates or
logs do not crowd your operating system.

That is what I would do.  You can use that advice for what it is
worth, and remember that you should be able to get every sent you paid
for out of it. :-)

Kevin Fries
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[Guy Fraser]

On Tue, 2005-11-01 at 18:25 -0800, Alberto M R Davila wrote:
>  Hi,
>  
>  I use FC1 and initially setup my / partition with 5.5GB, then just
>  realized it is a bit small for a server configuration (I already have
>  /usr/local = 20GB, /boot = 100MB and /home = 5GB) ... I did not know mysql
>  will put the databases under /var and that /usr/lib would be big as
>  well... so my problem now is how to expand the size of "/" without
>  re-install ?
>  
>  Also, would it be better to try to move (or redirect with a symlink) /var
>  and/or /usr/lib ? Finally, I installed the mysql RPM distributed with the
>  distribution so, is there a way to tell it to use /usr/local to store
>  databases ?
>  
>  Thanks, Alberto 
Yikes, I don't think so.

I usually never have / larger than 1GB.

These are the partitions I normaly set up on a mail server :

/ = 512MB
/boot = 256MB
/tmp = 1GB
/var = 1GB
/var/log = 1GB
/var/spool = 1GB
/var/spool/mail = large if mail stored here
/home = 1GB or large if mail stored here
/usr = 2GB - 6GB depending on packages
/opt = 1GB

By separating the different storage areas out, you can ensure 
that certain anomalies do not shut down your server. An example 
I have seen is log files using up too much space and causing 
/var or / to be full.

Sometimes you will need to move around large files, and if you 
have a extra space in /opt or /tmp you can you it.

Every server requires storage in different locations, depending 
on what it is used for, and where the application data is stored.

With the cheap cost of storage, you don't need to be too stingy.

If you need expensive fast SCSI RAID on your server, you can 
still use IDE for storing data that doesn't require super IO
speeds and or redundancy.