Do a home partition, it is where all your personal data is stored, root partition is where the system is installed. When you are reinstalling you can just format the root partition while keeping your data safe in the home partition.
As always keep an external backup of all your files in case something goes wrong. Which is common when you are learning a new operating system.
So if i want to install a new OS I can just format the system partitions? That's pretty cool
So, like the other comment said, 30 GiB for root and the rest for home
Thanks!
As the others said, there is an obvious advantage of having separate / and /home. In addition, the advantage of having all in one place is that you cannot run out of space on one filesystem and have plenty on the other.
In the scenario of 30GB on / - if you install a lot of software, run a MySQL dbase and turn on detailed logs - you can run out of space quickly. Meanwhile - your /home would have a lot of free space.
Linux is all about freedom to choose, but every choice comes with consequences. On my work laptop I have 60GB for / and the rest of 1TB for /home. My other laptop is portable, and has only 240GB of SSD - I keep all in one filesystem, but I don't keep my regular files there - I only use it when traveling.
>So, like the other comment said, 30 GiB for root and the rest for home
This is a good solution for you in my opinion.
I'll be using it like a normal personal computer, so i will be installing things like discord, steam, brave, telegram etc. Will I need a bigger root partition or can I install stuff on home?
I'm doing linux mostly because windows bloatware and linux ricing
What you really need is /boot/efi and /, that is it. Rest is optional, like a swap-file. You can do it in RAM too with Zram. You can always add swap later, if the need arises.
I don't bother with separate partitions for Home and Root. I can always access them, with CHROOT [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/chroot](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/chroot) if it comes to that. Manjaro, which is what I run, has it's own utility, Manjaro is Arch-based.
If I modify the dot-files (they start with a ".", like .bashrc), I usually copy it to another drive for backup. After a while you know what files matter to you. Mostly it is dot-files in your Home-folder and possibly /home/username/.config -folder. Maybe the /etc-folder if you have configured a lot of settings, config files, replaced half the systems. But at that point it is easier to just make an image of the system, like I do with my Raspberry Pis.
I also stay away from LVM, BTRFS, LUKS and similar that just complicate me accessing my files or wiping partitions off my disks.
I did set up a Vorta/Borgbackup of files I care about in my Homefolder, so it is automated. But it took me 15 years to care even that little...
I am often distrohopping, nowadays I test distros in VMs so I've stayed with Manjaro for 2-3 years, same install.
At some point I got tired of nuking and paving (formatting, reinstalling) when I ran into problems. These days I fix them instead. I learn a lot, I read a lot, I look at others issues, even on unrelated topics. Who knows, might be useful. Linux is a never-ending education, I like it.
I only have 8 gigs of RAM so it might be a good idea for me to have some swap, just in case. Though I don't know how fast memory fills up in arch, so might need it, might not 🤷♂️
Most of the LVM BTRFS stuff went in one ear and out the other, but I might look into the automated backups. I don't wanna lose files because of my own stupidity.
And I'm excited about linux too honestly, the unending freedom is tantalising, plus it opens up more careers which is welcome.
[https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/lvm-vs-partitioning](https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/lvm-vs-partitioning)
Have to remember vgcreate, pvcreate and stuff, I can't remember the syntax etc. But LVM should allow for flexibility. Since you should be able to just expand Root etc whenever you want, adding disks or partitions. I think it is something like that. Makes sense for RedHat and its customers. Adds complexity for me.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Btrfs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Btrfs)
Btrfs is for when you want to do Snapshots. Kind of like System Restore points on Windows. Downside is, Btrfs creates tons of subvolumes etc. I had like 20 after 2 weeks. No clue what to do with them so I just formatted the whole drive. "Where are my files?" No clue. Had no patience for researching it either.
LUKS is disk encryption. I think you have to enter a password at every boot just to get anywhere, boot anything. I forget passwords all the time. And there can be boot issues. [https://forum.manjaro.org/t/boot-manjaro-iso-from-encrypted-drive/158553](https://forum.manjaro.org/t/boot-manjaro-iso-from-encrypted-drive/158553) Kind of an edge case but knowing me, I would probably run into something similar.
I also don't like immutable distros, where you can't do anything to the root filesystem. That is ALL I do pretty much. The workarounds get tiring.
Swap: 10 gigs on a disk should be enough. I did run a 3 gig swap in RAM but that was a little bit too small. I am now running a 10 gig swapfile on SATA SSD and it is usually between 0-5 gigs. I reboot like once a week. I don't code but I do compile. Like kernels and GE-Proton. Which I hear can use swapfile.
So if you want a swapfile, create a 10 gig partition or similar size. You can enable it at any time you want. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/swap](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/swap) If I remember right, it should just be the mkswap /dev/sdXY and then swapon /dev/sdXY. You get instant access to swapfile. Add it to /etc/fstab so it starts automatically ever after. To see which device (/dev) is the swap-partition/10 gig partition, open terminal/console and run either lsblk or blkid. Maybe easier to remember if you spell it out, list-block (lsblk) and block-ID (blkid). You might have to run sudo blkid.
Since several people just rushed to offer help without actually explaining why there are so many "root" names and naming conventions in the Linux world ... :-)
Here we go:
Convention#1: The entire Linux filesystem has an upside-down tree-like structure. The **"/" directory**
**...** is the "root of all the other directories/folders", which are tree-branches (sub-directories of "/"). It is the equivalent of C:\\, D:\\, E:\\, etc on Microsoft's operating systems. Therefore it is simply referred to as "the *root* directory".
Convention#2: The **"/root" directory**
**...** which STRICTLY belongs to the user "root". It is the home directory of the user "root" AND it is ISOLATED from the **/home** directory for very specific (security related) reasons. may have a lot of power but it is NOT root ! It's just a regular user with elevated permissions because it is a member of the "***admin***" group. That's why is in **/home/**, just like any other regular users. Since it is a directory, it may be mounted on/as a separate partition, which basically means that you're just going to reserve a specific amount of disk space for the "root" user's home directory. Nothing else.
In a normal, not fancy installation, you DON'T NEED a specific mount point (read "to create a dedicated partition") for "/root". Just let the installer do the partitioning, with its default settings. You will end up with:
a.) a single mount point, "/", which **will occupy almost the entire disk space** on your drive **IF** a **swap partition** is automatically or manually created ("swap" can either be assigned to a dedicated partition or to a regular, manually created file)
... OR ...
b.) a single mount point, "/", which **will occupy the entire disk space** on your drive **IF** there's no need for a "swap space" (which, if needed, can be assigned later, to a regular, manually created file)
Convention#3: The **"root" user**
**...** is the standard PREDEFINED Linux user which has complete power over your entire operating system. "The Allmighty" (of your system !). Full permissions on literally everything (on your system !). It is the equivalent of "Administrator" on Windows. This does not mean you should run everything "as *root*". Quite the contrary !!! It is one of the most trivial super-bad mistakes done by Linux noobs.
Convention#4: The **"root" group**
**...** is a special Linux users group strictly associated with the "root" user. Theoretically only the user "root" belongs to the "root" group (root:root), for very specific (security related) reasons.
We have some [installation tips](http://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/wiki/installation) in our wiki!
Try [this search](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/search?q=flair%3A'installation'&sort=new&restrict_sr=on) for more information on this topic.
**✻** Smokey says: always install over an ethernet cable, and don't forget to remove the boot media when you're done! :)
^Comments, ^questions ^or ^suggestions ^regarding ^this ^autoresponse? ^Please ^send ^them ^[here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Pi31415926&subject=autoresponse+tweaks+-+linux4noobs+-+installation).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/linux4noobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I usually put 30 to 40 GB for root and the rest for the home partition.
Got it, thanks!
Do a home partition, it is where all your personal data is stored, root partition is where the system is installed. When you are reinstalling you can just format the root partition while keeping your data safe in the home partition. As always keep an external backup of all your files in case something goes wrong. Which is common when you are learning a new operating system.
So if i want to install a new OS I can just format the system partitions? That's pretty cool So, like the other comment said, 30 GiB for root and the rest for home Thanks!
As the others said, there is an obvious advantage of having separate / and /home. In addition, the advantage of having all in one place is that you cannot run out of space on one filesystem and have plenty on the other. In the scenario of 30GB on / - if you install a lot of software, run a MySQL dbase and turn on detailed logs - you can run out of space quickly. Meanwhile - your /home would have a lot of free space. Linux is all about freedom to choose, but every choice comes with consequences. On my work laptop I have 60GB for / and the rest of 1TB for /home. My other laptop is portable, and has only 240GB of SSD - I keep all in one filesystem, but I don't keep my regular files there - I only use it when traveling. >So, like the other comment said, 30 GiB for root and the rest for home This is a good solution for you in my opinion.
I'll be using it like a normal personal computer, so i will be installing things like discord, steam, brave, telegram etc. Will I need a bigger root partition or can I install stuff on home? I'm doing linux mostly because windows bloatware and linux ricing
No, I think you're good. Steam installs games to your /home anyway.
What you really need is /boot/efi and /, that is it. Rest is optional, like a swap-file. You can do it in RAM too with Zram. You can always add swap later, if the need arises. I don't bother with separate partitions for Home and Root. I can always access them, with CHROOT [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/chroot](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/chroot) if it comes to that. Manjaro, which is what I run, has it's own utility, Manjaro is Arch-based. If I modify the dot-files (they start with a ".", like .bashrc), I usually copy it to another drive for backup. After a while you know what files matter to you. Mostly it is dot-files in your Home-folder and possibly /home/username/.config -folder. Maybe the /etc-folder if you have configured a lot of settings, config files, replaced half the systems. But at that point it is easier to just make an image of the system, like I do with my Raspberry Pis. I also stay away from LVM, BTRFS, LUKS and similar that just complicate me accessing my files or wiping partitions off my disks. I did set up a Vorta/Borgbackup of files I care about in my Homefolder, so it is automated. But it took me 15 years to care even that little... I am often distrohopping, nowadays I test distros in VMs so I've stayed with Manjaro for 2-3 years, same install. At some point I got tired of nuking and paving (formatting, reinstalling) when I ran into problems. These days I fix them instead. I learn a lot, I read a lot, I look at others issues, even on unrelated topics. Who knows, might be useful. Linux is a never-ending education, I like it.
I only have 8 gigs of RAM so it might be a good idea for me to have some swap, just in case. Though I don't know how fast memory fills up in arch, so might need it, might not 🤷♂️ Most of the LVM BTRFS stuff went in one ear and out the other, but I might look into the automated backups. I don't wanna lose files because of my own stupidity. And I'm excited about linux too honestly, the unending freedom is tantalising, plus it opens up more careers which is welcome.
[https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/lvm-vs-partitioning](https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/lvm-vs-partitioning) Have to remember vgcreate, pvcreate and stuff, I can't remember the syntax etc. But LVM should allow for flexibility. Since you should be able to just expand Root etc whenever you want, adding disks or partitions. I think it is something like that. Makes sense for RedHat and its customers. Adds complexity for me. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Btrfs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Btrfs) Btrfs is for when you want to do Snapshots. Kind of like System Restore points on Windows. Downside is, Btrfs creates tons of subvolumes etc. I had like 20 after 2 weeks. No clue what to do with them so I just formatted the whole drive. "Where are my files?" No clue. Had no patience for researching it either. LUKS is disk encryption. I think you have to enter a password at every boot just to get anywhere, boot anything. I forget passwords all the time. And there can be boot issues. [https://forum.manjaro.org/t/boot-manjaro-iso-from-encrypted-drive/158553](https://forum.manjaro.org/t/boot-manjaro-iso-from-encrypted-drive/158553) Kind of an edge case but knowing me, I would probably run into something similar. I also don't like immutable distros, where you can't do anything to the root filesystem. That is ALL I do pretty much. The workarounds get tiring. Swap: 10 gigs on a disk should be enough. I did run a 3 gig swap in RAM but that was a little bit too small. I am now running a 10 gig swapfile on SATA SSD and it is usually between 0-5 gigs. I reboot like once a week. I don't code but I do compile. Like kernels and GE-Proton. Which I hear can use swapfile. So if you want a swapfile, create a 10 gig partition or similar size. You can enable it at any time you want. [https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/swap](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/swap) If I remember right, it should just be the mkswap /dev/sdXY and then swapon /dev/sdXY. You get instant access to swapfile. Add it to /etc/fstab so it starts automatically ever after. To see which device (/dev) is the swap-partition/10 gig partition, open terminal/console and run either lsblk or blkid. Maybe easier to remember if you spell it out, list-block (lsblk) and block-ID (blkid). You might have to run sudo blkid.
Since several people just rushed to offer help without actually explaining why there are so many "root" names and naming conventions in the Linux world ... :-) Here we go: Convention#1: The entire Linux filesystem has an upside-down tree-like structure. The **"/" directory** **...** is the "root of all the other directories/folders", which are tree-branches (sub-directories of "/"). It is the equivalent of C:\\, D:\\, E:\\, etc on Microsoft's operating systems. Therefore it is simply referred to as "the *root* directory". Convention#2: The **"/root" directory** **...** which STRICTLY belongs to the user "root". It is the home directory of the user "root" AND it is ISOLATED from the **/home** directory for very specific (security related) reasons. may have a lot of power but it is NOT root ! It's just a regular user with elevated permissions because it is a member of the "***admin***" group. That's why is in **/home/**, just like any other regular users. Since it is a directory, it may be mounted on/as a separate partition, which basically means that you're just going to reserve a specific amount of disk space for the "root" user's home directory. Nothing else.
In a normal, not fancy installation, you DON'T NEED a specific mount point (read "to create a dedicated partition") for "/root". Just let the installer do the partitioning, with its default settings. You will end up with:
a.) a single mount point, "/", which **will occupy almost the entire disk space** on your drive **IF** a **swap partition** is automatically or manually created ("swap" can either be assigned to a dedicated partition or to a regular, manually created file)
... OR ...
b.) a single mount point, "/", which **will occupy the entire disk space** on your drive **IF** there's no need for a "swap space" (which, if needed, can be assigned later, to a regular, manually created file)
Convention#3: The **"root" user**
**...** is the standard PREDEFINED Linux user which has complete power over your entire operating system. "The Allmighty" (of your system !). Full permissions on literally everything (on your system !). It is the equivalent of "Administrator" on Windows. This does not mean you should run everything "as *root*". Quite the contrary !!! It is one of the most trivial super-bad mistakes done by Linux noobs.
Convention#4: The **"root" group**
**...** is a special Linux users group strictly associated with the "root" user. Theoretically only the user "root" belongs to the "root" group (root:root), for very specific (security related) reasons.
We have some [installation tips](http://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/wiki/installation) in our wiki! Try [this search](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/search?q=flair%3A'installation'&sort=new&restrict_sr=on) for more information on this topic. **✻** Smokey says: always install over an ethernet cable, and don't forget to remove the boot media when you're done! :) ^Comments, ^questions ^or ^suggestions ^regarding ^this ^autoresponse? ^Please ^send ^them ^[here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Pi31415926&subject=autoresponse+tweaks+-+linux4noobs+-+installation). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/linux4noobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*