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I want to setup Ubuntu but I don't know how to manage partition, I just know that I have to create a swap, ex4 and home partition but I don't know how to create this partition?

What type of partition do I need for setup Ubuntu, primary or logical?

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2 Answers 2

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The installation of ubuntu is able to define a partition table by itself, so usually there's no need for you to create these partition yourself, as long as you do not intend to setup a dualboot system (windows + ubuntu).

If you have a windows system running, you can also install ubuntu with the wubi installer, this gives you a user interface guided installation, and is probably the best way to set up ubuntu for a beginner with less experience on setting up operating systems.

So if theres no need for you to specify your installation of ubuntu, you should not be afraid of simply trying. If you want a certian configuration that requires a own partition table feel free to ask.

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You can have only 4 (four) Primary Partitions on a disk. So you only need to create an Extended Partition and then have as many Logical Partitions in it as you might need if you will need more than 4 partitions on that disk. For Ubuntu it doesn't matter if it's installed on a primary or logical partition.

You can create something like 15GB Root partition (mounted as "/") and 15GB Home partition (mounted as "/home") (both Ext4 format) and then a Swap partition (twice or equal to the size of your RAM - there are different opinions). But you can also change partition sizes later although you'll need to boot from a live CD/DVD/USB (e.g. Parted Magic) to do it.

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My computer ram is 6 gb but i want to allocate 3gb for swap partition and 22gb root partition because my HDD is limited. Is it obligatory to create home partition ? How it is work? Can I use root & home both partition? –  Tanvir Mar 25 '13 at 19:20
You don't have to create a separate partition for Home, which includes all user specific settings and folders like Documents, Pictures, etc. You can easily create links to other (e.g. external) drives there as well. It's true that this whole partitioning stuff is also performed during the installation process. But I've personally found it easier to prepare my partitions before installation both because I had pre-installed Windows and because I feel more comfortable this way. –  Sadi Mar 26 '13 at 7:01

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