solitone composed on 2017-07-24 16:13 (UTC+0200):

> I never use MacOs, so I want to just keep debian, so at least I'll put its 22 
> GB space to better use. I used to keep it just for some sporadic firmware 
> update, but frankly I don't think I'll need this again in the future.

> The issue is that MacOs is at the start of the disc:

> ~$
> ~$ sudo /sbin/parted /dev/sda print
> Model: ATA APPLE SSD SM0128 (scsi)
> Disk /dev/sda: 121GB
> Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B
> Partition Table: gpt
> Disk Flags: 
> 
> Number  Start   End     Size    File system     Name                  Flags
>  1      20.5kB  210MB   210MB   fat32           EFI System Partition  boot, 
> esp
>  2      210MB   22.6GB  22.4GB  hfs+
>  3      22.6GB  23.2GB  650MB   hfs+
>  4      23.2GB  31.2GB  8000MB  linux-swap(v1)  swap
>  5      31.4GB  121GB   89.8GB  ext4            linux
> ~$

> I would use parted from the installation media to delete partitions 1-4, 
> recreate the swap at the start (unless I decide to usa a file for the swap), 
> and move/extend the ext4 partition.

> This seems a bit risky, though. I already asked this, but is there a way to 
> completely backup my current system, so that I could quickly restore it on a 
> blank new partition, in case everything goes wrong? 

> I have daily backups of /home, /usr/local, and /etc. But in case I need to 
> reinstall from scratch I think I need more. 

> What's the best approach? 

Something else to consider is converting that hfs+ space to Linux native space,
for use of an additional installation of Debian or any other Linux. e.g. you
could put unstable there as a way to contribute to the project by testing
pre-releases and reporting bugs, and then when the next release is officially
announced, you'll already have Buster. Once you have two installations, either
can be used as a convenient rescue tool for the other should the need arise.

Were you to replace the current SSD with a larger one, you'd have a relatively
convenient means to boot OS X were some issue that requires it to arise.
-- 
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

 Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/

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