In my old computer I have a much bigger hard drive then in this one -- and I plan to hand that old computer down to one of my sons -- keeping his current drive from an even older computer. Currently the hard drive on my old computer has SuSE Linux, but that will go. I'll rebuild CentOS 5.5 on it, but I want to leave some free space for whatever comes up and also dual-boot Vector Linux. Which, at last, brings me to the question... Is there any reason to use LVM on a personal desktop install of CentOS? It seems to me, for my purposes, that LVM is just a pain in the neck -- although I've always just let CentOS set it up during the install in the past. I would like to be able to use parted to resize partitions when I want to, and also I'd like Vector Linux to be able to read and write data to the CentOS partition. Would I be missing something by not installing LVM, or is this mostly for server purposes anyhow? Thanks for any pointers. -- RonB -- Using CentOS 5.5
On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 1:37 PM, Ron Blizzard <rb4centos at gmail.com> wrote:> Is there any reason to use LVM on a personal desktop install of > CentOS? It seems to me, for my purposes, that LVM is just a pain in > the neck -- although I've always just let CentOS set it up during the > install in the past. ?I would like to be able to use parted to resize > partitions when I want to, and also I'd like Vector Linux to be able > to read and write data to the CentOS partition. Would I be missing > something by not installing LVM, or is this mostly for server purposes > anyhow?You don't need LVM if you don't plan to expand the filesystem (or a particular mount point).
On 07/30/2010 07:37 AM, Ron Blizzard wrote:> In my old computer I have a much bigger hard drive then in this one -- > and I plan to hand that old computer down to one of my sons -- keeping > his current drive from an even older computer. Currently the hard > drive on my old computer has SuSE Linux, but that will go. I'll > rebuild CentOS 5.5 on it, but I want to leave some free space for > whatever comes up and also dual-boot Vector Linux. Which, at last, > brings me to the question... > > Is there any reason to use LVM on a personal desktop install of > CentOS? It seems to me, for my purposes, that LVM is just a pain in > the neck -- although I've always just let CentOS set it up during the > install in the past. I would like to be able to use parted to resize > partitions when I want to, and also I'd like Vector Linux to be able > to read and write data to the CentOS partition. Would I be missing > something by not installing LVM, or is this mostly for server purposes > anyhow? > > Thanks for any pointers. >* snaphotting (great for db backup) * resizing partition * "online" partitioning
At Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:37:21 -0500 CentOS mailing list <centos at centos.org> wrote:> > In my old computer I have a much bigger hard drive then in this one -- > and I plan to hand that old computer down to one of my sons -- keeping > his current drive from an even older computer. Currently the hard > drive on my old computer has SuSE Linux, but that will go. I'll > rebuild CentOS 5.5 on it, but I want to leave some free space for > whatever comes up and also dual-boot Vector Linux. Which, at last, > brings me to the question... > > Is there any reason to use LVM on a personal desktop install of > CentOS? It seems to me, for my purposes, that LVM is just a pain in > the neck -- although I've always just let CentOS set it up during the > install in the past. I would like to be able to use parted to resize > partitions when I want to, and also I'd like Vector Linux to be able > to read and write data to the CentOS partition. Would I be missing > something by not installing LVM, or is this mostly for server purposes > anyhow?LVM has a number of useful features and advantages. The 'default' RedHat/CentOS LVM setup (basically creating one LVM volume taking up all available space for the root file system), is pretty useless. With modern *large* disks. LVM (if set up properly) allows creating and/or resizing logical disks without having to shutdown and/or rebooting the system. This is often usefull for installing virtual processes (eg with xen).> > Thanks for any pointers. >-- Robert Heller -- Get the Deepwoods Software FireFox Toolbar! Deepwoods Software -- Linux Installation and Administration http://www.deepsoft.com/ -- Web Hosting, with CGI and Database heller at deepsoft.com -- Contract Programming: C/C++, Tcl/Tk
Ron Blizzard wrote, On 07/30/2010 01:37 AM:> Is there any reason to use LVM on a personal desktop install of > CentOS? It seems to me, for my purposes, that LVM is just a pain in > the neck -- although I've always just let CentOS set it up during the > install in the past. I would like to be able to use parted to resize > partitions when I want to, and also I'd like Vector Linux to be able > to read and write data to the CentOS partition. Would I be missing > something by not installing LVM, or is this mostly for server purposes > anyhow? > > Thanks for any pointers. >Best use for LVM I have seen... Reducing the number of times you need to enter the LUKS pass phrase to once per boot, i.e., one LUKS containing an LVM of / and Swap so that the system can boot with one entry of the pass phrase and if you then have other partitions, such as an independent /home, /etc/crypttab can be used (with appropriately constructed and protected cryptpassphrase files). -- Todd Denniston Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane) Harnessing the Power of Technology for the Warfighter
> Is there any reason to use LVM on a personal desktop install of > CentOS? It seems to me, for my purposes, that LVM is just a pain in > the neck -- although I've always just let CentOS set it up during the > install in the past. ?I would like to be able to use parted to resize > partitions when I want to, and also I'd like Vector Linux to be able > to read and write data to the CentOS partition. Would I be missing > something by not installing LVM, or is this mostly for server purposes > anyhow?LVM adds flexability that regular partitioning can't. Example 1. Say you've mounted an entire 2TB disk as /home and it's almost full. Now you want to add another 2TB to /home. How do you? Easiest way is with LVM. You just add the new disk into LVM's pool of storage and expand the home partition (Logical volume) to use the new space. Now you have a single filesystem spread across two disks. Example 2. Now let's say that you bought a NAS device (QNAP, Drobo, Buffalo) that does iSCSI or NFS and you want to move your data off the two local disks. With LVM you just add the new 'disk' into the pool then tell LVM to move existing data off the 'old' disk. Try doing that with parted. :-P -- Drew "Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood." --Marie Curie