Linux Multiboot - Partition Schema

Preface

Goal: Latest partition schema as a based of this multiboot article series.

Table of Content

• Preface: Table of Content

• Overview

• 1: Partition Schema

• 2: Preparation: Mount Point

• 3: Goal

• What is Next?

Overview

It has been four years since the last time I wrote my multiboot article.

• Linux Multiboot, Setting up Partitions

Shared Partition

Since then, I use multiboot in other computer as well. I found that multiboot requires a shared partition, that I could use, along with every installed linux.

I usually named them Works or Docs.

Of course you can use different name. However this is my configuration:

• Works: shared partition for any linux in my PC.

• Docs: Windows Data.

Samba Configuration

And I also use the same samba configuration, so my network always find the right document, no matter linux, that I boot.

To be exact, my samba path always here.

• /media/Works/Samba

% tree -L 1 /media/Works
/media/Works
├── ...
├── e-Pajak
├── ...
├── githublab
├── ..
├── Mailbox
├── Music
├── Samba
└── ...

And in smb.conf for each distribution installed:

[Samba]
   path = /media/Works/Samba/

Table of Content

This time, I need to show up more configuration, how to make, a shared partition across different distribution.

• Partition Schema

• /etc/fstab to make shared partition

• samba configuration

• updating with chroot

Dotfiles Document

Config is available at:

• github.com/epsi-rns/dotfiles/…/multiboot

Including grub, fstab, and samba.

Filesystem Overview

Update: 2020 states

For those who want to get self adventure with filesystem, you can find exotic filesystem in their habitat.

1: Partition Schema

It is all installed well. And I also have other partition as well.

Operating System

All setup is done without any issue.

• System (NTFS: Windows 7 System)

• openSUSE (/: btrfs, /home: xfs, /boot: ext4)

• Fedora (ext4)

• Debian (ext4)

• KaOSx (xfs)

OpenSUSE Case

Each OS in just one partition, except openSUSE that has three partitions.

• /: btrfs,

• /home: xfs,

• /boot: ext4

I need to make separate /boot partition as a workaround. Because GRUB2 from other OS cannot read the BTRFS at boot.

Shared Partition

• Works (ext4)

• Docs (ntfs: windows data)

By Label

I had labeled each partition.

The root / of openSUSE has BTRFS type on /dev/sda9, it cannot be labeled, therefore it is not shown below.

Since all linux OS has /home, to avoid confusion, I name the /home partition of openSUSE as Fun.

% tree /dev/disk/by-label
/dev/disk/by-label
├── boot -> ../../sda7
├── Debian -> ../../sda12
├── Docs -> ../../sda6
├── Fedora -> ../../sda11
├── Fun -> ../../sda8
├── KaOSx -> ../../sda10
├── System -> ../../sda1
└── Works -> ../../sda5

0 directories, 8 files

Partition Information

You can get partition information, for each device path such as /dev/sda9, by using this command.

% sudo file -sL /dev/sda9
/dev/sda9: BTRFS Filesystem sectorsize 4096, nodesize 16384, leafsize 16384, 
UUID=c114d95e-bc0a-4b41-a2db-abd21aa9850f, 32208326656/52743372800 bytes used, 1 devices

2: Preparation: Mount Point

Now we need to set up mount point. I set it up at /media. And each OS should have these mount point.

openSUSE

% tree /media -x
/media
├── Boot
├── Debian
├── Docs
├── Fedora
├── KaOSx
├── System
└── Works

7 directories, 0 files

Note: Without openSUSE directory, no Fun Directory either.

Fedora

% tree /media -x
/media
├── Boot
├── Debian
├── Docs
├── Fun
├── openSUSE
├── KaOSx
├── System
└── Works

8 directories, 0 files

Note: Without Fedora directory.

KaOSx

% tree /media -x
/media
├── Boot
├── Debian
├── Docs
├── Fedora
├── Fun
├── openSUSE
├── System
└── Works

8 directories, 0 files

Note: Without KaOSx directory.

Debian

Debian has additional default mount point.

% tree /media -x
/media
├── Boot
├── cdrom -> cdrom0
├── cdrom0
├── Docs
├── Fedora
├── Fun
├── KaOSx
├── openSUSE
├── System
└── Works

Note: Without Debian directory.

3: Goal

How it is going to be ?

Before going further to /etc/fstab. This is what we want to achieve.

KDE Partition Manager.

With this GUI, you will have better understanding.

Block Device Attribute

GUI is nice, however, there is a more geeky way using blkid.

% sudo blkid -o list                                                         ~ andalan
device         fs_type label    mount point        UUID
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
/dev/sda1      ntfs    System   /media/System      442456A824569CAC
/dev/sda5      ext4    Works    /media/Works       954a9b1e-c8c0-4f38-8877-fa891c79c9ae
/dev/sda6      ntfs    Docs     /media/Docs        01CF01333AD2FF20
/dev/sda7      ext4    boot     /boot              23342d48-c3be-402c-b049-b3e9ddeafbc0
/dev/sda8      xfs     Fun      /home              0095473d-ae63-4722-8350-f5716e5df333
/dev/sda9      btrfs            (in use)           c114d95e-bc0a-4b41-a2db-abd21aa9850f
/dev/sda10     xfs     KaOSx    /media/KaOSx       50f93bc6-711d-4f70-84cf-09748e653543
/dev/sda11     ext4    Fedora   /media/Fedora      9c76fb33-fa7a-46af-b2bb-f82d385b81b6
/dev/sda12     ext4    Debian   /media/Debian      4190d7a9-fb03-4d19-864f-7d04f89c3be0
/dev/sda13     swap             [SWAP]             b623e30b-c7a5-4f99-a250-45372da4c5b4

What’s Next?

How do we achieve it ? Consider continue reading [ Multiboot: /etc/fstab ].