beefyi

Void Linux Partitioning Notes

guideslinux

This is not the full install guide

This is just the partitioning bit I keep wanting to remember before installing Void Linux. The rest of my setup changes too often to hard-code into a blog post and then pretend it is eternal wisdom.

For the proper installation documentation, read the Void Linux Handbook.

For the actual current setup, read my dotfiles instead: beedware/.dotfiles.

Specifically, check INSTALL.md and README.md there, because those are more likely to be updated when I change how I bootstrap machines. Blog posts are good for notes. Dotfiles are where the bodies are buried.

Partitions

For a basic UEFI install, I usually keep the layout boring. Boring partition layouts are good. Exciting partition layouts are how you discover new emotions inside chroot.

/boot/efi: 512M (FAT32/vfat)
SWAP: 2G (swap)
/: Rest (ext4)

Using cfdisk

I normally use cfdisk, because I like my TUIs and apparently I still want just enough danger to feel alive.

Start it against the disk you are installing to. Replace sdX with the actual disk. Do not guess. Run lsblk first and look at the sizes like a person who wants to keep their data.

lsblk
cfdisk /dev/sdX

For a UEFI system, choose gpt if cfdisk asks for a label type. Then create the partitions:

512M  EFI System
2G    Linux swap
rest  Linux filesystem

In cfdisk, the rough flow is:

  1. Select free space.
  2. Choose New.
  3. Enter the size, like 512M or 2G.
  4. Choose Type and set the EFI partition to EFI System.
  5. Set the swap partition to Linux swap.
  6. Leave the root partition as Linux filesystem.
  7. Choose Write only when you are sure.
  8. Type yes, then quit.

After that, format the partitions according to the layout above during the Void install process. The exact device names might look like /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2, and /dev/sda3, or /dev/nvme0n1p1, /dev/nvme0n1p2, and /dev/nvme0n1p3 on NVMe drives.

The important part is not memorising the names. The important part is checking them before you format anything, because Linux will do exactly what you asked and then sit there innocently while you experience consequences.