documentation_complete: true

title: 'Disk Partitioning'

description: "To ensure separation and protection of data, there\nare top-level system directories which should be placed on their\nown physical partition or logical volume. The installer's default\npartitioning scheme creates separate logical volumes for \n<tt>/</tt>, <tt>/boot</tt>, and <tt>swap</tt>.\n<ul>\n<li>If starting with any of the default layouts, check the box to\n\"Review and modify partitioning.\" This allows for the easy creation\nof additional logical volumes inside the volume group already\ncreated, though it may require making <tt>/</tt>'s logical volume smaller to\ncreate space. In general, using logical volumes is preferable to\nusing partitions because they can be more easily adjusted\nlater.</li>\n<li>If creating a custom layout, create the partitions mentioned in\nthe previous paragraph (which the installer will require anyway),\nas well as separate ones described in the following sections.</li>\n</ul>\nIf a system has already been installed, and the default\npartitioning\
    \ scheme was used, it is possible but nontrivial to\nmodify it to create separate logical volumes for the directories\nlisted above. The Logical Volume Manager (LVM) makes this possible.\nSee the LVM HOWTO at <weblink-macro link=\"http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/\" />\nfor more detailed information on LVM."
