Resize /home Partition or recover space for it

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hi, after I had issues with Baloo reindexing /home snapshots all the time (Baloo Commands!) it is sorted out as I made a fresh install, but during installation I chose EXT4 for /home and kept system partition and whatever other partitions as suggested defaults (BTRFS). Problem solved.

Now I have a little issue.
My SSD is 250GB, system is like 60GB, some other partittions… etc but I notice the /home partition is only like 88GB and I see some strange partition BTRFS same size!

I believe I should have my /home partition EXT4 160GB at least.

Here is my lsblk:

limo@localhost:~> lsblk
NAME        MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
nvme0n1     259:0    0 238.5G  0 disk 
├─nvme0n1p1 259:1    0   256M  0 part /boot/efi
├─**nvme0n1p2 259:2    0  88.7G  0 part** 
├─nvme0n1p3 259:3    0     2G  0 part [SWAP]
├─nvme0n1p4 259:4    0  59.2G  0 part /usr/local
│                                     /var
│                                     /srv
│                                     /root
│                                     /opt
│                                     /boot/grub2/x86_64-efi
│                                     /boot/grub2/i386-pc
│                                     /.snapshots
│                                     /
└─nvme0n1p5 259:5    0  88.3G  0 part /home
limo@localhost:~>

I am no techie, but my understanding, if it is taking whatever space for other stuf like swap, EFI, … whatever it wont be the size of my home partition.

I tried partition manager but couldn’t.

Any help how to get my home partition to be what it should be (like 160GB I guess, and EXT4 as it is now.)

I do not mind using command line.
I do not mind doing another fresh install (but during installation I couldn’t find how to make /home like 160GB

I will appreciate your help.

2

238.5 Gb ≠ 250 Gb.

And 88.7 + 2 + 59.2 + 88.3 = 238.2 (which is ~ 238.5)
Where do you think there is space to enlarge the nvme0n1p5 partition?

3

I wonder what is this 88.3GB partition?
I see it is not even mounted in dolphin!
The system is like 60GB only.

Is this normal to have home only that size from about 250GB SSD?

4

How should we know? It is your system, you have partitioned it.
Show output of

fdisk -l /dev/nvme0n1
5

Here:

limo@localhost:~> fdisk -l /dev/nvme0n1
Absolute path to 'fdisk' is '/usr/sbin/fdisk', so running it may require superuser privileges (eg. root).
limo@localhost:~> sudo fdisk -l /dev/nvme0n1

We trust you have received the usual lecture from the local System
Administrator. It usually boils down to these three things:

    #1) Respect the privacy of others.
    #2) Think before you type.
    #3) With great power comes great responsibility.

For security reasons, the password you type will not be visible.

[sudo] password for root: 
Disk /dev/nvme0n1: 238.47 GiB, 256060514304 bytes, 500118192 sectors
Disk model: SAMSUNG MZVLW256HEHP-000H1              
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: gpt
Disk identifier: 80255537-1DB1-4B40-8AEA-7FF9279A7F8D

Device             Start       End   Sectors  Size Type
/dev/nvme0n1p1      2048    526335    524288  256M EFI System
/dev/nvme0n1p2    526336 186630143 186103808 88.7G Linux filesystem
/dev/nvme0n1p3 495923200 500118158   4194959    2G Linux swap
/dev/nvme0n1p4 186630144 310700031 124069888 59.2G Linux filesystem
/dev/nvme0n1p5 310700032 495923199 185223168 88.3G Linux filesystem

Partition table entries are not in disk order.
limo@localhost:~> 

By the way, I just went with defaults during installation!
6

Partitions 2 and 5 are not adjacent, so you cannot really enlarge one with the space of another. It is possible to use LVM to combine these two partitions into one volume group. But if it is new installation, it is easier to repeat it paying attention to disk partitioning.

7

As I said, during installation I went with the defaults the installer selected.
How can I perhaps make the /home partition like 160GB EXT4 during installation?

Sorry, again, I am no techie.

8

Your list says: /home . You say yourself that it is a ext4 /home partition. And as far as I can see it takes the “rest of the disk”.

9

What is nvme0n1p2 assumed to be? You installed the system, not we.

10

You did not. Installer does not offer separate /home as ext4.

11

OK, my SSD is “about” 250GB to start with.

The system is taking “about” 60GB
Assuming others (swap… etc) will take whatever say 10GB
I should be left with about 180GB for /home not just about 86GB!

I don’t understand where did the rest go?

12

I know, but it was an option there.
This setup works for me as it avoids the Baloo issues with BTRFS as explained in the other thread.

13

It does not. It is in the middle of the disk.

14

Oh yes, it is even more of a mess as I thought. The sequence is p1 - p2 - p4 - p5 - p3. I have seen such mixtures on disks after a life of many installs, changes, resizing, re-whatevering, but never as the result of a clean installation.

15

I am just eager to know, where did the rest of my SSD go!?

16

These issues only exist in your head, as is said in the other thread. Please do not mention them here as that does not make your present problem more clear to read and understand. Stick to your present problem.

17

This solves the problem for me, forever!

Thanks for making my life easier!

18

In case you missed it (it is all above):

  1. your disk is 238.5 Gb
  2. it is GPT partioned in five partitions (no space left) in the strange sequence p1 - p2 - p4 - p5 - p3
  3. the usage when you made the lsbsk above is apparently:
    p1 for EFI,
    p2 unknown,
    p4 for / (root Btrfs file system),
    p5 for/home Ext4 file system,
    p3 for Swap.
  4. when p2 is really something that you think is unused, that is indeed 88.7 Gb “lost”, but as it is not adjacent to p5, you can not extend p5 to embrace p2 (apart from other problems that may emerge)

So it is up to you. When you think about a fresh install, then watch carefully what the installer offers you as partition/file systems proposal. Adapt when needed. When you have questions about the proposal, then ask here.

19

I have great confidence in gparted. I have moved/resized partitions (with data in them), and changed file system formatting and system has remained functional. If you are prepared to re-install in the event gparted fails, I would first look at perhaps removing partition 2, moving partition 4, expanding partition 5. using gparted. You can adjust file systems. If this fails, then do re-install Worth a try.

20

That said, I really would not recommend openSUSE Tumbleweed to a non techie person. If you really want to go with openSUSE, at least pick Leap and your life will be easier.

If you would like further assistance to reorganize the partitions with a new installation, just let me know.