Partition advantages: was - Red Hat doesn't use all my hard drive space...

["Buck" <RHList towncorp net>]

I am a newbie and came in this morning to start a thread on drive
partition recommendations for Linux.
Rather than hijack the thread, I am renaming it appropriately.

I am setting up a dedicated file server with one internal drive and a
removable drive for backup. I have tentatively planned for it to be
partitioned as follows: 
	Swap		4x RAM (allows for doubling the RAM later)
	/		2-3x size needed for the installed OS, allows
for updates and/or upgrade to new version
	/backup	1/3 - 1/2 the size of the remaining space depending on
the compression level of the backup software
	/home		the rest of the remaining space  This is the
only partition holding shared files.  

Image this to two removable drives for backup.  I would like the /backup
partition on the internal drive to be unused.
Mount the /backup partition on from the removable drive so the daily
backup program (Amanda?) will backup to the removable.
Swap the removable periodically.

In event of internal HDD loss, replace with the latest removable and
restore /home from the backup file and system is back in business.

All users are on Windows workstations and no one ever uses the server
locally like a workstation.  

You mentioned puting /usr and /var on separate partitions.  Would that
be an advantage on this system? How big a partitions would be needed?

This model is based on an existing model in Windows.  Is it compatible
with Linux or do I need to redesign it.  In Windows 2000, partitions are
not named, they are blank until assigned a drive letter. Several
partitions are left unassigned until needed. Being a newbie, I don't see
this in Linux.  I may have to redesign my model.  How do you see it?

Come to think of it, can Linux have two identically partitioned drives
in the same computer or would it cause a conflict?  

If not, how do you recommend I do my backup so I can quickly replace the
drive and be back up and running?  The server has one internal HDD, one
CDROM and one removable IDE drive.  That leaves room for one more IDE
connection.

Thank you,

Buck

-----Original Message-----
From: redhat-install-list-admin redhat com
[mailto:redhat-install-list-admin redhat com] On Behalf Of Ron Bramblett
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 10:57 AM
To: redhat-install-list redhat com
Subject: Re: Red Hat doesn't use all my hard drive space...


You will probably have to add it manually. But putting /usr and /var on 
their own partitions has advantages.