Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop

Creating a Custom Partitions Table

If the partition table recommended by the JDS Installation Program is unsuitable for the JDS installation requirements, you may need to create a custom partition table. This should include at least one partition for your data and one swap partition, which the operating system needs to support multiprocessing. In this section, as an example, we create:

• A 5 GB partition mounted at the root (the / directory) for system files

• A 512 MB swap file

• A partition containing the rest of the available disk space, mounted at /usr, for user directories

The following procedure outlines how to create a custom partition table. This procedure overwrites your existing Windows partition. Before proceeding, back up any files you want to keep.

1. From the Installation Settings dialog, select Partitioning, select “Create custom partition option,” and click Next.

2. Select “Custom partitioning, for experts option,” then click Next to launch the Expert Partitioner dialog.

3. Select the device that refers to the disk where you want to install the application, for example /dev/hda, then click Delete to erase all partitions on that disk.

4. Click Create to create a new partition and select the Primary option.

5. In the pop-up window, set the size and location for the partition. For instance, to create a single 5 GB partition that holds all the files for JDS, set the Start Cylinder to 0, set the End Cylinder to + 5 GB, and set the Mount Point to / .

6. Click Create to create a new partition and select ...