1.3. Do You Have Enough Disk Space?
Nearly every modern-day operating system (OS) uses disk partitions, and Red Hat Linux is no exception. When you install Red Hat Linux, you may have to work with disk partitions. If you have not worked with disk partitions before (or need a quick review of the basic concepts), read Appendix E An Introduction to Disk Partitions before proceeding.
If Red Hat Linux will share your system with another OS, you will need to make sure you have enough available disk space on your hard drive(s) for this dual boot installation. Refer to Appendix G Configuring a Dual-Boot System for instructions on creating a dual boot system.
The disk space used by Red Hat Linux must be separate from the disk space used by other OSes you may have installed on your system, such as Windows, OS/2, or even a different version of Linux. At least two partitions (/ and swap) must be dedicated to Red Hat Linux.
Before you start the installation process, one of the following conditions must be met:
Your computer must have enough unpartitioned[1] disk space for the installation of Red Hat Linux.
You must have one or more partitions that may be deleted, thereby freeing up enough disk space to install Red Hat Linux.
1.3.1. Installation Disk Space Requirements
 | Note |
|---|---|
These recommendations are based on an installation that only installs one language (such as English). If you plan to install multiple languages to use on your system, you should increase the disk space requirements. These recommendations do not take into account additional space for your user data. You must have additional space available if you plan to save any user data (personal files) to your system. |
- Personal Desktop
A personal desktop installation, including a graphical desktop environment, requires at least 1.7GB of free space. Choosing both the GNOME and KDE desktop environments requires at least 1.8GB of free disk space.
- Workstation
A workstation installation, including a graphical desktop environment and software development tools, requires at least 2.1GB of free space. Choosing both the GNOME and KDE desktop environments requires at least 2.2GB of free disk space.
- Server
A server installation requires 850MB for a minimal installation without X (the graphical environment), at least 1.5GB of free space if all package groups other than X are installed, and at least 5.0GB to install all packages including the GNOME and KDE desktop environments.
- Custom
A Custom installation requires 475MB for a minimal installation and at least 5.0GB of free space if every package is selected.
If you are not sure that you meet these conditions, or if you want to know how to create free disk space for your Red Hat Linux installation, refer to Appendix E An Introduction to Disk Partitions.