Adding a second hard drive

[parrecho]

Hi: I want to add a second HD to my system, because I am running out of space on my 4 GB, I am planning to use an old HD 6.0 GB that has windows stuff on it, I am running RH V9.
This will be HD #3 on my machine since I am running Windows
on a separate HD #1, any suggestions are much welcome.
TIA
Miguel:)

[Hypz]

http://www.justlinux.com/nhf/Hardware/Adding_a_Hard_Drive_in_Linux.html

[bandwidth_pig]

Hello Miguel! This will be a very simple task indeed. You will need to create a file system on the hard disk in question and perhaps additional partitions within the new disk (or one big one...doesn't matter). Depending on which filesystem you want (ext2, ext3, reiser...etc). Create a mount point for it by creating a directory for it. For example...lets say you wanted to use the new disc for storage. You could just create a /storage directory under /. Once that is complete, edit /etc/fstab to mount the new hard disc under the mount point you have created. It's that easy! Sounds like it will /dev/hdc by the sounds of it?

[parrecho]

Thanks for you help, I have one more question, I am going to have the whole drive as a partition, should it be a primary?, or an extended one, or it does not matter?
TIA
Miguel

[bandwidth_pig]

It doesn't really matter. But since you are going to use the whole disk I would go ahead and make it a primary. You don't need to set it as bootable or anything unless you wanted to install another OS on it.

[parrecho]

Well I did partitioned the new drive, I do want the ext3 file system on this drive, but by default fdisk created an ext2 fs.
Can I change it to ext3 easily?, also I did edited the /etc/fstab file to add the mounting point, I included the ext3 parameter hoping that this will change it, but it did not, I received an error message that said : mount :wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/hdb1, or too many mounted file systems.
I did used the text editor from the gui interface
I typed the mount command from the shell (from the /etc dir
I went back to the fstab file and undo the changes.
Now I do have 3 fstab files, two of them have this ~ character on front of them, I am assuming that this are backups of the original file?
Can I safely delete the ones with the ~, and ~~ in front of the filename?, I know I am asking too many questions at the same time, and Iido not know if this OK or not, so please let me know
TIA
Miguel::D

[DMR]

The files beginning with ~ are almost certainly backup files created by the text editing program you used. You should be able to delete them without any problem.

The ext2 partition can be easily converted to ext3 by using the tune2fs program. The syntax of the command is:

tune2fs -j /dev/hdxy

where xy is the drive/partition designation of the partition you want to convert. The partition can then be mounted as ext3 in your fstab.

[parrecho]

Hi: As the Administrator issued the command
tune2fs-j/dev/hdb1 <return>
I got this #bash:tune2fs-j: command not found,
I am trying to change the file system on my newly formated HD from ext2 to ext3, what am I doing wrong?

How do I run the Disk Druid program?
TIA
Miguel

[bandwidth_pig]

You need a space after tune2fs then -j. You have it all as one word. Do a whereis tune2fs and make sure you have it.

[parrecho]

Hi: I did a whereis tune2fs and I do have it, it is on
sbin/tune2fs /usr/share/man/man8/tune2fs.8.gz

I typed: tune2fs -j/dev/hdb1 and got this message:
tune2fs: invalid option - -/

Would the Disk Druid program let me modify the filesystem?
TIA
Miguel

[michaelk]

You also need a space between -j and /dev/hdb1

[parrecho]

Thankyou very much, it worked, now I have about 6 GB of unused space, how do I go about using it, I will like to increase the space for the /var/spool/up2date partition.
Do I need to mount this partition on the new drive?
TIA Miguel

[parrecho]

Hi: I just added a second HD to my Linux system using your Help File, wich it was very helpful, now I have a couple of questions:
How do I go about using all this new space?, I will like to use it to increase the / partition, I want to install more packages, I also will like to increase the space on the /var/spool/up2date, that resides on my first HD, can I move a partition from one HD into another HD?.
I searched on the Howto's but found nothing, right now my first HD is @94% full and the second one is empty, it has been formated, and I edit the /etc/fstab file to mount this drive on a dir called new, I am using RH v9.
Also I will like to split the existing swap partition on to the second drive? Is this possible?
I was looking into the parted program, to try to move existing partitions, do you recomended it
TIA
Miguel
;)

[bandwidth_pig]

What is utilizing the majority of space you have on your first drive?

[parrecho]

MY first HD is 4.0 GB HD, half of it is taken by the swap file (I have 1.G of ram), and the other half is allocated to the / partition, I do not have any app data files, just system files, I will like to dedicate the new HD to the / partition.
TIA
Miguel

[parrecho]

What happened ?
where is eveybody?
Miguel:(

[snuck]

You really don't need a 2GB swap partition, mine is 500MB, with 512MB RAM, and my swap is only ever used a little, execpt with certain superhigh memory using apps.

snuck.

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by parrecho
MY first HD is 4.0 GB HD, half of it is taken by the swap file (I have 1.G of ram), and the other half is allocated to the / partition, I do not have any app data files, just system files, I will like to dedicate the new HD to the / partition.
TIA
Miguel

That 'swap being twice the size as the memory' is for when most pc's have 128mb or less. You wouldn't really need a swap partition with 1G of ram though you should create one just in case. 512mb will do.

Just move (copy first) some of your directories in '/' to the new drive, add the new mountpoints to /etc/fstab, issue (as root)

mount -a

and then if everything works, remove the original directories to regain the space on hda.

I believe the 'Adding a HD' JL Help File explains much of this.