... got busy with a project.. I'll need to run some experiments to try to figure this out when I have a free evening..

this last try I used clearOS 7, provably best to use clearOS 6 as it's super stable and has all the features I need, it also runs better on the older hardware it will be running on.

I'll get back to you.

Thanks!!

I'm confused about /var and /var/log. They don't normally have different partitions unless the partitioning scheme has changed. What is the output of "mount"? Also /var does not normally get its own partition but shares the root partition. For me (on 6.x) I get:

[root@server ~]# mount

/dev/sda3 on / type ext4 (rw,noatime)

proc on /proc type proc (rw)

sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw)

devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)

tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)

/dev/sda1 on /boot type ext4 (rw,noatime)

/dev/sdb1 on /BackupDisc type ext2 (rw,noatime)

/dev/sda4 on /shares type ext4 (rw,noatime)

none on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw)

/dev/sda4 is non-standard which I set up for my own shares and /dev/sda4 is a spare disk I use for minor automated backups.

For the /homes you could (with only the root user logged on) create a folder, say /store/data0/newhomes, and move all the /home subfolders into it. Then you bind /store/data0/newhomes into /home in the same way you have done so with the flexshares.

[edit]
Ouch. It looks like 7.x's filesystem is somewhat different on my VM and it uses xfs and LVM by default. I'm going to have to learn something new.
[/edit]

thank you - now flexshares makes sense - I-ve been using linux as a desktop for a while - but as a server it's a new endeavor -

I am having a hard time trying to figure out how to do things with clearOS. The documentation on clearos.com is very confusing for a noob - it would be nice to see updated guides on how to do stuff written by the certified techs.

As of now trying to piece together how to do things by reading random posts is extremely hard for a noob.

- I'm running clearOS server on an 'old' core2duo laptop - it has 3gb of ram, one 500 gb drive and one NIC -it was running windows home server 2011 for 2 years without any problems - it was almost a plug-and-play experience, but -MS- pulled the plug on the home server and it will be defunct April this year without any new replacement, So I'm giving the clearos a try before I fork over 400$ for a 5-CAL windows 2012 server

- all I need is a simple file server - and a trusty backup system onto a usb hard drive/bluray disk - preferably automatic - acronis has this awesome backup solution called - non-stop backup - that backs up selected folders on the fly 24-7 with version control. - I wonder if clearOS has something similar?

- yes, I love having a GUI!!! this command line thing is kind of fun cuz it takes me back to the green phosphorous DOS era, but it's not my thing on a day to day basis, by trade I'm a designer.

I know zentyal has a GUI, but the documentation there is even more confusing, for me

True, the LVM system is too complex right now... trying to follow the centralized user data guide writen using LVM partition.

https://www.clearos.com/resources/documentation/clearos/content:en_us:dev_architecture_centralized_user_data

I set up standard ext4 partitions with:

/boot - 500 mb
/root -5120mb
/var -5120mb
/var/log -5120mb
/store/data0 - the rest of the disk

- Do I need /var and /var/log to be that big if everything gets forwarded to /store/data0?

- What is /var's minimal size? there's 10Gb waisted right there.

I got the mount / bind to work and it forwards everything to the /store/data0 partition, in my case just the flexshares -

the /home directory does not want to light up - neither nautilus nor explorer can see it --

Server / Files/Windows Networking (SAMBA) / Settings / Home Directories -- IS enabled; and
Server / Files/Windows Networking (SAMBA) / Mode / Mode / simple server

Any tricks on enabling the /home/user?

if /home directory works and I find a a good on-the-fly backup solution I may keep this puppy running - FUN!!

--post deleted --

Why do you say the storage manager does not work? It is doing nothing very special at all and it can all probably be achieved from the command line.

FWIW, I manually partitioned my HDD and I keep all my shares in the fourth partition (/dev/sda4). I don't use flexshares or homes but it would be quite easy to put them on the extra partition or another disk.

If you have enabled the /home drives, in a Windoze environment all you have to do is map a network drive to the user's home drive. Single user flexshares and /home folders serve the same purpose in a WIndoze environment (but the /homes can do more if the user is allowed shell access to ClearOS). Flexshares only really come into their own for group shares. /homes cannot cover this function. Also if you use single user, multiple user and group flexshares the advantage of flexshares is that it keeps them in a single place which can be moved to another partition or drive.

The filing system is very flexible in Linux so things can sometimes be achieved in different ways (for example mount with the bind option or mounting a drive directly into a particular folder - they appear to be the same to the user but are a bit different under the skin).

Depending on how you want to do it adding more disks is not difficult, but if you want to have multiple disks appear as a single volume (or drive in Windoze), you may need to investigate the Logical Volume Manager (LVM). This adds a layer of complexity and I'd avoid it for the moment. A quick internet search should give you how to add another disk (the default file system in ClearOS is ext4).