some partitions are useful. Keeping /var and /tmp separate can stop DoS attacks by now allowing logs to fill the entire drive /home means you can wipe the / partition and keep user data.
Damn I’ve always wanted Windows to have that. Being able to put user folders on another partition, or even another drive, at install time. And being able to use “dynamic disk” (aka software raid) to expand partitions across disks as storage requirements grow. I know it is possible to setup, but with a lot of workarounds and annoying problems.
Windows user folders are nearly unusable in my opinion, too many programs throw in random folders and files everywhere. Especially the Documents folder, too many games putting incoherent stuff in there
Jup, useless folder. There’s one related thing I’ve complained a lot about lately, so I’m gonna complain some more about it:
Microsoft got this “great” idea of trying to repeatedly trick me into uploading that Documents folder to the cloud. A folder filled with GBytes of Battlefield and Assassins Creed cache files, Starfield mods, MS database files, etc… A lot of files that are in constant change, or locked the entire session. Annoying as hell. I love Onedrive, but I dont know why its so damn important for them to have those files.
Sometimes I really wish I could switch to some Linux distro instead.
It’s asinine that Onedrive doesn’t have an equivalent of the decades-old gitignore technology…
There seems to be a workaround, though - archive link. It should work as long as the local and remote conflict remains unresolved, or Microsoft decides to just push the remote onto the local machine and delete your files instead.
I’m pretty sure you can just mount a volume to C:\Users.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend changing the userdir paths in the system. Many of the office computers I work with are set up that way and it’s always a pain in the ass when an application expects the home path to be located on C:.
I remember doing this in macOS, when I got my first SSD. I installed it and kept the os on the SSD and mapped my user directory to my hdd. It made upgrades and re-installs much easier, which was a plus because it was actually a hackintosh.
It isn’t possible :)
Windows’ filesystem is different to unix, and it is much flawed.
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned the security implications. Mounting with nosuid and nodev options can undermine rootkit or privileged escalation exploits.
Partitioning does have benefits especially for enterprise scenarios. It allows you to specify different policies per mount point (i.e. no executables on /tmp, etc.). It prevents a runaway process from filling your hard disk with logs. It lets you keep your data separated from your OS, or have multiple OSs with the same home partition.
For home use you’ll probably go with something simpler, like separated home, root and games partitions, for instance.
Nowadays you should opt for LVM volumes or BTRFS subvolumes instead of partitions as these are way more flexible should you change your mind in the future about the sizes you allocated.
Yeah, I really like the archinstall default btrfs layout, 1 subvolume for each of these
└─root 254:0 0 1.8T 0 crypt /var/log /var/cache/pacman/pkg /home /.snapshots /Partitioning have benefits. It is quite easy to set up “modern gnu/linux” since they all use a graphical installer. For sizes you can refer to openbsd’s disklabel(8) man page.
It increase stability and security. Not only for enterprise.
Why not put everything in one big partition
https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=154054091026039&w=3
A comment: The guy who make that video might be a troll, I reviewed his videos’ titles.
And such bullshit is much more accessible in plain text form.
At least have a dedicated /home partition. This way if you want to upgrade the OS, change distribution, heck even migrate to a totally different OS your actual data is safe. Also if you need to do a backup, “just” backup /home which is probably going to be significantly faster and convenient than the entire OS. It also avoid using e.g
ddand get a rather opaque file.TL;DR: yes /home keeps your data safe
What’s the benefit of dd-ing a home partition over rsync-a-ing a home directory’s contents?
Well it’d result in a single file which if you have to copy on a microSD or USD stick might be easier. To also counter my own argument the result of
ddcan be mounted thus getting a rather useful directory quicklyBut anyway my point was rather the opposite, that indeed in most cases
rsync,rdiff-backup, evenscp(whatever one is most familiar with) to a local NAS, remote server, etc is usually better, at least more understandable for somebody who isn’t used to the process.
Partitioning (beyond what’s needed to boot)? No. Logical volumes or datasets? Perhaps, but probably not for most trivial setups. Even swap is fine on a file if you need it and it simplifies disk encryption. Most of my machines run an EFI and an LVM partition. If I need a separate volume for something, I can always create it in LVM.
This is mostly a worthless discussion. A computer / device should be considerable disposable as well as all the data on it. Just sync everything real time to a local “server” with something like Syncthing and if something goes wrong with your machines resync it back. Done.
Oh, good idea, should I use partitions on my ‘server’ though?
I guess it depends on how you’re running things… and you should have backups anyways.
My previous point was that once you get your data across multiple machines your life becomes way better and things are easier to deal with. Even your “server” dies you’ll still have more real time copies of the data in your laptop, desktop etc. and eventually a long term offsite backup that gets updated from time to time. Having backups is important as real time sync won’t save you from you deleting files by mistake.
A quick way to do things would be to have an SSD drive (so no noise) on the “server” for your real time sync and OS and a mechanical hard drive (usually spin down) that gets a copy of the data via rsync every day. Then you do a monthly or weekly backup of the data to a remote location ove the internet or some USB hard drive that you physically move to other site.
If you’re using on an SBC you may run your OS on a SD card + 2.5" SSD drive for real time data + 3.5" for daily backup. And some other remote / offsite backup solution.
Oh yeah, but did you know your server is a computer/device and therefore should be considered disposable, too? Checkmate, atheists! \s
Honestly, though, you’re not wrong about how always having multiple copies of your data on separate devices is essential. (You do however also need backups, not just synchronized copies, because data-destroying fuck-ups can get sync’d too.)
I’m not sure what your comment has to do with partitioning, though.
Ahahaha nice comment. I never said I didn’t have backups, the thing is that once you get your data across multiple machines with something like Synching your life becomes way better and things are easier to deal with. Even if my “server” dies I still have three more real time copies of the data (or at least one actually real time and two others a bit behind because those machines aren’t always turned on) and the “server” backups to another local drive a long term offsite backup that gets updated from time to time.
I’m not sure what your comment has to do with partitioning, though.
People usually go about and suggest partitioning their disks because they might require to reinstall the system and that way your home directory “will be safe” from whatever mess forced them into a reinstall. In reality this will just introduce unnecessary complexity and it is as likely to fail as single partition system. To be fair I would rather consider a BRTFS sub-volume for home with regular snapshots is way more interesting and manageable than just dumb partitions.
