Clean triple install - need partition advice

[lkd1]

Cleaning out for a big triple-install later today. Need advice on partitioning.

Have 2 150GB Hard drives. Not clean at present, but nothing to save.

Want to have 64-bit XP, 32-bit Suse 11.0 and 64-bit Suse 11.0. By the end of the day, I will have DVDs for installing all 3 of these systems.

Thinking of the following:
1. Install all 3 on the first HD. Keep second HD for backup.
2. Install XP Pro 64x first.
3. None of these systems will be heavily used. Of the 3, I will use the 32-bit Suse most. However, I now require the two 64-bit OS's because I need to develop a couple of 64-bit modules to use with Matlab.

SEEKING ADVICE:
How to/ when to/ repartition the #1 HD?

[D-cat]

I don't know how much you need in the way you use Windows, but I'll make a guess of About 30GB for various programs, adjust as you need it. I also don't know what you have for RAM or your requirements, so again, I'll make a guess.

The way I'd do it:
/dev/sda 150GB
/dev/sda1 30 GB NTFS /mnt/windows ("C:" to Windows XP)
/dev/sda2 120GB Extended
/dev/sda5 20 GB Ext3 / (for SuSE 32bit)
/dev/sda6 20 GB Ext3 / (for SuSE 64bit)
/dev/sda7 79 GB Ext3 /home (shared)
/dev/sda8 500MB swap

/dev/sdb 150 GB
/dev/sdb1 150GB NTFS /mnt/data (for shared data, "D:" to Windows)