Looking for Real World Setup info for Newbie to Linux

I am working for a small company that is switching from Netware to Suse. I am working on a test server and trying to setup partitions for the server that will hold data for AutoCAD files / Word Files and Pictures. What size partitions should be made for the Root / Swap etc and what format? We have bought 2 Dell R620 Servers with 32GB Ram and a Dell PowerVault MD3200i. The servers have VMware on them.

Also what format should be used for the Data partitions? I read that BTRFS format is the new generation but is everyone using yet?

I am new to Linux so I am trying to balance information from books and the Internet but I can’t seem to figure it out.

Any advice would be truly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ken@rlmrlm.com

On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:44:01 +0000, RLMILLIES wrote:
[color=blue]

I am working for a small company that is switching from Netware to Suse.
I am working on a test server and trying to setup partitions for the
server that will hold data for AutoCAD files / Word Files and Pictures.
What size partitions should be made for the Root / Swap etc and what
format? We have bought 2 Dell R620 Servers with 32GB Ram and a Dell
PowerVault MD3200i. The servers have VMware on them.[/color]

How big the partitions are depends on how much data you have and how much
you expect them to grow in the near future. Disk capacity planning would
be the same regardless of the OS in use when it comes to data
partitions. :slight_smile:
[color=blue]

Also what format should be used for the Data partitions? I read that
BTRFS format is the new generation but is everyone using yet?[/color]

btrfs is still (to my knowledge) lacking filesystem check/verification
tools. It’s still considered by many to be experimental, and you won’t
find it in the SLES releases of Linux.

Jim

Jim Henderson, CNA6, CDE, CNI, LPIC-1, CLA10, CLP10
Novell Knowledge Partner

[QUOTE=Jim Henderson;6203]On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:44:01 +0000, RLMILLIES wrote:
[color=blue]

I am working for a small company that is switching from Netware to Suse.
I am working on a test server and trying to setup partitions for the
server that will hold data for AutoCAD files / Word Files and Pictures.
What size partitions should be made for the Root / Swap etc and what
format? We have bought 2 Dell R620 Servers with 32GB Ram and a Dell
PowerVault MD3200i. The servers have VMware on them.[/color]

How big the partitions are depends on how much data you have and how much
you expect them to grow in the near future. Disk capacity planning would
be the same regardless of the OS in use when it comes to data
partitions. :slight_smile:
[color=blue]

Also what format should be used for the Data partitions? I read that
BTRFS format is the new generation but is everyone using yet?[/color]

btrfs is still (to my knowledge) lacking filesystem check/verification
tools. It’s still considered by many to be experimental, and you won’t
find it in the SLES releases of Linux.

Jim

Jim Henderson, CNA6, CDE, CNI, LPIC-1, CLA10, CLP10
Novell Knowledge Partner[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the reply.

I was wondering what size the root and swap partitions should be.

Ken@rlmrlm.com

[QUOTE=Jim Henderson]On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:44:01 +0000, RLMILLIES
wrote:[color=blue]

Also what format should be used for the Data partitions? I read that
BTRFS format is the new generation but is everyone using yet?[/color]

btrfs is still (to my knowledge) lacking filesystem check/verification
tools. It’s still considered by many to be experimental, and you won’t
find it in the SLES releases of Linux.

Jim
[/QUOTE]
Hi
Not true, btrfs is supported as a root file system on SLES, but not
data…
http://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/11-SP2/#fate-306585


Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (x86_64) Kernel 3.0.34-0.7-default
up 15 days 16:24, 2 users, load average: 0.32, 0.45, 0.40
CPU Intel i5 CPU M520@2.40GHz | Intel Arrandale GPU

On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:54:07 +0000, malcolmlewis wrote:
[color=blue]

Hi Not true, btrfs is supported as a root file system on SLES, but not
data…
http://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/11-SP2/#fate-306585[/color]

Good to know, I hadn’t heard anything new in a while.

Still pretty new, though, and I’d be hesitant about using it on a
production system probably until at least the next SP.

Jim


Jim Henderson, CNA6, CDE, CNI, LPIC-1, CLA10, CLP10
Novell Knowledge Partner

On Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:44:01 +0000, RLMILLIES wrote:
[color=blue]

I was wondering what size the root and swap partitions should be.[/color]

For the root partition, unless you’re installing or planning to install
some large applications, the defaults should be sufficient.

For swap space, there are a number of schools of thought. On servers, I
tend to agree with what’s outlined at:

https://www.linux.com/news/software/applications/8208-all-about-linux-swap-space/

Jim


Jim Henderson, CNA6, CDE, CNI, LPIC-1, CLA10, CLP10
Novell Knowledge Partner

[QUOTE=RLMILLIES;6208]Thanks for the reply.

I was wondering what size the root and swap partitions should be.

Ken@rlmrlm.com[/QUOTE]

I usually start with this base partition layout:

500 MB /boot - primary partition
14 GB / (root) - primary partition
3 GB swap - primary partition
[LVM partition, type 8e] - primary partition
12 GB lv_var /var
6 GB lv_usr-install /usr/install #contains install banaries & configurations for install and ISOs specific for the server setup

Then allocate the rest of disk space to server and application data on separate LVM volume mount points and disks where possible (as they can be extended rather easily).
If there are multiple disks you can use, I tend to put all OS related bits on one disk and the data on the other(s). When working with LVM (not NSS) the volume groups are also named to emphases this split - VG-SYSTEM and VG-DATA for example, where VG-SYSTEM contains the mointpoints for /var and /usr/install & VG-DATA, for example, mountpoints vor lv_var-lib-mysql /var/lib/mysql, etc…

When using VMware, Xen or other server virtualization products, I create one disk for the OS - with a size of 38 GB , so I can put the mentioned partition layout on it and still have some free space left, and then create new disks to place the data on. As a rule, not needed per see with OES11 but essential when working with OES2, create a separate disk for each disk that will contain NSS volume.

-Willem

On 13/08/2012 17:44, RLMILLIES wrote:
[color=blue]

I am working for a small company that is switching from Netware to Suse.
I am working on a test server and trying to setup partitions for the
server that will hold data for AutoCAD files / Word Files and Pictures.
What size partitions should be made for the Root / Swap etc and what
format? We have bought 2 Dell R620 Servers with 32GB Ram and a Dell
PowerVault MD3200i. The servers have VMware on them.

Also what format should be used for the Data partitions? I read that
BTRFS format is the new generation but is everyone using yet?

I am new to Linux so I am trying to balance information from books and
the Internet but I can’t seem to figure it out.

Any advice would be truly appreciated.[/color]

Firstly since you mention switching from NetWare to SUSE by SUSE do you
mean SUSE’s server product, SLES, or Novell’s Linux-based replacement for
NetWare, OES? Perhaps by posting in a SUSE support forum you mean the
former.

My advice depends on whether you’re moving to SLES or OES as with the
latter you can continue to use NSS volumes to hold data whereas SLES only
offers Linux file systems.

I also note you say the servers have VMware on them and I’m guessing by
that you mean ESXi? Are you intending to leave that in place and use it to
host virtualised servers or wiping the physical servers and installing SLES
(or OES) instead? Whilst Linux server partitions would be the same whether
virtualised or not, virtualising servers could affect how you split and
access the physical disk space.

HTH.

Simon
Novell/SUSE/NetIQ Knowledge Partner