Linux Fundamentals Installation

Here’s a simple explanation of the Installation section:

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🔧 Installation Basics in Linux

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1. 🖥️ Designing the Disk Partitioning Scheme

Partitioning = Dividing your hard drive into sections for different purposes.

Common Linux partitions:

• / – Root: Main system files (required).
• /home – Personal files for users (optional but useful).
• /boot – Stores files needed to start Linux (required).
• swap – Used as virtual memory when RAM is full (optional).
• /var, /opt, /usr – Used for special software/data (optional).

✅ Example layout:

/boot      – 512 MB
/          – 20 GB (or more)
/home      – Remaining space
swap       – 2 GB (or more, based on your RAM)

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2. 💽 Ensuring /boot Conforms to Hardware Requirements

• The /boot partition stores the kernel and bootloader (e.g., GRUB).

• On UEFI systems, you need an EFI System Partition:

  • Format: FAT32
  • Size: 512 MB to 1 GB
  • Mount point: /boot/efi
• On BIOS systems, /boot is just a normal ext4 partition.

👉 Make sure your boot partition is properly formatted and large enough.

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3. 🔁 Concept of Swap Space

• Swap is disk space used like extra RAM.
• Helps when your system runs out of memory.
• Can be a partition or a swap file.

Recommended sizes:

• RAM < 2 GB → swap = 2x RAM
• RAM 2–8 GB → swap = same as RAM
• RAM > 8 GB → swap = 2–4 GB (or more if using hibernation)

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4. 📦 Understanding LVM (Logical Volume Manager)

• LVM is a flexible way to manage disk space.

• Instead of fixed partitions, LVM allows you to:

  • Resize volumes easily (without reboot).
  • Combine multiple drives into one logical group.
  • Create snapshots (useful for backups/testing).

LVM structure:

Physical Volume (PV) → Volume Group (VG) → Logical Volume (LV)

✅ Benefits:

• Easier resizing
• Better disk management
• Ideal for servers or advanced setups

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