partition alignment LM 16

[jsplicer]

I've been researching this topic all over the internet for over a month and got about 10 different answers. This is the Linux mint forum so I'm hoping to get an answer or instructions i can understand. Hers my question,
To do afresh install of Linux mint 16 KDE on an sad drive can I just install the is by letting it format it automatically, or do I have to prefs align partitions. If I do can someone tell me how to do it using gparted. I have no windows or mac os' s to work with.
Thankful for any help..

[jsplicer]

Sorry for the sloppy spelling. I meant ssd drive.

[srs5694]

Unfortunately, SSD alignment issues vary from one model to another, so if you want to avoid the risk of a sub-optimal installation, you must research the needs of your specific drive. Check your manufacturer's Web site for technical data sheets and look for information on the "erase block size." Your partitions must be aligned to that value or multiples thereof.

Most SSDs have erase block sizes of 2048 sectors (1MiB) or smaller power-of-2 divisors of that (say, 1024 sectors or 512 sectors). Recent partitioning tools align partitions on 1MiB multiples by default. Thus, the default alignment works fine with most such disks. Some disks use peculiar erase block sizes, though. I've heard of one that used 3072 sectors (1.5MiB), for instance. That's a very awkward value that will require careful attention to detail. In fact, with that value, I'd recommend using GPT fdisk (gdisk, sgdisk, or cgdisk) for partitioning, since GPT fdisk enables you to set the alignment value to whatever you like.

[mbohets]

I have linux mint 16 kde installed on an ssd, and I did nothing special during the installation, and it works just fine (and fast, boot time is 15 sec)

[jsplicer]

Thank you for straight answers. My next question is, I plan on putting the/Home partition on a regular HDD that I'll format also ext4, I want to put my swap file on the HDD also during installation then from another HDD I have my /Home folder already backed up on, I'll copy the files over then just go back to backing up my /Homedrive from HDD to HDD, what do I make the swap partition, unformatted? And can all of this be done from the lm16kde installer?

Thanks for all your help. This is the only forum where I get straight answers

[srs5694]

I have linux mint 16 kde installed on an ssd, and I did nothing special during the installation, and it works just fine (and fast, boot time is 15 sec)

Improper alignment won't prevent the computer from booting, but it will degrade performance and it may also reduce the effective lifespan of an SSD. There's no way to tell what your boot time should be with a properly-aligned set of partitions, so it's impossible to tell if the 15-second figure you've specified is good or bad.

what do I make the swap partition, unformatted? And can all of this be done from the lm16kde installer?

No, you set the partition type to "swap," "swap space," or some similar term. (I don't recall precisely what term is used.) This can be done in the installer.

[jsplicer]

srs5694 Thank You for that clarification. And your right on the mark, I was worried about the drive becoming a coaster in 3 months if it was aligned improperly, not really the boot up time. The boot time will most likely vary on my system I am using & other factors, I find KDE loads a little slower than Cinnamon, but not by much but I just really got into the "everything works" aspect of KDE. It has beautiful eye candy and no version ever worked quite like 16 does.

I wanted to be sure of the process of the install of what to format the swap as, and I'm glad I asked.I was unaware that you could choose swap as a formatting factor, because I always just chose automatic formatting, this will be my first shot at making my own partitions and pointing them onto 2 different drives. I am also under the impression through research to leave about 18 GiB on a 128 Gib unallocated as a second partition on the SSD for garbage collection to keep the drive running smoothly. I'm also aware of some tweaking I'll need to do to some config files which is fine I'm used to the terminal now, even learning shortcuts and echoing commands now instead of actually opening up certain config files. My fstab, or any config file for that matter I always make a backup copy of one first before doing any changes on the file, so if I hose it I can always revert to the backup... My main worry is and always has been getting the alignment right, through tons of research you would not believe the different "suggestions" I read about.

The thing is and this can help all newbies (of which I still consider myself as in Linux) even though I've been running it successfully for 2 years now, when I can stop asking you guys and gals questions and offering my own help in return, than I will take myself out of the newbie category . But checking the date of information you read is very important because what used to be the way to set up for SSD's 3 years ago is no longer needed as the technology grows.

[Mute Ant]

So you want it to live forever? If you write an SSD continuously how long will it last? One month longer than the guarantee is my estimate.