What do I need to do to install 21.10 with btrfs?

I’m currently using Ubuntu 21.04 with ext4 on an internal 2TB nvme drive (AMD Ryzen with no dual boot). I want to upgrade to 21.10 with btrfs. I’m assuming I need to totally wipe out 21.04 and do a clean install of 21.10 in order to go from ext4 to btrfs. If this assumption is wrong, let me know.

I’ll first do a Clonezilla clone of my main hard drive to an external drive (I've got Clonezilla installed on a USB stik). Also I’ll have multiple backups of all my user files (FeeFileSync and Restic). If you have suggestions re better ways to backup user files, let me know.

I’ll have Ubuntu 21.10 loaded onto a USB stick ready to install. I’ll select btrfs during the 21.10 install process.

What else do I need to do to help assure this upgrade goes smoothly? I’m a newbie and very much a beginner with Linux and very limited knowledge of the command line. What are the common problems that arise when doing this kind of upgrade?

(PS: I want to upgrade to btrfs cuz I’ve heard good things about btrfs fast snapshots and easy rollbacks. Also I'm an average user just browsing the web, checking email, working with some simple spreadsheets and not much else.)

Solution 1:

You don't need to do a fresh install in order to switch from ext4 to btrfs. ext4 partitions can be converted to btrfs quite easily. I did that a few times. It may require some tinkering with grub, etc.

But if you are a newbie, it is much easier to do a fresh install. You'll need to choose "Something else" and select btrfs file system for your /.

The installer will automatically create @ and @home subvolumes for / and /home, that is a convenient feature.

The only thing I would put attention to is swap. I would suggest to use a separate partition for a swap. Having a swap file on btrfs require some manual settings, like creating a subvolume for it. Otherwise you'll have problems with snapshots.

After you are comfortable with btrfs you can switch to a swap file later.

You may have some questions when using the system. Many already have been answered at AU.

Regarding backups of user files, it doesn't make much difference how you do it. You can simply copy them somewhere and later copy them back.

P.S. I am using btrfs for all my Ubuntu installations for quite a while (about 5 years).