I'm new to Mac OS, but I have a pretty good background in Linux/Unix, and I have a few questions about a partitioning scheme I would like to use when I can finally afford my first Mac (Getting a 12" iBook).

I would like to have 3 partitions: 1 for OS/Apps (10-15 GB), one for Swap (1-2 GB, I already found directions for changing swap space to different partition), and one for user data (everything else). Sizes are not set in stone (I'll probably end up changing how much goes to OS/Apps partion).

I wanted to change where the partitons are mounted by editing /etc/fstab. I was wondering, if the drives are mounted outside of /Volumes (ex. users partition mounted as /Users, and swap partition mounted as /swap) will the partitions still show up on the desktop? Also, the directions I've seen for changing the home directory to a different volume through NetInfo say some apps don't handle the change well, would mounting the partition as /Users (or wherever the home directories are kept) solve the issues seen with some apps?

Thanks in advance

[Brad]

Welcome to AppleNova, wonko.

I think you really need to ask yourself this question before getting involved with partitionaing since it's something that may cause problems:

Why? What do you expect to gain by doing this?

Moving swap to another partition will not benefit you speed-wise. Moving applications may break the built-in Software Update mechanism.

And as for this:

Sizes are not set in stone (I'll probably end up changing how much goes to OS/Apps partion).

Keep in mind that you'll have to reformat the drive (or purchase a third-party tool) in order to resize those partitions. So, yes, the sizes will essentially be set in stone.

Are you wanting to do this just because you're used to doing it with Linux? Or do you expect some real, tangible benefits from it? The general consensus we have is that partitioning is more trouble than it is worth and that it's too difficult to truly predict how much space you'll need on a given partition in the future.

Why? What do you expect to gain by doing this?

I prefer to keep applications and data on seperate drives, so that if I need to wipe the drive, I don't loose all my data. I expect to have to wipe the drive a few times after I get my iBook, as I want to explore/play with the OS and settings, and I'm sure I'll make a few mistakes as I'm making changes. I always seem to break things as I'm exploring a new system, and I've lost lots of data before when applications and data were on the same drive.

I don't really expect any performance benefits from the type of setup I am thinking of, it's more of a personal preference.

Keep in mind that you'll have to reformat the drive (or purchase a third-party tool) in order to resize those partitions. So, yes, the sizes will essentially be set in stone.

When I said sizes are not set in stone, I should have been more clear. I meant I haven't made a final decision for what size each partition should be (I understand that once the drive is partitioned, the sizes can't be easily changed).

[Brad]

Ah, that's fine then.

As for your other questions, I'll leave them for someone more experienced with those matters.

[pv2b]

Originally Posted by wonko the sane I prefer to keep applications and data on seperate drives, so that if I need to wipe the drive, I don't loose all my data. I expect to have to wipe the drive a few times after I get my iBook, as I want to explore/play with the OS and settings, and I'm sure I'll make a few mistakes as I'm making changes. I always seem to break things as I'm exploring a new system, and I've lost lots of data before when applications and data were on the same drive. I don't really expect any performance benefits from the type of setup I am thinking of, it's more of a personal preference.

Heh. I know where you're coming from. It's a pretty firm Unix tradition to keep your partitions seperate. And it has advantages, and disadvantages, but on Mac OS X, I don't think you have that much to gain from partitioning your disk up the way you're used to.

First of all, I've owned this mac for just over 2.5 years, and I have never *ever* had to re-format the hard drive on it. I have reinstalled once or twice after some tinkering, but that has never required a complete wipe of the hard drive. You see, when you install an Apple OS, you're given the option to "Archive and Install", which basically moves all your system filed into another folder where they can do no harm, and replaces the entire system -- not touching your applications or your home directory in the process. There's simply no need to wipe your drive and reinstall from scratch ever (Okay. There might be a theoretical edge case or two, I don't want to paint myself into a corner.) due to tinkering with Mac OS X.

In this sense, the advantages of having seperate partitions due to tinker-survivability are pretty small.

So as a former Linux user, trust me when I say that you probably don't "need" to partition to keep your user and your system data seperate. Don't make using a Mac harder than it has to be. Accept the defaults, Mac OS X is robust enough to handle it. :-)

Now, if you do decide to ignore my advice and place your /Users partition on a seperate drive, that'd probably work too. I haven't ever used /etc/fstab on a Mac, but it seems that it's there, and it's only slightly different from what you're used to on Linux. You seem to have to enter either the drive's UUID (whatever that is) or it's label. (No more tinkering with IDE master/slave! Yay!) Now, this might also cause some trouble.

I use a system called FileVault (built into Mac OS X) because I'm paranoid. In this system, Mac OS X pretty much automatically does *almost* what you describe. Basically what is does, is that it mounts my home directory from an encrypted disk image under /Users/pvz. This has given me trouble with one or two programs, but both were shareware programs, where the author was able to fix the bug after I reported it.

As such, I have experience of what it's like to have your home directory and your / on different partitions. And I can point out one of my pet annoyances.

Whenever I download a program off the Internet, it usually unpacks itself nicely and places itself on the desktop. Which is inside my home directory. If I want to keep it, I have to move it to Applications. Now, since they are on different partitions, I have to hold in Command for it to *move* the file rather than copy it. And instead of just moving in an instant by changing the file's location in the file system, which is not possible since they're on two different file systems, it has to copy it over and delete the original. Which takes time. Not more than a few seconds mind you, but I'm an impatient person.

Anyway, enough rambling from me. The bottom line: If you want to put /Users on a seperate partition, it should work if you do it right. But it's not worth the effort, and some rare poorly-written programs might break. Mac OS X can be cleanly reinstalled without wiping your drive.

Hope this helps.