Is it possible to use BCache on my main Ubuntu disk?
I have an Ubuntu system with a 100GB SSD. I'm running out of space.
Since I have a 300GB disk from my old system, I'm thinking I could use it to boost space.
The obvious answer is to just add the disk, but I wonder, can I use the SSD to cache the larger disk?
My Questions:
- Is it possible to use BCache on the main disk in Ubuntu.
- Is it possible to make this change in place? Do I have to reinstall.
- Since my slower disk is only 300GB, does it really make sense to do this?
I'm on Ubuntu 12.10
It's possible, you can do it in place, and it makes sense as long as the total size of your HDDs is greater than your SSD size. Have a look at the blocks converting your root filesystem to bcache howto. Your case is more complicated than if you were starting from a HDD install; you'll also have to move your partitions (except the boot partition) from the SSD to the HDD. You should use a LiveCD/LiveUSB, use something like GParted to move your partitions to the HDD (you can also do that with an LVM conversion and pvmove, but it's more complicated to explain), then follow the rest of the blocks tutorial.
ObDisclaimer: I wrote blocks, the conversion tool.