1.4. Examining the partition configuration

Before installing Turbolinux FUJI, secure sufficient free hard disk space for the installation of Turbolinux FUJI. The required free space varies depending on the installation type that you select. In view of actual operations, secure hard disk space of at least about 8GB for Turbolinux FUJI. An installation type refers to one of the software groups predefined by the installer for use purposes of Turbolinux FUJI.

Before actually installing Turbolinux FUJI, you need to create partitions on the secured free hard disk space. Linux or any operating system can be installed only on a hard disk on which partitions have been created. Although partitions can be created using the installer, you still need to have basic knowledge of partitions.

To install Linux, you need at least two partitions: A partition on which / (root directory) is to be mounted and a swap partition. Additionally, you may want to create other partitions such as /boot, /home, /usr, /var, and /tmp. It is up to the user who want to install Turbolinux FUJI to examine how the partition configuration should be according to the system requirements and purposes of use and management methods of the system. Before starting installation, you need to check the hard disk statuses and decide how free space should be secured for the installation of Turbolinux FUJI and what kind of configuration the partitions should have.

The installation procedure will be more complex if you want to have other operating systems (such as Windows and other Linux distributions) co-reside with Turbolinux FUJI on the hard disk. The easiest and safest way to install Turbolinux FUJI is to install only Turbolinux FUJI on one computer. If required, you can install multiple operating systems on different partitions and switch between these operating system when you start up the computer. Such a system environment is called a dual-boot or multi-boot environment. However, the construction of a dual-boot environment is always accompanied by some risks. Be sure to make backup copies of your existing data before constructing a dual-boot environment so that you will not lose the data even if you encounter a trouble of not being able to start up other operating systems.

	Using loop back install
	If there is not sufficient free space on the hard disk, you can use the loop back install function. For more information, see Appendix B.