Multiple Linux installs - one shared file location


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Thread: Multiple Linux installs - one shared file location

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    Multiple Linux installs - one shared file location

    I'm wanting to install latest stable release of Ubuntu, kubuntu, Mint and openSUSE on the same computer. No Windows installs. I would like to network to a Windows XP computer setting on the desk next to this Linux box with each having full access to each others files.

    Is this the proper method?

    http://ubuntuguide.org/wiki/Multiple_OS_Installation

    Seems harder than necessary. Easier way?

    I have two 1 TB hard drives.

    How best to partition the HDs for equal use between the 4 Linux versions and problem free upgrade of the various versions as they are released?

    How to have one repository for all files so that sharing between the 4 versions is possible and files accessible to the Windows XP computer?

    Thanks RockyRX

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    RockyRX,

    Welcome to Justlinux!


    Depending on the usage an installation CD is about 700Mb and a normal Linux after installation would expend about 4 to 5 times. Thus an installed Linux should not be larger than 3.5Gb.

    I used to give every Linux just 5Gb per partition but hard disk space is a lot affordable nowadays so I give 15 to 20Gb each and may be 50 to 100Gb for those I use regularly. My data partition is always in a separate partition and any data not transferred from Linux to my personal data partition is regarded as dispensable. Thus my Linux partitions do not grow much.

    You would not be able to have one repository for different distros.

    All Linux nowadays can read/write ntfs partitions. In Xp you can download free drivers to read/write Ext2/3 partitions. Thus data is fully accessible between Linux and Windows.

    For multi-boot I suggest to do the following

    (A) Pre-partition your hard disks first so that you can instruct each Linux installer to install its system in a partition specified by you. You need one swap to serve all Linux.

    (B) Install every Linux and let its boot loader into the MBR. You then replicate its boot loader inside the Linux root partition. For Grub1 or Grub2 the command to replicate the boot loader inside root partition of say sdb5 is just
    Code:
    grub-install -force /dev/sdb5
    For Lilo the equivalent is
    Code:
    lilo -b /dev/sdb5
    (c) After every Linux has been installed you amend its /boot/grub/menu.lst (if it is a Grub1) or /boot/grub/grub.cfg(if it is a Grub2) to multi-boot the rest. The Grub1 command to boot a Linux say with boot loader replicated inside sdb5 is
    Code:
    title Linux in sdb5 known to Grub1 as (hd1,4)
    root (hd1,4)
    chainloader +1
    If you use Grub2 in the MBR the equivalent commands to add a booting entry for Linux in partition sdb5 are
    Code:
    menuentry 'Linux in sdb5 known to Grub2 as (hd1,5)' {
    set root= (hd1,5)
    chainloader +1
    }
    Last edited by saikee; 07-15-2010 at 07:19 PM.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

  3. #3
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    Jul 2010
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    Hi Saikee

    Repository was the wrong term.

    Can all 4 Linux installs access one common data partition?

    Thanks RockyRX

  4. #4
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    Yes if you create your own instead of using Linux's own subdirectory.

    I put all my data in a separate partition and mount it in every operating system. I have tried this in Fat32 and Ext3 but since all Linux can read/write ntfs partitions I find putting data in a ntfs partition equally effective.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Binghamton NY
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    I keep all my files on external hard drives. I've got two "MyBook" USB devices. (so named, I suppose, because they're about the size and shape of a paperback copy of Stephen King's "The Stand"). Each holds a half a terabyte, and cost me less than 100 dollars. Terabyte-sized Mybooks are available for not much more. One of the best hardware investments I've ever made. An external hard drive not only allows you to naturally share files between Linux installs, but between machines. Like you, I don't have any windows installed, so I keep my external hard drives formatted to ext3. Some of the older Linux distros I use, including Elive and Mepis (based on Debian Stable), and Kiara (based on Slax 6.1.2 ) still can't read files from ext4.

    A side note: these days, I don't mess much with multiple booting. Instead, I like to use live CDs to give me a variety of Linux choices, and, now that I have a computer that boots from a usb device, I sometimes use small (2GB) flashdrives the same way. If you're going to use live CDs a lot, and you want to have all the advantages of an installed system, it helps to have a lot of RAM (I have 2GBs, which probably isn't all that much these days) so you can install software to the RAM disk, a local hard drive patition that you can mount as home (to save your configuration info) and a second CDROM device (so you can burn CDs while simultaneously running your OS as a CD.) And again, the external hard MyBook drives give me a lot of latitude.
    Last edited by blackbelt_jones; 07-21-2010 at 12:32 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Location
    New Orleans, LA USA
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    Always a million and one ways to do the same thing...

    I have to keep a Windows 7 install, unfortunately, for work related issues. Sometimes it is just a simple phone call and I need access to a Win7 box (well it is a partition I dual boot when needed) so I can tell the coworker where to click without having to guess from memory. Other times it is testing company code that is windows only, etc. And on some occasions I just want to play a video game that Wine can't emulate well.

    Anyway, point being you say you have two separate boxes, so you can keep one pure Linux and one pure Windows if you wish (no dual boot), then share your Linux directories/partitions that you want through Samba. In windows you would map these to a drive letter, so that say Z:\ on windows would be /home/foo/folder on your Linux box. You can then select any folder you want to share on your windows box to Linux by the default windows sharing tools (right click folder). Then on your Linux box create a directory and mount //<computer name or IP address>/folder to that directory.

    This will let you keep NTFS on Windows, and your favorite FS type for Linux. I'm biased with XFS over EXT3, but to each their own.

    Another thing to look at is making one partition on your Linux box and logically sub-partitioning it with LVM. This will allow you to grow or shrink directories in the future should you choose a wrong size or find a new need.

    I wouldn't go smaller than 10GB on your root partition, even though the initial install with goodies is around 3-4GB. You may find programs you want or just want to try and that space can fill up fast.

    EDIT => Also, missed your wanting multiple Linux's on the same box. That is easy enough to do, but what I suggest is for each install only do what is necessary - /, /home, and /var. If you use more feel free, but those are the necessary ones (some say /var is not, but I find if you ever get an errant process that starts dumping unusually large logs it is best to keep it contained so it doesn't fill up your / partition). You can then make one /swap for all to use, and make one sub partition out of the remainder of the disc. In each Linux install, make a folder in your /home/foo/sharedfoldername and make the appropriate line in /etc/fstab and all your Linux installs will have a common folder to share information like documents, music, pictures, etc (which can then subsequently be shared with Samba to your XP box).
    Last edited by trilarian; 07-22-2010 at 05:58 PM.
    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect."

    -Mark Twain

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    tx
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    Dual boot since Mandrake 6, multiboot since Kubuntu 6?

    I make a 40GB vfat partition, and put all the universal stuff on it, things like my collected photos and books from the Gutenberg Project. When I install a new distro on another partition, I simply split dolphin or Konqueror, and drag across from storage and click on LINK so I can read and write to one file for all distros.

    The only thing I haven't done yet is Evolution. So, I tend to limit e-mail to one distro, which is less than perfect. But, I like to have all e-mails stored.

    um, also I import bookmarks and kalarm settings, haven't yet figured out how to link them from the storage partition.

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