[crazyjohnson]

I have a question. I think I am suppost to creat a small swap partition so that I can switch from Linux to Mac OS. If I use the installer, will it automatically make this small swap partition (when I install onto the partition for Linux). How hard is it to go from Linux to Mac - and Mac to Linux? What do I have to worry about?

I think I am going to be using SuSe.

[hidozage]

OK,

The /swap partition in linux is linux's virtual memory. It is not a partition that you "swap files" between linux and Mac OS.

Check my partition table on my iMac running LinuxPPC 2000

Partition map (with 512 byte blocks) on '/dev/ata0.0' (/dev/hda)
#: type name length base ( size )
1: Apple_partition_map Apple 63 @ 1
2: Apple_Driver_ATA*Macintosh 54 @ 64
3: Apple_Driver_ATA*Macintosh 74 @ 118
4: Apple_Driver_IOKit Macintosh 512 @ 192
5:Apple_Patches Patch Partition 512 @ 704
6:Apple_HFS Macintosh_HD 2097152 @ 1216 ( 1.0G)
7: Apple_HFS Classic_MacOS9_HD 2097152 @ 2098368 ( 1.0G)
8:Apple_HFS Mac_OS_X 6291456 @ 4195520 ( 3.0G)
9:Apple_UNIX_SVR2 / 5242880 @ 10486976 ( 2.5G)
10: Apple_UNIX_SVR2 swap 204800 @ 15729856 (100.0M)
11:Apple_UNIX_SVR2 /usr 3145728 @ 15934656 ( 1.5G)
12: Apple_HFS Exchange_HD 948566 @ 19080384 (463.2M)
13: Apple_Free Extra 10 @ 20028950

See Partition #9 -- that is / -- linux lives there
See Partition #10 -- that is /swap -- linux virtual memory
See Partition #12 -- This is what I use to transfare files from linux to Mac OS or vice-versa

WARNING!: Do not erase the Partition #1 to #5 They are your Apple Disk Drivers you need them to boot into Mac OS for Dual boot!!!

As you know partitioning a hard drive will ERASE ALL DATA. So backup ALL important files!!

Booting from Linux is done using Yaboot or BootX. BootX is an Mac OS Extension and Control Panel where you can choose what OS you want to boot to. BootX is currently broke if you have Mac OS 9.1 installed) Yaboot is used in newer Macs.

The only thing you have to worry about is loosing important data that you did not backup before you partitioned your hard drive.

Originally posted by crazyjohnson:
I have a question. I think I am suppost to creat a small swap partition so that I can switch from Linux to Mac OS. If I use the installer, will it automatically make this small swap partition (when I install onto the partition for Linux). How hard is it to go from Linux to Mac - and Mac to Linux? What do I have to worry about?

I think I am going to be using SuSe.

------------------
Long Live the iMac!

As hidozage said the swap partition is for linux virtual memory, usually I have placed about 100MB there, the minimum is 32MB. The partitioning can get confusing depending on wht utility you are using, when I installed YellowDog I had to get a piece of paper and a pencil to do the math... However, you should be able to do all the partitioning with apple's setup utility, just know you will lose everything.

Sorry one last thing.... Linux cannot read HFS+ but it can read HFS so make your general information shared hard drive partition HFS, that is my last piece of advice.