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Re: Pointers on LVM and Partitioning.

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On Tuesday, April 17, 2012 12:53:12 PM UTC+5:30, David Brown wrote:
> On 17/04/2012 09:01, Harry wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I know next to nothing about this topic as I write this, but would
> > like to learn *everything* about it. By 'everything', I mean: I
> > should be able to not just install and set up systems but also
> > troubleshoot and repair, should it become necessary.
> >
> > I don't have loads of hardware (CPUs or disks) with me to play with;
> > just a dual-core Fedora 16 desktop with a 250 GB disk, 4 GB RAM, and
> > may be a couple of USB 2GB+ sticks. Thus, for the most part, I'll
> > have to rely on some virtual machine environment to make up for the
> > necessary physical hardware.
> >
> > This self-learning exercise could last several months and, so, before
> > I proceeded with it, I thought I could use some helpful, Getting
> > Started tips from you forum members, like: * if there are any good
> > books that cover this topic thoroughly; * what kind of virtual
> > machine env I should setup (VirtualBox, Xen, or...) ? * how did *you*
> > learn this topic yourself (any helpful tips?)
> >
> > Would the virtual env be enough to learn and try out all concepts
> > that fall under the related topics of Partitioning, LVM&  (software)
> > Raid? If not, can I get a list of things that I will *not* be able to
> > learn in such a virtual setup no matter what... so that I know about
> > them upfront?
> >
> > I have only a very vague idea right now of what all I will possibly
> > be doing. A partial list would be: setting up virtual machines,
> > creating lots of small-sized  virtual disks (say, each<= 1MB),
> > losetup's, dmsetup's, and other man Section 8 commands.
> >
> > Many thanks in advance. /HS
> 
> Use VirtualBox - it's the easiest, fastest, and most powerful 
> virtualisation software for desktops for general use.  KVM and Xen have 
> some other benefits, and are perhaps a better choice for servers, but 
> VBox is definitely my first choice for desktops.

Would you like to elaborate just a little bit more on the benefits of KVM and Xen, esp on servers? It's possible that, on my own, I may not immediately notice such benefits, or any server vs client vm differences. Any why VBox for desktops: why not KVM/Xen for desktops as well?
 
> You can create multiple virtual disks and play with raid in virtual 
> machines.  I'd recommend getting a second real disk - you'll value the 
> extra space when you make lots of experimental virtual machines, and you 
> can also put your virtual disks on two physical disks and see that raid 
> makes a speed difference.

That's a very good point.

> Another trick is to use loopback files.  Make some files of the size you 
> want, and set them up as loopback devices - then you can pretend they 
> are disks without having to do any virtualisation.  For extra points, 
> put the files on a tmpfs file system - then they are not even on the disk.

I'm simply dying to play with losetup and dmsetup, just don't know what *all* practical applications to use them for. It would be wonderful if you/sb could share some realworld applications where you have put them to good use. Here's one that I've found so far: http://linuxgazette.net/114/kapil.html

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Thread

Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. Harry <simonsharry@gmail.com> - 2012-04-17 00:01 -0700
  Re: Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. David Brown <david@westcontrol.removethisbit.com> - 2012-04-17 09:23 +0200
    Re: Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. Harry <simonsharry@gmail.com> - 2012-04-17 07:38 -0700
      Re: Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. David Brown <david.brown@removethis.hesbynett.no> - 2012-04-17 22:36 +0200
        Re: Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. Harry <simonsharry@gmail.com> - 2012-04-19 07:14 -0700
        Re: Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. Doug Freyburger <dfreybur@yahoo.com> - 2012-04-19 16:51 +0000
  Re: Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. Richard Kettlewell <rjk@greenend.org.uk> - 2012-04-17 12:50 +0100
  Re: Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. Doug Freyburger <dfreybur@yahoo.com> - 2012-04-17 17:15 +0000
  Re: Pointers on  LVM and Partitioning. GangGreene <GangGreene@invalid.com> - 2012-04-17 18:05 -0400

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