partitions created/used during ubuntu install

[Robert Heller]

At Wed, 16 Jul 2025 19:37:42 -0400 "Ubuntu user technical support,? not for general discussions" <ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com> wrote:

> 
> Hi.
> 
> In researching ubuntu install docs, some have said/implied that the
> initial partitions for install are:
>  /
>  /swap
>  /boot
> 
> with optional being
>  /home
> 
> Am I correct in thinking that the OS is basically using the top
> partitions, and a reinstall/upgrade would impact these dirs.
> 
> whereas the "/home" wouldn't be touched?

Yes.

> 
> I'm asking, as what happens to the /var, /etc.
> 
> IE, if once creates a webapp and uses /var/www/html/foo, should the
> /var be in it's own partition?

*IF* your intention is to create a web server, then creating a *separate* 
partition for /var/www makes sense.  It might also make sense to put 
/var/lib/mysql on its own partition. Note: '/var' itself should not be on a 
separate partition.  

That is what I have done on my system (it is not a public web server, but I do 
use it as a test system for web sites.  I also have a Subvirsion / DAV server, 
with the Subversion data on its own LVM volume. 

I also have things like a separate partition for my backup staging area for my 
cloud (Amazon S3) backups.  I am using LVM for these various partitions, since 
that allows be to adjust the sizes "on the fly" (sort of, or at least without 
having to shutdown and re-partition the disk and move partitions around).

> 
> thanks
> 

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