Install and optimize linux and unix operating systems.

[ffdd4846]

I have a 13 inch MacBook Pro and a lenovo X230 with windows 7. I do enjoy using my Mac more then my windows pc and I like the unix underneath the surface of OS X. I have an install disk for Ubuntu 12.10 and I can boot off of it. However I have an external drive that I am using as a back up and I have partitioned some space on it for Ubuntu. What kind of file system and boot registry should I create on that external drive so I can instal and boot into Ubuntu from that external drive?

Also the Ubuntu reads my external drive with the two partitions as a Raid array even though it is not a RAID array. It is just a back up drive with some empty space i have put into another partition for Ubuntu.

[chrisrice93]

Ext4 is what I always use for ubuntu installs and it works just fine.

[ffdd4846]

Ok, i have also seen a different form of file system also, I believe it is "Btrfs"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Btrfs

It is said to have been released recently and might be unstable. Have you heard of it?

Also Ubuntu freaked out and said I should also set aside "swap space", have you heard of this?

[Haru]

Okay, let me clear some things up for you. This external drive doesn't need any weird files systems, just stick with ext4. Also, think of swap like the windows page file. Your swap (usually) should be twice as large as your ram. Since this is an external drive I'd say just stick with 2-4GB swap.

As for the raid message you're getting take a screen-cap and we'll see what we can do.

[Salmiakbal]

You can just make a livedisk. There's software for it. Don't remember the name, try googling it.

Also swap space, that's used when your RAM is full. i.e. it starts using your HDD als RAM.

If you have enough ram, you don't really have to set aside swap space.

[Haru]

You can just make a livedisk. There's software for it. Don't remember the name, try googling it.

Also swap space, that's used when your RAM is full. i.e. it starts using your HDD als RAM.

If you have enough ram, you don't really have to set aside swap space.

He's already made a live CD, and he's booted into it trying to install Ubuntu, hence that bit about raid at the top.

Also, you really do have to set aside swap space. It's one of those things that "should" work, but if you don't have swap it crashes and burns horribly. Swap prevents your computer from having problems if applications allocate too much RAM to themselves. If he's only using 4GB for swap, it's such an inexpensive loss for this kind of safety net, it's just best to do it without any worries.

(I work with 12.10 servers with 16-32GB of RAM and swap is still a must)