On Thu, 2007-02-15 at 17:37 +0000, Andy Green wrote: > Michael A Peters wrote: > > On Thu, 2007-02-15 at 15:50 +0000, Andy Green wrote: > >> Michael A Peters wrote: > >> > >>> LVM allows easy resizing of partitions, something you can not safely do > >>> with ext2 partitions without LVM. LVM avoids the need to completely back > >>> up and restore a drive because the average user was not psychic enough > >>> to know how things should be laid out to be space efficient 2 years post > >>> install. > >>> > >>> LVM allows you to leave lots of unused space so that you can use it > >>> where you need it when you need it without having to fuss with mount > >>> points and figuring out how to make the mount points integrate most > >>> effectively into your file system. > >> This is true, but it's a curious thing: these cures are for diseases > >> caused by fragmenting the storage space into fixed closed > >> partition-subworlds in the first place. You can get the same joy in > >> your life by just having a single fully sized / partition and none of > >> this complex stuff piled upon constricting stuff delivering nothing > >> going on. > > > > Unfortunately there is no way to do a clean install while preserving > > some data if it is all one partition. > > "No way?" I didn't try it, but booting to runlevel 1 and rm -rf /usr > /boot before booting into the installation media for the "clean" install > of FC(n+1) should get you to the same place. If /usr/local is not a separate partition that is unmounted first, that would get you into some trouble. You probably would also want to wipe /etc and /var (though if you haven't moved apache, mysql, etc data to /srv first that may also get you into trouble with lost data) > Without having to chafe on > pointless restrictions and a huge workaround software stack between you > and your storage during the 9 months between needing to do that. > > Are there any other reasons to have partitions and LVM on boxes with one > storage device and no possibility for internal expansion? I found in nice when installing TeXLive. Since TeXLive is self contained, I just created a new /texlive partition so I don't have to wipe it. I suppose though that such data would also be preserved if removing /usr /etc /var /lib /bin manually. I would boot off a knoppix CD rather than boot into run level 1 to do it though if I was going to do that. For me, it's just easier to keep use separate logical volumes. Another advantage of separate logical volumes / partitions - you can make a new partition to install the new OS into so you can boot into the old OS if you need to (IE when something critical is broken in new release). I do that on my desktop, but not my laptop. I don't install a new Fedora on my laptop until everything I need works on the Desktop.
