Why do I have 2 seperate partitions for linux (not including the swap file)?

[matanspada]

I tried to add some space to the linux partition and saw this.

1. I'm not sure which one should I add the space.
2. More important, what are the differences between them?

 

[kc1di]

Usually if you install ubuntu with the default settings it will create only one Partition and maybe a Swap. So at some point you or someone else must have created a separate /home partition, which most of us think is a good Idea. If something goes wrong with your system it's easier to install the system again and keep the personal info that's stored in the /home partition. I would leave it like it is. Unless there is some compelling reason to change it.

 

[matanspada]

Usually if you install ubuntu with the default settings it will create only one Partition and maybe a Swap. So at some point you or someone else must have created a separate /home partition, which most of us think is a good Idea. If something goes wrong with your system it's easier to install the system again and keep the personal info that's stored in the /home partition. I would leave it like it is. Unless there is some compelling reason to change it.

Thanks!
So regarding to the first question, I got a message that I'm out of space.
which partition should I add the space to?

 

[kc1di]

Actually you need about 30 Gigs of / partition and I would say as much /home partition as you can get.
both your partitions are low on space.

 

[osprey]

What kc1di said. And linux won't run well, if at all, when the root partition is 95% full or more. Better to keep it below 80%. In OP's case, if there is no more space for that linux installation, a single partition for root and /home may work better given the size.

 

[Alexzee]

Since the partition for your install is not allocated with enough space a fresh installation is the best choice.

Resizing partitions can cause loss of data and may not boot.

 

[Alexzee]

Also, looking at the screenshot, 16.37 Gig's was allocated for the swap partition. That's overkill. Seriously--
You only need 1 or 2 gig's for a 'swap partition'.
You can install your distro w/o a swap partition and 'if' in the future you get a complaint about space you can create a 'swap file'.

In, fact I stopped creating a swap partition for all of my Linux installs and I haven't had any more stop jobs running anymore slowing up the boot process.
I've shared this with our moderator @wizardfromoz and AFAIK he doesn't use swap partitions either.

 

[wizardfromoz]

...and AFAIK he doesn't use swap partitions either.

Quite so, Alex -- 77 Linux Distros on this Dell rig and not a skerrick of swap amongst them, other than some zswap coded in by some Developers. Only reason you need a swap partition is if you Hibernate (which I don't).

Since the partition for your install is not allocated with enough space a fresh installation is the best choice.

That is certainly an option.

Welcome to linux.org @matanspada .

I note from the pictures you have provided that you have maybe about 28 GB of space consumed between your root partition p6, and your home partition p7, on the SSD. With 12 GB of that being in /home , you may be a Gamer or otherwise use some very large files for some other activity?

So you may not be in a hurry to reinstall.

I have to leave for my evening DownUnder shortly, I will be back tomorrow with more detail if you need it.

I would provide 2 options - one involves using Windows Disk Management tool to reclaim maybe 100 GB that can then be used for Linux, and then use GParted from a LiveUSB (install) stick to reshuffle the rest in position and size.

The second would involve doing a reinstall, and in the Ubuntu Installer (known as Ubiquity) choose "Something Other" or "Something Else" to do some hands on manual partition choices. With that, you might want to safeguard your data elsewhere first.

With Windows I would be first running a Defrag, and put in place a Recovery Plan (eg Rescue Disk), and that applies with either option.

Cheers for now

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz

 

[wizardfromoz]

I am just waiting to see if the OP has a preference, initially, for either of those options I proposed.

If not notified, by my tomorrow I will plough on regardless, in case it helps someone else.

If the OP is around, he could give me the output from the following two commands

du -ah /var/cache/apt/archives/

and

du -ah /var/log/journal/

and if they amount to a Gibibyte or more, he could remove both with replacing

du -ah

with sudo rm -R

and the corresponding paths. Then reboot.

That would buy him some space to continue working while we work on the overall solution.

Cheers

Wizard

 

[wizardfromoz]

BTW I just checked my own advice with the Kubuntu 22.04 I was running, before I clean it up, and the outputs were

chris@KubuntuJammy-WD:~$ du -ah /var/cache/apt/archives/
529M /var/cache/apt/archives/

and


chris@KubuntuJammy-WD:~$ du -ah /var/log/journal/b9fe20d175cf4839880f167c135fb0bc/
1.1G /var/log/journal/b9fe20d175cf4839880f167c135fb0bc/

...So 1.6 G reclaimable

Wiz

 

[matanspada]

BTW I just checked my own advice with the Kubuntu 22.04 I was running, before I clean it up, and the outputs were

chris@KubuntuJammy-WD:~$ du -ah /var/cache/apt/archives/
529M /var/cache/apt/archives/

and


chris@KubuntuJammy-WD:~$ du -ah /var/log/journal/b9fe20d175cf4839880f167c135fb0bc/
1.1G /var/log/journal/b9fe20d175cf4839880f167c135fb0bc/

...So 1.6 G reclaimable

Wiz

Yeah, sry for the delay.
Here are the outputs.

The truth is that I don't have a particular preference.

which one is the easiest way to do it?

I would appreciate step by step help on what to do because I'm afraid to screw it up.