[Bug 1076963] New: 9.14.5 Recommended Partition Scheme, outdated info

[bugzilla at redhat.com]

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1076963

            Bug ID: 1076963
           Summary: 9.14.5 Recommended Partition Scheme, outdated info
           Product: Fedora Documentation
           Version: devel
         Component: install-guide
          Assignee: pbokoc at redhat.com
          Reporter: bugzilla at colorremedies.com
        QA Contact: docs-qa at lists.fedoraproject.org
                CC: pbokoc at redhat.com, zach at oglesby.co



Existing documentation with the problem is here:
http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/20/html/Installation_Guide/s2-diskpartrecommend-x86.html

Here's a minimal list of problems and proposed changes for this page.


1. 9.14.5.1 recommends a layout the installer doesn't use by default. To fix
it:
a. Change "partitions" to "mount points", to be consistent with newui
terminology, and to apply to either partitions or LVs since the default is
swap, root, home on LV, and only boot is on a partition.

2. The first NOTE, under "A /boot/ partition (500 MB)":
Let's just remove this. We haven't dealt with cylinders on drives for over 5
years, but rather Logical Block Addresses. I'm not sure what problem this is
trying to solve, other than 2.2+TB drives in which case they need to be GPT and
hope the BIOS doesn't puke. If it does, a separate /boot isn't going to fix it.
Seems like very antiquated advice.

3. A root partition (3.0 GB - 5.0 GB)
Change to 3 GB to 20 GB to be consistent with the body text "full desktop
installation, a minimum of 20GB for the root partition is recommended". Please
also drop the insignificant digit

4. Side bar "Root and /root"
Both sentences are confusing, suggested rewrite:
The / mount point is the top of the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy, and is referred
to as the root file system, or root.The /root directory, sometimes pronounced
"slash-root", is the home directory for the root user.

*I consulted the v2.3 FHS to come up with this.

5. A home partition (at least 100 MB)
100MB is useless for gnome which is our default installation. Its indexer
consumes 3GB for just one person. So if present, it needs to be a lot bigger
than this or it should just be in /.


6. "To store user data separately from system data, create a dedicated
partition within a volume group for the /home directory. This will enable you
to upgrade or reinstall Fedora without erasing user data files."

This is really confusing because it conflates partitions and Logical Volumes in
one sentence. Rewrite as follows:

"To store user data separately from system data, create a mount point for
/home. This will enable you to reinstall Fedora without erasing user data."


7. "If you create many partitions instead of one large / partition, upgrades
become easier."

This should be removed as it's based on partitioning mythology/religion, not
fact. We even say separate /usr is proscribed. Fewer volumes to assemble is
less complex which is easier, but so long as we can upgrade what we permit
users to create, the "ease" of upgrading should be the same and if not then
it's a bug. I'd just strike this whole sentence.

8. 9.14.5.1.1 Advice on partitions.
"Each kernel installed on your system requires approximately 220 MB on the
/boot partition."

Untrue. On /boot, kernel 3.14 takes up 18.1MB total. That includes config*,
initramfs*, System.map*, and vmlinuz*. Debug kernel with a generic non-host
initramfs is 45MB. Even fully installed (to both /boot and /lib) is 141MB. This
should be changed to "approximately 25MB" which leaves a bit of headroom for
growing kernel sizes.

9. Find all instances of "partition" and make sure we mean partition (i.e.
related to an entry in the MBR or GPT) and not either "mount point" or
"volume". Partition is not a good generic term for applying to Logical Volumes
and Btrfs subvolumes.

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