Increase root filesystem size

How do I do it?

[Tommybs]

Hi,

I have a dedicated server that I'm currently hosting a number of sites on. Recently I've begun trying to install a number of new packages using RPMs etc but I'm getting an error about there not being enough size.

I've run the df -h command and it shows my root partition as having 950M and being full and this is where it's trying to install the package. I have another partition that has 136GB free!

What I want to know is:

Can I increase the filesize of the first partition without formatting?
Can I change where the RPM installs to and will it still function properly?

I'm using FC if that helps anybody. This is really bugging me as I don't see why with so much space free I can't install something and why it's setup to install on such a small partition.

Help appreciated

Thanks

[graeme_p]

Parted can do it. It has a number of GUI frontends: the most popular is Gparted.

Shrink the big partition, making sure the space you free is next to the rot partition, and then increase the size of the root partition.

TAKE BACK-UPS OF EVERYTHING UP FIRST

I agree that the way the partitioning has been done is not sensible. Did you use the installer's default on the entire disk?

[Tommybs]

Yeah. I just bought the server and it came preinstalled and partitioned. The partition with lots of free space doesn't sit next to the root one. Will I have to move it from partition to partition until it is next to root. I'd really like to get a good book on all this to study. I'm also thinking of setting up an old pc to run on linux to get used to it more, but I'd need to set it up to mimic the SHELL access as I don't have GUI access to the server

[graeme_p]

You could also see if there is stuff in the root partition you ca get rid of - cached package downloads for example. What distro is it.

What are your current partitions (i.e. the output of fdisk -l)?

Would it help if you moved a directory in the root partition into its own partition? For example, on my Linux desktop, most of what is in the root partition is on /usr, moving that to its own partition would free up a lot of space.

I'm also thinking of setting up an old pc to run on linux to get used to it more

Good idea.

but I'd need to set it up to mimic the SHELL access as I don't have GUI access to the server

So you open a terminal. I would suggest a desktop install, possibly with a lightweight desktop like LXDE if it is an old PC, as that way

1) It is easier to configure and see what is going on while you learn
2) it is a useful extra desktop (I used an absolutely ancient PIII for my daughter to play kids games on, and for my wife to browse the web that way until a few months ago)

[wheel]

As graeme_p noted, if you've got linux on the server, and a linux desktop, you can use gui stuff on the server.

You open up a terminal link to the server via ssh for example, then execute the gui command. The server will use the gui tools on the desktop - it's seamless.

Because I run linux on both my server and my desktop, I use gui administration on my server all the time. Partitioning, adding users, updating packages, installing software, etc. All gui.