Can I get system update (synaptic) to use non-root filesystem?

[Chris G]

On Fri, Oct 02, 2009 at 04:52:11PM +0100, Chris G wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 02, 2009 at 10:15:49AM -0300, Derek Broughton wrote:
> > Chris G wrote:
> > 
> > > I have eeebuntu installed on an Eee PC, it doesn't have much
> > > memory/disk so update manager can't do updates at the moment.
> > > 
> > > I can plug in an SD card to give it some working space but I can't
> > > see any way to tell Update Manager to use the SD card rather than /.
> > 
> > Of course not.  What do you think it would put there?
> > 
> Working files?!  After the update there's not going to be much
> difference in the amount of space used, it's only *during* the update
> that it needs teh extra space.
> 
> 
> > Generally, the config files (/etc) and system executables (/bin, /sbin) MUST 
> > go on the root filesystem.  You can move practically anything else to other 
> > filesystems, but you still need to keep the names the same - Debian/Ubuntu 
> > use a standard naming system - that means you have to use "mount" to put 
> > your new filesystems in the right place.  Methinks that's probably too 
> > advanced for you.
> > 
> Er, not really, I've been using/programming/administering Unix and
> Linux systems since some time in the 1980s.
> 
> 
> > First, in synaptic go to Settings/Preferences/Files and click on "Delete 
> > Cached Package Files", this should free up a lot of space.  Then you can 
> > choose to "Delete Downloaded Packages after Installation", which will stop 
> > the package cache from growing in future.
> > 
> I've already done all the obvious removal of unwanted files. I've had
> a pretty careful look and *most* of the space used on the system is
> /usr/share and /usr/lib.
> 
> > It might be very useful for you to put /tmp on the SD card, but I doubt it 
> > would be a very good idea to use it for anything else.
> 
> If System Update uses /tmp as working space it might well solve my
> problem, if it doesn't but *really* uses space in / as working space
> then I'm a bit stuck.
> 
... and, yes, I do know that /tmp will use space in the / filesystem
unless it's mounted as a separate filesystem.

-- 
Chris Green