Combining Two SSDs for a 2TB Logical Volume on Linux

How to Combine Two 1TB SSDs into a Large 2TB Logical Volume for Swap and RAID 1 /home on Linux?

Abstract: Learn how to combine two 1TB SSDs into a large 2TB logical volume on Linux for swap and RAID 1 /home on a pair of RAID 1 hard drives. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up a reliable and high-performance storage solution.

Created: 2025-03-17 by UserComp.com Editors

Combining Two 1TB SSDs into a Large 2TB Logical Volume for /swap and Home with RAID1 Pair of HDs

In this article, we will cover the process of combining two 1TB solid state drives (SSDs) into a single large 2TB logical volume for use as a /swap and home partition, while also utilizing a RAID1 pair of hard disk drives (HDDs). This allows for increased data redundancy, improved performance, and a more efficient use of storage space.

Background

In Linux systems, the /swap partition is used as a temporary storage location for data that is currently not being used but still needs to be kept in memory. This can be useful in situations where the system's physical memory is not enough to handle the demands of a particular task or application. By increasing the size of the /swap partition, the system can handle these demands more effectively.

Additionally, the home partition is where users' personal files and settings are stored. By combining two 1TB SSDs into a single 2TB logical volume, users will have more storage space available for their files and the system will benefit from increased performance due to the larger, faster storage device.

RAID1

RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a technology used for combining multiple physical disk drives into a single logical unit for increased data redundancy and improved performance. RAID1, specifically, is a mirroring technique where data is written to two or more drives simultaneously, allowing for a complete copy of the data to be stored on each drive.


# mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sda /dev/sdb

LVM

Linux Volume Manager (LVM) is a tool for managing logical volumes in Linux systems. Logical volumes are created by combining physical disk partitions into a single logical unit. This allows for more flexible management of storage, including resizing, creating and deleting logical volumes as needed.


# pvcreate /dev/md0
# vgcreate vg0 /dev/md0
# lvcreate -L 2T vg0 -n home

/swap

Once the logical volume has been created, the /swap partition can be created as a logical volume within the larger logical volume.


# lvcreate -L 1T vg0 -n swap
# mkswap /dev/vg0/swap
# swapon /dev/vg0/swap

Home

Finally, the home partition can be created on the remaining space in the logical volume.


# lvcreate -l +100%FREE vg0 -n home
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/vg0/home
# mount /dev/vg0/home /home

Combining two 1TB SSDs into a large 2TB logical volume for /swap and home partitions allows for increased data redundancy, improved performance, and a more efficient use of storage space.
Utilizing a RAID1 pair of HDDs in conjunction with the logical volume increases data redundancy and performance.
LVM allows for more flexible management of storage, including resizing, creating and deleting logical volumes as needed.

References

RAID - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID
LVM - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_Volume_Manager_(Linux)
Linux mdadm - http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/mdadm.8.html
Linux mkfs - http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/mkfs.8.html
Linux swapon - http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/swapon.8.html

Tags: SSDs Linux Logical Volume RAID

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