changing the package directory?

[mousomer]

I got myself a brand new Debian, made the default instalation - including guided partition. Now I have 2.4 GB for the system, and another huge partition (about 6 GB) for the \home directory.
Trouble is, I got the system directory easily filled with stuff I need. I can't install any more packages because I ran out of disk space on the system partition. My /home partition is practically empty. How do I tell the package installers (dpkg, apt-get, aptiude, or whatever) to unpack on a diferent partition?


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knowledge is power
ignorance is superpower

[jens]

I got myself a brand new Debian, made the default instalation - including guided partition. Now I have 2.4 GB for the system, and another huge partition (about 6 GB) for the \home directory.
Trouble is, I got the system directory easily filled with stuff I need. I can't install any more packages because I ran out of disk space on the system partition. My /home partition is practically empty. How do I tell the package installers (dpkg, apt-get, aptiude, or whatever) to unpack on a diferent partition

That's only possible if you move an entire /map.
Unless you fully understand how to partition a Linux system, you don't want to do this.

You could also link an extra map from /home but that's not an optimal solution.

Just use an easy-to-use partition program like gparted (or qparted for KDE) and resize your root partition(add an extra 2GB).

[mousomer]

So, I want to resize my partitions, right?
I need to make the /home/ partition shorter and the /root/ partition larger. How do I do that? I can't seem to find a decent text on how to do that.

[jens]

Could you post your disc layout?
I don't think gparted(ultra easy) will work if your /root is h(s)da1

Ext3 without LVM (default in debian):

I just tested this myself on a default etch install.
Use gparted(or qparted) to shrink /home and move the free space directly after the /root partition (if still needed). It failled to add the free space with the /root partion, so I did this manually.

(from a live or install CD):
#fsck -n /dev/hda1
#tune2fs -O ^has_journal /dev/hda1 (removes the journal)
#e2fsck -f /dev/hda1

Now you have a usable ext2 fs.
#fdisk /dev/hda
d (delete)
1 (for hda1)

Create a bigger one
n (new)
p (for primary)
<enter> (first cylinder)
<enter> (this will auto use all available space)
a
1 (made it bootable again)
w (writes the new partition tabe)
q

#reboot (again in you live CD)
This only resized the partiton table and not the file system, no data is lost.

#e2fsck -f /dev/hda1
#resize2fs /dev/hda1 (resizes the file system)
#fsck -n /dev/hda1
#tune2fs -j /dev/hda1 (will add the ext3 journal again)
#reboot


You'll now have a bigger /root partition with all your data still intact.
Usefull howto: http://www.howtoforge.com/linux_resi...xt3_partitions

Warning: You can lose data(in this case your full root file system) if you do it wrong, do make a backup!

PS: Here's a very good howto for LVM users:
http://voidmain.is-a-geek.net/redhat...al_volume.html

[mousomer]

thnks. As you can see, my linux (boot) drive is D: (windows' secondary) and I've already freed several gigas from the home filesystem (/dev/hdb6).

debian-old:/etc/apt# fdisk -l /dev/hdb

Disk /dev/hdb: 13.6 GB, 13613064192 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1655 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 1 511 4104576 c W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/hdb2 * 512 833 2586465 83 Linux
/dev/hdb3 834 1409 4626720 5 Extended
/dev/hdb5 834 874 329301 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hdb6 875 1409 4297356 83 Linux


debian-old:/etc/apt# mount
/dev/hdb2 on / type ext3 (rw,errors=remount-ro)
proc on /proc type proc (rw)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)
tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)
/dev/hdb6 on /home type ext3 (rw)
/dev/hdb1 on /home/mousomer/windowsD type vfat (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,umask=0)
/dev/hda1 on /home/mousomer/windows type ntfs (ro,noexec,nosuid,nodev,umask=022)
usbfs on /proc/bus/usb type usbfs (rw)

So, I need to:
-reboot from floppy,
-kill the swap partition,
-move the /home/ partition to the end of the disk,
-enlarge the /root/
/recreate the swap partition
-reboot.
I inteded to use parted to do these.

Two questions, then:
1. When I try doing that from the sarge (stable) instalaion CD I have, the pattition mamager informs me that the /root/ system cannot have more than 2.4 GigaByte. Why is that? Is it just the instalation's manager's limitations, or is it a true that I should not enlarge the /root/?
2. For some strange reason, the partroot image doesn't fit on a floppy. How do I make a bootable floppy, then? I looked for documentation on that problem but it's all onsolete.

[jens]

So, I need to:
-reboot from floppy
-kill the swap partition,
-move the /home/ partition to the end of the disk,
-enlarge the /root/
/recreate the swap partition
-reboot.

No.
You move the extra space directly behind the /root partition in order to merge them. The partition you will delete is actually /root itself. As long as you use the same first cylinder, this will not cause any data loss if you recreate it (allowing it to use all available space). Next reboot an resize the file system as well (resize2fs).

Since you have a Windows partition before the /root one, it might actually just work with gparted(or Qparted) without having to do anything from the CLI.
Knoppix is an exellent Live CD for this (it should be possible to do this from a running system as well, I've never done that though).
Don't use a floppy if you have a CD drive.

Two questions, then:
1. When I try doing that from the sarge (stable) instalaion CD I have, the pattition mamager informs me that the /root/ system cannot have more than 2.4 GigaByte. Why is that? Is it just the instalation's manager's limitations, or is it a true that I should not enlarge the /root/?
2. For some strange reason, the partroot image doesn't fit on a floppy. How do I make a bootable floppy, then? I looked for documentation on that problem but it's all onsolete.

1. Don't use the installer, boot it with "linux rescue" (and don't mount any filesystems).
Using Knoppix is a lot easier though. Qparted might actually do everything for you (I'm not sure about this though, I prefer a CLI with fdisk.)
2. Are you using the "dd" command to make the floppy? (I don't even have a floppy drive).
Having a Knoppix disc for your admin tasks is really worth the download.