Installing ubuntu on Mac Mini using refind: Do I use Logical or Primary for Ubuntu partition?
I'm trying to setup a dual boot with Ubuntu 15.04 and OS X using refind.
I shrunk the OS X partition and have freed up enough space for Ubuntu. Now I'm trying to create the Ubuntu partition, but I'm not sure what I should pick for these two questions?
Type for the new partition: Primary or Logical
Mount point: /, /boot, /home, /tmp, /usr, /var, /srv, /opt, /usr/local
11 Answer
On a GPT disk (which is what Macs normally use), there's no such thing as a "logical partition"; that's a partition type that's unique to MBR disks. Some Linux partitioning tools, such as GParted and perhaps the Ubuntu installer's partitioning tool, ask you to identify GPT partitions as primary vs. logical, but this question is unnecessary and confusing on a GPT disk. Note, however, that a logical volume management (LVM) configuration uses logical volumes. These have nothing to do with logical partitions. LVM may be used as a layer atop either MBR or GPT.
Every Ubuntu installation requires a root (/) partition. Other partitions (/boot, /home, /tmp, /usr, and so on) are useful or necessary in some situations, but aren't strictly required for most installations. Ubuntu's default partitioning scheme gives most disk space to / and some (typically a bit more than your RAM capacity) to a swap partition (which has no mount point). Personally, I recommend doing it this way:
- 10-40GiB for
/- Use low values if your disk space is low or if you know you want a minimal setup
- Use high values if you've got disk space to burn or you know you'll want to install tons of software
- A bit more than your RAM for swap
- Whatever's left for
/home
If you know enough to create additional partitions or use RAID or LVM, you can certainly deviate from this. I don't mean to imply this setup is perfect for all uses; it's just a first-pass recommendation for users who are relatively new to Ubuntu and who want to control partitioning themselves rather than rely on Ubuntu's defaults.
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