multiple distro book HD setup

I want to boot three different distros as well as have a drive to share files, and am unsure how to set up the partitions.

From various things on Google, I figure I should have a /boot folder, a swap, the space for the distros, and the share drive.

Would this look correct for my partition?

/dev/sda1 --> /boot (100 MB)
/dev/sda2 --> / (first distro, Ubuntu) (10 GB)
/dev/sda3 --> swap (2 GB)
/dev/sda5 --> (second distro) (10 GB)
/dev/sda6 --> (third distro) (10 GB)
/dev/sda7 --> share (rest)

This is all on a 160 GB HD.

I've tried this before and I couldn't really get it to work. I told Ubuntu to create the 3 logical drives as ext3 format, but each time it tells me an error and that it won't use the partition. I'm not sure if that means the format for the drive is ext3 or not. Do I make all the partitions from the get-go or do I leave it all as free space and create them when I install the other distros?

 

i think you can only have a certain amount of ext3 formats per hdd
im not positive but its something along those lines

 

i'm going to try leaving the rest of the HD as free space, and after installing fedora 9, and possibly arch linux, using gParted to turn whatever is left over into a share drive. Is it easier to do that, or create the partitions first, and then load the distros?

how is there a limit to ext3 formats? i've heard of lots of people booting many distros off of one HD, or so i was led to believe.

 

ext3 is the format windows uses correct?
because i once tried to do a triple boot and was told the 3rd boot has to be a different format then the rest because hdd's only allow 2 of the certain kind
if only my memory was better =p

 

ext3 is what linux uses, or so i think, cause that's the default. ntfs and fat32 are windows ones as far as i can recall.

 

that is not correct.

 

I think it's easier to create the partitions first before you load the distros, especially since you're planning a rather complicated setup. You just have to make sure that you manually set the mount points.

There are none.

That is correct.

P.S. If you're considering Arch Linux, make sure you've read through its awesome Beginners Guide. If you run into any obstacles the Guide can't answer, post back here, and I'll see what I can do for you.

 

Well I just loaded Arch Linux after installing Ubuntu. Ubuntu recognizes the 10 GB partition i made for Arch, but how do I set it up so I can see it in the GRUB and boot into Arch? It has installed, but I am not sure if it installed correctly and actually loads yet.

was I supposed to install Arch's bootloader? I did not....if I was supposed to, what do I do in order to get Arch Linux working?

 

What distro did you use to install the bootloader? You have to boot into that distro and edit the /boot/grub/menu.lst file.

If you want us to give you any help in configuring grub, you will have to tell use exactly how your filesystem is set up, down to partition names and mount points.

P.S. Read the guides and manuals. The Arch Beginners Guide I linked for you above is a good start. Your problem is common and well-documented. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding the solution yourself.

 

I started with Ubuntu

/dev/sda1 --> boot
/dev/sda2 --> Ubuntu
/dev/sda3 --> Arch Linux
/dev/sda5 --> swap
rest of HD is free space
i did not do anything to partition naming, so those should just be default.

I got Arch Linux to boot and run by copying the GRUB entries from the /boot folder in my Arch partition and pasting it into the /boot menu.lst I created earlier.
When it is first installed it is purely text? I am assuming the rest of the beginner's guide teaches you how to create a GUI for it and everything?

 

Yes, that's what we archers love about Arch. Arch was designed to be a cutting-edge, technically elegant, and fully customizable system for those who already possess a working knowledge of linux and are competent with BASH. You can read about The Arch Way if you're interested in that sort of thing .

Anyways, here's an example /boot/grub/menu.lst with root lines that should work for your partition scheme.

Code:

# (0) Ubuntu
title	Ubuntu
root	(hd0,1)

# (1) Arch Linux
title  	Arch Linux
root   	(hd0,2)


# (2) Arch Linux
title  	Arch Linux Fallback
root   	(hd0,2)

One thing that will make your job simpler would be to install Arch's grub (I'm assuming Arch is your secondary) in Arch's root ( /) directory, and use Chainloading to boot Arch. Here's a good guide grub Chainloading guide.