clean install of opensuse, 11.3 to 12.1, but keeping most partitions, have plan, would like advice

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hi There

I am currently using 11.3 KDE 64 bit, but I am going to install 12.1

I want to do a clean install, and I would very much like a few comments on my ideas.

The point is I do have a lot of partitions and only wants to wipe a minimum.
I have three harddisks each 1.5 Tb

On the harddisk i want to have suse, i also have windows, and a large logical partition which contains a lot of data. (which is backed up, but i would still like to keep it.)

This is the set up:

1503022931:~ # su -
1503022931:~ # fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 1500.3 GB, 1500301910016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 182401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xb544b544

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 6509 52283511 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 8934 182402 1393376256 5 Extended
/dev/sda3 * 6510 8934 19477504 83 Linux
/dev/sda5 8935 9955 8193024 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sda6 9955 17604 61441024 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 17604 182402 1323739136 83 Linux

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdc: 1500.3 GB, 1500301910016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 182401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3d3b334c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 65272 524289307 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sdc2 65272 182402 940847104 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 1500.3 GB, 1500301910016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 182401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x3d3b334b

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 182401 1465136001 42 SFS

So i plan to use partedmagic and format
/dev/sda3 in ext4
and delete or format
/dev/sda6

however /dev/sda6 is home, - could i keep that?

Any views or advice is welcome

2

On 2011-11-30 00:36, Mallus wrote:
> I am currently using 11.3 KDE 64 bit, but I am going to install 12.1
>
> I want to do a clean install, and I would very much like a few comments
> on my ideas.
>
> The point is I do have a lot of partitions and only wants to wipe a
> minimum.

Without looking in detail at your setup, if you have the space simply
install 12.1 in another partition. Swap you reuse, home you don’t define
yet. Configure 12.1, test it. If it works, then switch over the home
partition. If 12.1 doesn’t work, you still have 11.3 untouched, so go back.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

3

Maybe you could post the output of this command under 11.3:

df -hl
4

Hi Please Try Again

Thanks for answering, - here is the result of command df -hl

peter@1503022931:~> df -hl
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda3 19G 4.7G 13G 27% /
devtmpfs 2.0G 240K 2.0G 1% /dev
tmpfs 2.0G 4.0K 2.0G 1% /dev/shm
/dev/sda6 58G 31G 25G 56% /home
/dev/sda7 1.3T 1.1T 83G 93% /storage
/dev/sda1 50G 30G 21G 59% /windows/C
/dev/sdb1 1.4T 1.2T 243G 83% /windows/F
/dev/sdc1 489G 363G 126G 75% /windows/D
/dev/sdc2 884G 736G 103G 88% /storage2
peter@1503022931:~>

5

All right. Here is it in a more readable form, after deleting irrelevant lines:


/dev/sda3              19G  4.7G   13G  27% /
/dev/sda6              58G   31G   25G  56% /home
/dev/sda7             1.3T  1.1T   83G  93% /storage
/dev/sdc2             884G  736G  103G  88% /storage2

/dev/sda1              50G   30G   21G  59% /windows/C
/dev/sdb1             1.4T  1.2T  243G  83% /windows/F
/dev/sdc1             489G  363G  126G  75% /windows/D

Do you want to replace 11.3 with 12.1?
In this case, you don’t need to use Parted Magic for anything. Use the expert partitioner (the option “Create partition setup”, then “expert mode”), select sda3, mount as “/”, choose ext4 and check format. Then select sda6 with the correct filesystem of this partition (it will be ext3 or ext4) and mount in /home. It’s up to you to format this partition or not but if you don’t, I suggest you choose a new user name and copy your documents later (if you have any) to your home directory after changing their ownership (as root) to the new user.

6

Right, and /dev/sda7 the system will pick up by itself?

7

You may select other partitions during setup and type the mountpoints you like. /storage and /storage2 are fine. Don’t choose any of the names in the drop down list (such as /usr, /var, /srv, etc). Don’t forget to specify the filesystem of these partitions “use as … ext3 or ext4” and DON’T format!

I say it again and you will double and triple check before pressing OK: DON’T check “format” for partitions which contain data you don’t want to lose. Sorry if it sounds obvious. But don’t forget to check “format” for the root parition (“/”). OK?

  • But you can mount these storage partitions at a later point because they are not essential for the installation. That’s what I normally do.
8

On 2011-11-30 10:46, please try again wrote:
>
> Mallus;2412462 Wrote:
>> Right, and /dev/sda7 the system will pick up by itself?
>
> You may select other partitions during setup and type the mountpoints
> you like. /storage and /storage2 are fine. Don’t choose any of the names
> in the drop down list (such as /usr, /var, /srv, etc). Don’t forget to
> specify the filesystem of these partitions “use as … ext3 or ext4” and
> DON’T format!

There is an option to import the previous fstab.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

9

Mmm - I got the point about not selecting format, - but thanks for pointing it out, - its exactly my aim to keep my data.
(obviously I am backing everything up just in case)
But i still need to ‘specify the filesystem of these partition’ really? Wouldn’t they already have that format? ( I mean all partitions on the three disks are formatted in filesystems And what if a parttion was in ext4 but i wasn’t aware and tagged ext3? )

10

You do not assign a fs to the partitions, you just tell the setup that you want to mount them and you specify which fs it should write in /etc/fstab. I don’t know if the setup would guess right but I always avoid to let setups guess in my place. But it’s not a big deal to select the fs, really.
http://localhost/local/unixversal/linux/opensuse/celadon/images/opensuse_vm_install22.jpg

It wouldn’t mount and you would have to edit /etc/fstab as root and replace “ext3” with “ext4”. Not a very big deal either. As I never do this kind of mistake, I cannot tell you how the setup would response. You can try and find if you’re curious …

11

On 2011-11-30 12:06, please try again wrote:

> You do not assign a fs to the partitions, you just tell the setup that
> you want to mount them and you specify which fs it should write in
> /etc/fstab. I don’t know if the setup would guess right but I always
> avoid to let setups guess in my place. But it’s not a big deal to select
> the fs, really.

You can simply import the old fstab, one click and done.

> http://tinyurl.com/bppp43j

That resolves as:


> http://localhost/local/unixversal/linux/opensuse/celadon/images/opensuse_vm_install22.jpg

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

12

Sorry.

808×655 110 KB

13

Sorry to be a bit slow in two ways;

i am a bit confused about several things, first of all, how could i import old fstabs?

secondly I have backed up everything from sda so I might end up just having a try.

About swap and / do i add that, or edit?

14

Have a look at the slideshow on this page: openSUSE 11.4 - vm installation guide
It’s 11.4 (but it hasn’t changed a lot) and it’s about virtual machines (therefore the name “vda” and the small size of partitions) but it might gave you an idea on the installation process.

15

You don’t have to follow any advice you receive.

If you choose these method Create Partition Setup, you wil be able to add any partitions you need - including swap. It’s not difficult (even if it sounds like expert mode). The other options don’t gave you that much control.

16

> I want to do a clean install

exactly what do you mean by “clean install”?

i asked, because i guess everyone who has answered you has assumed they
know what you want/plan to do, but i’m not sure what they assumed is
actually what you have in mind.

–
DD http://tinyurl.com/DD-Caveat
openSUSE®, the “German Engineered Automobiles” of operating systems!

17

Ahh yes, by clean i mean installing new OS instead of upgrading, i.e new install.

Now thanks for all your advice; I have had a go at the installation DVD and actually with your advice in mind it was easy.

However i was just about to accept and tell it to make changes etc and install when i noticed something like:
disable boot in MBR
enable boot in /

So I got timid… -
Actually windows had mount points,
what does disable MBR boot mean??? only that it does not automatically boot from MBR to windows instead of GRUB ?

18

On 2011-11-30 17:46, please try again wrote:
>
> Have a look at the slideshow on this page: ‘openSUSE 11.4 - vm
> installation guide’
> (http://www.unixversal.com/linux/opensuse/install114.html)
> It’s 11.4 (but it hasn’t changed a lot) and it’s about virtual
> machines (therefore the name “vda” and the small size of partitions) but
> it might gave you an idea on the installation process.

Exactly. Passing photos till you reach “suggested partitioning” one of the
buttons is “import partition setup”. It is posssible that using “automatic
configuration” you see less options.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

19

On 2011-11-30 18:06, please try again wrote:
>
> Mallus;2412636 Wrote:
>> Sorry to be a bit slow in two ways;
>>
>> i am a bit confused about several things, first of all, how could i
>> import old fstabs?
>>
>
> You don’t have to follow any advice you receive.

That is correct. The user must judge which of the advices is more
appropriate for his personal use. We can not know all the details. However,
in my opinion, it is easier when installing on top of another install to
import fstab and import the list of users, and not have to recreate all
those things. It saves time and errors.

And even when importing fstab you have the option to modify things, the
openSUSE partitioner is very flexible. You just get as a starting point
what you had in the previous install.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

20

What i did was; i chose sda3 as root, - actually the system chose that, and i let that be
i chose sda6 as home, - system proposed sda7, i changed that, and for both sda3 and sda 6 i chose format
for the sda7 i untagged format.
i tagged mount for the others as well and gave mount points, as they were actually

then i installed after having seen in yast that already in 11.3 that boot was ‘disable boot in MBR
enable boot in /’

Then I installed
As the system wanted to reboot i got only black and a few coloured stripes and dots…
I let it work for another twenty minutes (if it did that) and rebooted.
that gave same colours… alas
In safe mode i got a screen but couldn’t use any programs…

However my old xp works

Now i am considering installing 11.3 again as that worked…

But did i do anything wrong…?