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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Boot Partitions on Same SSD with 2 Distros (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I am new to Linux and wondering about having multiple distros on the same SSD and the best way to partition them. My current plan is to try Nobara Linux while having Linux Mint as a backup. By default I think that both the Mint and Nobara installers will create a partition for /boot and a combination / & /home partition. (Also, the SSD I'm using also has a Windows 10 installation.)

My main question: would running both installers this way could potentially cause any issues with each distro having a separate boot partition on the same SSD?

Bonus question: I plan to have an additional partition for shared data between the 2 distros (documents, pictures, games, etc.). If I recall correctly, by default Mint uses EXT4 and Nobara uses BTRFS for their formatting. Will it make a significant difference for picking one format over the other for the shared partition?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You get only one boot partition (EFI partition) which contains the kernel and the initramfs for both operating systems. Then, you would create two partitions to hold the rest of each individual operating system.

Shared partitions can be ext4, but if they should be read-/writable by windows, I would recommend ntfs or exFAT.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I have not used exFAT before, so I did some research and it appears that exFAT does not support permissions or ownership. This sounds like it might be a good option for preventing one OS from messing around with the shared files and causing problems in the other OS.

Is there anything I should know before trying exFAT or any potential issues with running certain types of files/programs in Windows (since it defaults to NTFS)?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

If the disk is internal and only used by linux, you should 100% use ext4.

NTFS is what windows uses. exFAT is like really, really old file system that is only used because of its wide compatibility nowadays. USB-sticks use them, because they have to be compatible with any device where you couls potentially stick them in.