I have an x220, yes it is old but I prefer the keyboard and the repairability. Anyway, it has 1 x msata SSD (2TB Orico) and 1 x 2.5 inch SSD (2TB Samsung).
What I want:
- to take advantage of 2 drives.
- no windows. I go full Linux now.
- some forms of backup if system fails.
What I managed to do:
-
/, swap and all system directories on the msata
-
/home is dedicated to the entire 2.5 ssd.
-
fully encrypted. I.e the msata has a LUKS partition that mounts /, swap and others. The 2.5 inch also has a LUKS partiton for /home. My /home is on its own, so if system fails or I need to distro hop, I can keep all of my data.
System runs fine but is this a good idea in the long run?
Should I have it the other way? Root and swap and systems on faster 2.5inch SSD. Home in the smaller msata?
What about everything on the faster 2.5 drive, then use the slower msata for backups? Since I have 2TB, I’m thinking partition the msata into 2 so I can do: Timeshift backup on one, and Borg backup for my personal files on the other?
It’s not that there’s anything inherently wrong with this, but it’s not the most in line with your goals. If you’re worried about data loss, you could have made a volume that spans both drives like RAID1/Z1, or you could have setup some clever data spanning with BTRFS or likewise. Then you’d be killing two birds with one stone for the Timeshift portion.
If you want safe backups, you need a separate backup drive at a bare minimum.