Partition of "ex-windows C:" formatting and authorization access problem

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hi everyone,

Thinking about moving on Linux for sometimes now, I’ve jump into it yesterday with a not-so-old pc that was running Windows XP.
I’m not a pro … but I use to manage when computers were not “user-friendly”, so I’ve some knowledge but not that much. Please remember it in your replies :wink:

Step 0: reading a lot for the last 2 weeks

Step 1: Installation of Opensuse: Done

  • Partitioning was done upon suggestion from YaST2 and there was free space as I had deleted some of the windows partitions before hand, only C: was left

Step 2: Format /dev/sda1 to erase Windows and being able to use that space for user docs

  • System type used: “Ext4” following the info I could find on the forums.
  • No mounted info as I did not know what to choose in the scrolling list and I was thinking that this could be done later

Step 3: Create a folder “Nath2” in /dev/sda1 to be able to have a short cut in my documents to access it more easily
→ that creation could only be done with su account
→ authorization given to all users to that folder to allow easy access without su account.
→ short cut link created in “my doc” folder for easy access
→ it seemed to work

Step 4: Restart was requested after several updates (normal after an install I guess)

Step 5: wanted to access the folder “Nath2” from shortcut … did not work with “error: access denied”
→ su needed to re-access sda1
→ when checking partition it is now mounted
→ while authorization are still for all users

Here is the partitioning now:
http://pix.toile-libre.org/upload/original/1406114769.png

Questions:
1/ How do I do to use sda1 to store data (i.e. pictures, etc) with easy access to all user (like for home)
→ for now, there is nothing onto it, so if needed to reformat or something else … fine.

2/ Is it possible (and not too difficult) to have a clean architecture i.e. swap volume first, then root, then home, then maybe a user volume easy to back up?

3/ When I will have to update Opensuse in the future, is this architecture the right one to do it easily (not having to backup every user data on an external HD to reinstall everything)? If not, what would you suggest?

Many thanks in advance for your help,
Nathalie

PS: What is those tmpfs volumes?

2

What I understand from your story (and btw do allways tell what version of openSUSE you use, we can not guess this wiuth certainty), the only thing you did not do is using a suitable mount point for your file system. Now it is (more or less “automaticaly” mounted at that difficult place /run/media/…

It is not quite clear what you want to use it for. You say “with easy access to all user (like for home)”. To begin with, /home is NOT accessable for all users. Every user has a directory INSIDE /home where he has access to (and the other users normaly not). Imagine when all users had aesy access to /home: a user could then delete another users home directoryu with all that is in it :frowning:

When you want to handle it like /home, that is create directories in there that belong to the different users, then create, as root, a directory as mount point e.g. inside /mnt (say: /mnt/pictures). Can be simply done using YaST > System > Partitioning as you did earlier, but then filling in the mount point (that is not needed to be one of the list there, you can type also in that field).

And then, as root, create directories for the users that must get space there (could be with their usernames like inside /home, but it could be different. Command:

mkdir /mnt/pictures/username

Then change the ownership of those files to be the ownership (and group) of those respective users. Command:

chown username:users /mnt/pictures/username

It now will look there very much like it looks inside /home.

Every user can make things easy for him/her by making a symbolic link inside his/her home directory to such a directory:

ln /mnt/pictures/unsername mypictures

Hope this helps. When in doubt please first ask here before borking your system :wink:

When posting computer text (much easier to do and to read then those screen copies), copy/past the prompt, the command, the output and the next prompt in between CODE tags. You get CODE tags by clicking on the # button in the tool bar of the post editor.

And last, this might be of interest: http://en.opensuse.org/SDB%3ABasics_of_partitions,_filesystems,_mount_points

3

Use YaST partitioner to set up as a mount point, eg /data you can then create folders with owners and permissions as required (via command line is probably easier…)


su -
cd /data
mkdir nathan
chown nathan:users nathan
exit

You would then have access to /data/nathan with full access as your user. If you have other users you can create folders and change ownership on those. For common areas, you would create a user group then add users to that group to share files (if that all makes sense…).

Would require a re-install to change partitions around… it could be done, but quicker to re-install to what you want.

As in architecture, you mean disk layout?

4

Your question #2:

Calling such a thing “clean” is something of your invention. It might have been better to have removed sda1 before/duriing installation (because it seem sthat you didn’t need it, so why spare it at installation?). Then you would hve had it available for whatever usage out of the pool of everything at the end not need for something else. But apart from reinstalling, I do noit see an easy way to move everything.

Simply saying during installation that you want to use the whole disk for openSUSE would have ignored all partitions on it and offered you a “clean” proposal.

You question #3:

The fact that you have a separate partition for /home (and probably in the near furture that other partition dedicated to user data) makes it easy to install/upgrade openSUSE without touching the user’s data. I assume that you will make backups of the users data on a regular base. And before doing a major maintenace action like upgrading openSUSE, yoou should of course make a fresh backup and maybe an extra one. That is simply sound computer management.

5

Hi Nath !

That you can not mount the partition that once was your ‘drive C:’ of windows
(which you have re-formatted with ext4 !),
is neither a miracle nor the result of hidden code.

It is just a result of the fact that provisions have to be made in order that Linux/openSUSE mounts a volume at startup that isn’t neither / nor /home.

If you just want to have easy access to that partition under openSUSE/Linux try the following.

Boot openSUSE.

Start YaST.

Start the partitioner there.

Then (see your incomplete screen shot) click on ‘Hard Disks’ in the left hand side of that window - I mean
that left side of that window that you cut off in your screen shot !!!

Then select your partition (/dev/sda1) by clicking on it on the right hand side of the partitioner window.

Now click ‘Edit’.

In the upcoming window ‘Mount partition’ should be checked.

Now click on ‘Fstab Options…’.

In the menu coming up then, the entry ‘Do Not Mount at System Start-up’ should be un-checked !

Please report if this entry was not checked when you got there.

Quit that partitioner saving the changes.

Now, that partition should be mounted right after you booted openSUSE
(please do a re-boot to verify that),
and you should have no problems anymore to access it under openSUSE.

Good luck
Mike

6

On 2014-07-23 13:46, Nath wrote:

> Step 2: Format /dev/sda1 to erase Windows and being able to use that
> space for user docs
> - System type used: “Ext4” following the info I could find on the
> forums.
> - No mounted info as I did not know what to choose in the scrolling list
> and I was thinking that this could be done later

Just invent a new name and write it. Typical would be /data.

> → authorization given to all users to that folder to allow easy access
> without su account.

You mean you changed the permissions on that directory? To what?

>

> 2/ Is it possible (and not too difficult) to have a clean architecture
> i.e. swap volume first, then root, then home, then maybe a user volume
> easy to back up?

Just tell the installer to use the whole disk.

> 3/ When I will have to update Opensuse in the future, is this
> architecture the right one to do it easily (not having to backup every
> user data on an external HD to reinstall everything)? If not, what
> would you suggest?

I don’t understand.

> PS: What is those tmpfs volumes?

Things. Needed with fast access, small size, and temporary.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.

(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” (Minas Tirith))