Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex Install

The new Intrepid Ibex install provides several new features which will make it easier to install Ibex. One of those new features is a new interface for understanding how to do a "Manual " installation.  Most of the time the option "Guided" install is done because users are frustrated with how to create partitions correctly.  The new interface is more graphical and intuitive which will help in the process.

This is the place where you will need to start making decisions about how to partition, or slice up your hard drive.  Warning: Creating partitions will destroy data that is located on those partitions.  It is imperative that you perform this on a computer that has all of the data backed up as this will likely destroy everything on the drive.

In this example there are two drives, sda and sdb.  Your installation may only have one drive so your options will be limited to that one drive.  Select the "Manual" install to create an installation that you can configure the way you want.

Here you can see the new interface warns you that after the install the new Manual install will take up the full drive.

In this illustration the two drives need to be initiated with the command "New partition table" before you can start adding partitions.  If your drive is not a new drive you will not need to use this option.

Once the drive is initiated you will see that it will list free space.  By clicking on the free space of each drive you can create partitions.  Partitions are slices of the hard drive. Typically an installation of Linux will create these slices or partitions of a hard drive. These partitions create separate areas of the disk to hold multiple operating systems or to separate programs and data to aid in back-up.

Linux provides for the following partition options:
Primary Partition - set active for boot loader
Extended Partition - subdivide an extended partition into logical partitions
Logical Partitions - you can create as many logical partitions as you need

The Primary partitions are numbered 1,2,3 and 4. However, if you use an Extended partition number 4 will be replaced by number 5 and all logical partitions will follow number 5. For example a drive sda1 is a Primary partition while sda11 is the 7th logical partition (since 5 is the first logical) on the SCSI drive.

Create a /boot partition as a Primary partition and make the size 100 MB with an Ext3 file system.

Create a Swap area which is equal to twice the amount of RAM that you have on the computer.   When all of the RAM (memory) that is available on the computer is used, the operating system begins to use hard drive space called a “Swap Space”. The system may also use swap space for storing data in RAM that is not being used currently. Swap space is not required, but in most situations is a very good idea. How much swap space is needed depends a great deal on how the machine is being used. The more processes that are active, the more swap space will be needed. One idea was to have a swap space at double the amount of RAM on your machine. It may be beneficial to spread the swap space over several drives as it will enhance performance.

Create a / partition which should be a least 4416 MB but probably you will want it in the area of 6 GB even if the /home partition is separate.  This is also a Primary partition and Ext3 file system.

The nice thing about the new interface is that it is colored so that visually you can better understand the partitions and it provides a summary of what the colors mean with a percentage at the top.

You will want to create a separate partition for /home so that if you rebuild the next time you do not need to wipe out the /home partition you can carry it over to the next Linux install.  You will want your /home partition as large as you can make it. obviously much bigger than the one in the illustration if you are saving music, etc.

This /home partition used the whole second drive as you can see in the illustration.  It is using sdb1.

The Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex install will be easier for most people using the new installer.