Help with Resizing/expanding ext4 suse partition

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I installed opensuse 11.2 some 6 months ago as an alternative to windows 7, on a 44GB partition. Having become my primary OS, I am looking forward to expand the ext4 partition from 44GB to the maximum possible. I have some 24GB unpartitioned space, and free space on NTSF partitions (one of which could be deleted if necessary). What is the best and safest procedure to perform the partitioning.

All the best.

2

Please open a terminal and become su -
do this

fdisk -l

post result

3

Please find below the result. I’m planning to use sdb space to expand the existing partition.

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3aa23aa1

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 10199 81923436 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 10200 19456 74356852+ f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/sda5 * 10200 19456 74356821 7 HPFS/NTFS

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.1 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xd3d24ac8

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 1 12865 103338081 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2 12866 30401 140857888+ f W95 Ext’d (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 18719 26959 66195603+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb6 12866 18718 47014159+ 83 Linux
/dev/sdb7 26960 27221 2104483+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

4 
Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1       12865   103338081    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb2           12866       30401   140857888+   f  W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5           18719       26959    66195603+   7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdb6           12866       18718    47014159+  83  Linux
/dev/sdb7           26960       27221     2104483+  82  Linux swap /  Solaris

You realise that sdb2 is a container for sdb5,6,7?

And you don’t have a separate /home do you.

It is possible. Delete sda5 and sda7, resize sda6 and create a new swap at the end.
You know in fact sda6 is the first partition inside the extended sda2 do you.
So I’m not too sure how the device map will look after this and you may have to edit the fstab and menu.lst files.

Does that make sense ?

5

Actually, I just noticed that. What are the implications?

I can access my home folder through /home, if that’s what you mean.

I think you mean sbb5 and sdb7. Could you elaborate on this part? Any specific application to use? Shall I do this from the LiveCD, any other bootable CD, or unmounting is not necessary. How to create a new swap.

As for what you proposed. I can indeed delete the sdb5, and sdb7 is the swap partition.

Just noticed that too, but then again, not sure about how would that affect repartitioning, if possible.

I don’t know if that makes sense, I haven’t done any of this before. My question is : would the expansion of the suse partition be a tricky issue?

6

Just read SDB:Basics of partitions, filesystems, mount points. I now get your point.

7

Sorry, yes, I mean sdb not sda.

If it were mine. I would copy my personal files from /home to either a external HD or perhaps sdb1? or sda1 or sda5? - one of those ntfs partitions. Just create a folder for example directly on C: - and place what you need in there.

Then install openSUSE again on sdb.
Delete everything but sdb1

Then create one extended partition taking all the space from the end of sdb1 to end of disk.
Then inside that extended create 2GB swap, 20GB / (root) then all the rest to /home

Once installed put your files back in /home

8

Seems like a good idea. Thanks for the help.

9

THIS MADE MY DAY! Thank you!