Fresh install Kubuntu 13.10: how best to partition the HD for optimal, smooth Kontakt & Akonadi

[Bas G. Roufs in English]

Hello Basil and Everybody.

Thanks, Basil, for your latest input. Let's go through it now
> * As I already stated I do not run Kubuntu (but openSUSE 13.10) and
> therefore do not know what the installation process does when it comes
> to formatting partitions ....
When choosing for the option 'manual installation' in the Kubuntu installation 
process, the possibilities in the realm of partitioning and partition editing 
are quite similar to the ones you mention elsewhere in your message - as far 
as I can see now. 

>or where it - and how - it wants to put its
> bootloader. This is bit is pretty important;
As far as I remember from previous installation sessions, also the Kubuntu 
installer puts the bootloader in the beginning of the HD. 


> * What you suggest below is a bit different to what appeared to be your
> original intentions 
You are right - my intentions have changed/ evaluated - because of several 
advises earlier in this thread as well as in the article recommended by you in 
one of your previous messages. 

> and, keeping in mind what I just stated above, what
> I may comment could and would - and should! - be corrected/commented on
> by those who know Kubuntu; ....

Above and below, I take into account my own Kubuntu installation experience 
ever since 2007.  However - it would be useful if fellow Kubuntu users would 
comment too. 

> 
> * Bearing in mind my above comments, if you were to install openSUSE
> 13.10 as your first choice I would feel more comfortable about my
> following comments. But do NOT take this in any shape or form to mean
> that I am pushing oS. oS has KDE as one of its preferred desktop
> environments but how Kubuntu operates is still based on how Ubuntu
> approaches things (and which I find this to be rather disconcerting -
> for example when something has to be done by root in oS it IS done by
> root and not by invoking 'sudo' for every action you want to take. But
> this is neither here not there).
In some situations, I simply invoke 'sudo' when needed. In other situations, I 
first go to root mode in order to enable myself to work without 'sudo' or 
'kdesudo'. 


> 
> > Via the present effort, I hope to fulfill 4 needs for both laptops:
> > 
> > * smoothly working Kubuntu 13.10 as well as 2 -3 other secondary Linux
> > systems;
> 
> This is where you introduced the first "change" to your original -
> probably based on the article I pointed you at.
Yes, this is a change, inspired by the article you refer to. 

> This is fine, but I now
> suggest (below) an alternative to how you should partition your HDD(s).
> 
> > * enough space at the main system  partition for Windows  7, hosted by
> > Kubuntu 13.10 via a VirtualBox environment;
> 
> May I with the outmost of respects suggest that you do NOT do this but
> install Win #7 on its own and then "dual boot" rather than have it
> embedded in Linux under Virtualbox?
> 
> I have Window 7 Professional installed and it is installed on its own,
> as a distinct and separate system. And if I want to use it - and I use
> it possibly once a month, if that - I simply boot into it from the grub2
> menu.
> 
> This leave me with a Linux system as a pure Linux system and the Windows
> 7 as a pure Windows system. No mixture, just pure blood systems.
> 
> I am also advised by a friend who tried this that there are some Windows
> programs which will not run unless they are run in a purely Windows 7
> installed system.
> 
> And you have enough HDD space to be able to install W7 on its own.
Your friend might be right. When working with Win7 within VirtualBox, I also 
have difficulties with some programs and USB connections. 
I have dual booted Windows and Kubuntu during several years. It's allright for 
me to return to such a routine, in combination with multiple system booting. 

> 
> The other consideration is that if you re-install the Linux system where
> W7 is used via virtualbox you have to re-install W7 again.
?
I do not understand this quite well. What I had in mind was simply first to 
install Kubuntu 13.10, within which I would operate with Windows 7 within 
Virtual Box.

However it may be...

>  Simple solution is to install it on its own and dual
> boot with it.
As I said, it is OK for me to dual boot again. 
> 
> > * a moderate CPU usage, also when Kontact and Akonadi are functioning;
> 
> I don't use these so cannot comment re this "moderate CPU usage,..".

Is there anybody else who has tried to work with Kontact and Akonadi in a 
configuration similar to the one I am considering to create? (See below.) 

> 
> > * a data partition that can be approached from 4 different distro's at one
> > HD;
> Now here is something which requires clarification.
> 
> If you mean by "distro's [sic]" Linux distros then this is fine because
> they will be able to read/write extention 4 file system, 
This is exactly what I mean. 
What I have considered when writing my previous message:
* Kubuntu 13.10 and 3 other Linux distro's;
* Win 7 embedded in a virtual environment within Kubuntu 13.10 as host OS.


> but if you
> include anything-Windows here then "the bets are off". (This, BTW, will
> affect your consideration of how to partition your HDD(s) and what file
> system you use to format the partitions.)
I have not considered something like that - see above. 
> 
> Linux can read/write to Windows filesystems (FAT32, NTFS eg) but Windows
> is brainddead and cannot see anything-Linux.
I know this! When dual booting, it was weird to see Linux being able to look 
into the Windows partition, but not the other way around.....
> 
> If you want this data partition to be also accessed by Windows 7 then
> you will need to format it in NTFS.
I do not intend to access my data from /data from Windows. Only a Win7 
partition I want to format in NTFS. Apart from the little SWAP and BOOT 
partitions,  I format everything else in EXT4 - even the 2 external HD's I am 
using now for my regular backups.  One old external HD I have formatted into 
NTFS for exchange of data with Windows and Apple computers. 
> 
> BUT, but, bear in mind that some Linux data written to NTFS may have a
> hassle: Windows file systems do not recognise Linux Permissions for
> example, and, if I remember correctly, it has trouble with Linux symlinks.
I know.
> 
> So, be clear about what you mean here and what you want to share with whom.
As stated above - only from  the Linux partitions I want to access /data. 

> 
> I don't know which mail client you use (Thunderbird or KMail) or which
> browser (Firefox or ........) but if you are using Thunderbird and
> Firefox then the simplest way to backup what you just mentioned is to
> backup just 2 folders (in /home):
> 
> * /.mozilla (for Firefox - your bookmarks are here); and
> 
> * /.thunderbird.
I use KMail as e-mail client - together with 3 other frequently applications 
from the 'Kontact' PIM suite: KAddress book, Calendar, To-do list and 
Akregator (a RSS feeds reader).  and Firefox as main/ standard browser. 

> And *I*, personally, would NOT, in any shape or form, have anything to
> do with cloud-anything let alone anything to do with Google. But that is me.
For the time being, I keep using to the Google cloud to enable myself to 
access my calendar and address book from both my laptops and my Android phone 
- until I find some better alternative. Loosing my address data is worse 
compared to any privacy/ NHS problems.....



> As I said, the original assumption was that you were going to install
> Kubuntu 13.x. But now the picture has changed a bit and your goals are
> clearer. 
My goals: see above and below. 


> So to carry on from here you need to-
> go to http://www.sysresccd.org/SystemRescueCd_Homepage
> 
> and download and burn to disc the SystemRescueCD (v3.8.1, latest).
> 
> This CD is one of those most essential tools which everyone should have
> in their tool box.

Thanks for this useful advise. I will burn this CD and use it ......
> 
> For your purposes, it contains the tool GParted which you will use to
> partition the HDD(s) before you start to install any systems.
> 
> Reason why you use this GParted is that the partitioner in Kubuntu may
> not be able to properly format the NTFS partition you will need for W7
> (at least if you follow my recommendation re where W7 should go).
I use both GParted and 'KDE Partition manager' - the default partitioner 
coming with a fresh install from Kubuntu.  Both packages do manage to create 
NTFS partitions. However, I like your idea about the rescue CD with GParted. 

> 
> (Like mc [Midnight Commander] SystemRescueCD is a tool which must exist
> in everyone's collection of useful tools.)
I have taken a quick look at the internet page of 'SystemRescueCD' - I agree 
with you on this. One question remains in this context. What is the right 
order of actions? At present, I consider the following sequence:

1.  A..S.A.P. Partitioning and partition editing with GParted from the 
SystemRescueCD - along the lines of the partitioning schedule you recommend to 
me. (See below.) 

2.  A..S.A.P.  Installation of Windows 7 in the sda2 NTFS partition.

3.  A.S.A.P.   Installation of Kubuntu 13.10 in sda3 as first, main Linux 
system.

4. A.S.A.P. Symlinking from /home in sda3 to /data/Alpha.

5.  Second half of November.  Installation of Kubuntu 12.04 in sda6 and 
symlinking from the /home there to /data/Alpha.

6. Late November or early December. Installation of openSuse 13.10  in sda7 
and symlinking from the /home there to /data/Alpha.
.....
> > However it may be, I have 4 GB RAM, at both machines. So, I create 4 GB of
> > SWAP at each of them.
> 
> Just on this point.
> 
> I have 16GB of RAM and I have yet to see more than 2.5GB being used. But
> this obviously depends on what apps are running.
OK - clear.

......
> I also have 4GB of swap but this has never been touched as far as I
> know. Someone did suggest that space is required for when you suspend to
> RAM or Hibernate and I understand this - but I never do either of these.
You mean: you just turn on and off your PC? 

> 
> (NOTE: this, BTW, is why I am suggesting that you make the partition for
> W7 30GB big because W7 creates a pagefile.sys file equivalent to your
> RAM amount as well as a hiberfil.sys which is 75% of your RAM size.)
Clear.
.......
> 
> This should be openSUSE 13.10 and not 13.01.
> 
> oS 13.10 is yet to be released (scheduled for official realese 19 Nov)
> but the RC2 I am now using is perfect. The current official release is 12.3.

So, I will install openSUSE 13.10 at or after 19 November in sda7. See above.


> > Kubuntu 14.04 RC.....
> But please see above my (new) suggested partitioning plan.
Kubuntu 14.04 Release Candidate I will install in sda8, at some suitable 
moment in Januari or February 2014. 

> > 
> > * do I need to mount that partition when installing there Kubuntu 12.04?
> 
> This is where at the beginning I opened my comments with the statement
> that I have not installed Kubuntu and don't know how its partitioner
> behaves and what control it allow you, the user, over what it does.
> 
> With openSUSE the partitioner allows you to EDIT a partition and there
> it allows you to format the partition and Mount it or not have it
> mounted -  eg, you can format a partition in ext4 and label it 'linux2'
> but not mount it so that it wouldn't appear in /etc/fstab, and you will
> need to mount it manually when you want to use it. I am guessing that
> Kubuntu will allow you to do the same, but I am only guessing.

As far as I can remember from previous installation sessions, there are 
similar formatting, labelling and partitioning possibilities when using the 
'manual partitioning' procedure. However, the 'RescueCD' you point at, seems 
useful to me in this context. 

Thanks for all the feedback and advise so far.

Respectftully yours,
Bas G.  Roufs.

-- 
Bas G. Roufs MA.
Utrecht, NL, European Union, UTC + 2.
E-mail: BasRoufs at gmail.com
M./ SMS: +31 6 446 835 10; T. +31 30 785 20 40.