partition question / Linux Mint

[LXMNT6]

Hello to the forum -

I have been enjoying Linux Mint 20.3 for a week now. Had a question about partioning . I have attached / link to an image of my present partioning status on my
256Gb SSD hard drive . I was wondering ( upon someones viewing of the image ) .... what are the advantages / disadvantages to leaving the partition in the state that it is in now vs. attempting to create more partitions . Why would i create more // what harm is there in leaving it the way it is, now ?

Thank you for any comments someone may have on the subject . ///// Please share with me whether or not my image link is successful or not .

alan

https://i.postimg.cc/4ybHxM3b/111.png

[greentea]

Hello, LXMNT6

Your image link looks fine to me.

If you run this command in the terminal, it will show you how much use and free space there is in each partition.
The root directory is the one your interested in.
It appears that with that partition scheme, the system and your /home directory are both there.

Code: Select all

df -h | grep -Ev "tmpfs|/dev/loop|/tmp/"

I use grep to remove stuff from the listing that I don't want to see.
I have that assigned to an alias:

Code: Select all

alias lsdrv='echo; df -h | grep -Ev "tmpfs|/dev/loop|/tmp/";echo'

You might want to add a swap partition. The size depends on how much RAM you have.
You could also have a separate partition for Timeshift system backups.
Otherwise, you have to consider what other partition(s) you might want and what it would be used for.

Shrinking the root partition can be dangerous, but I have never had a problem when using gparted.
Boot from your Mint live USB flash drive to make any changes. It should have gparted on it.

More experienced users other than myself will probably have better suggestions.

[AndyMH]

You have done an erase and install on a legacy boot system:
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=326270&p=1855497&h ... l#p1855497
nothing wrong with it, just not aesthetically pleasing.

If you wanted to create more partitions, then having a separate home partition has some advantages (makes it easier on a fresh install on a major version change). Easiest way to achieve this is to re-install using the 'something else' option - your choice. You will find proponents for and against a separate home partition, I'm in the 'for' camp.

This is what my setup looks like legacy boot, screenshot is from gparted (the standard linux partition editor - not installed by default, in software manager):

Note, you don't need a swap partition, since LM19, mint uses a swap file by default. Also note gparted shows size in GiB not GB, this is a 256GB ssd, same size as yours.

You can upload screenshots to the forum, see the attachments tab below the reply window. File size is limited to 200k. You can also paste the output from terminal commands instead of using images:
viewtopic.php?f=42&t=364929&p=2119362&h ... l#p2119362

[greentea]

You have done an erase and install on a legacy boot system:

@AndyMH
I'm amazed at your perception and knowledge.
Your posts are well organized and informative.

This is what my setup looks like legacy boot, screenshot is from gparted (the standard linux partition editor - not installed by default, in software manager):

Note, you don't need a swap partition, since LM19, mint uses a swap file by default. Also note gparted shows size in GiB not GB, this is a 256GB ssd, same size as yours.

Since I've always had more than one installation, I never considered using a swap file.
Your screenshot shows that you opted for a swap partition.
I found this discussion helpful:
viewtopic.php?t=271029
Other than ease of resizing the swap file, are there any other advantages/disadvantages between the two methods?

[AndyMH]

Not really, I've only got one out of habit, back in the day you had to have a swap partition. A swap file was introduced as the default with LM19. I think you still need a swap partition if you intend to hibernate (I don't). If you do, make your swap partition the same size as RAM.