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Hello Unix/Linux Stackexchange. I have a mulri-part question about the /home partition. Thanks for taking the time to read and reply to all the questions below.

Is it possible to share the /home partition with two or more separate Linux partitions? For example can I use the same /home partition with an /Arch and /Debian partition? 

If it is possible can I also use the same username for both or is it better to use different ones and share data between them? 

I am also assuming that in this setup I would also need a separate /boot partition as well  is that correct?

Thanks! 

Ev-
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1 Answers1

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Is it possible to share the /home partition with two or more separate Linux partitions? For example can I use the same /home partition with an /Arch and /Debian partition?

Yep typically not an issue.

If it is possible can I also use the same username for both or is it better to use different ones and share data between them?

Yep, you'll want to make sure they have the same UID as and GID as well most likely.

I am also assuming that in this setup I would also need a separate /boot partition as well is that correct?

Nope, you just need a separate kernel, and initramfs in /boot and a separate root and other non shared mounts. As well as entries in the boot manager for both OSs

You'll also want to be careful about libraries compiled/created in the shared home that might use different versions because of the different software available in each OS.

Livinglifeback
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  • If the OP has version X of a package for Arch and version Y of that package for their Debian version, and the configurations for X and Y are necessarily different, won't that be problematic, as noted in https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/6344/different-linux-distros-sharing-the-same-home-folder ? I think you need to make note of that hazard. – K7AAY Apr 29 '20 at 16:02
  • If the configuration is stored in the home dir sure, but most applications don’t just error or crash when fed old configuration files and it’s not really an obstacle to achieving a shared home. – Livinglifeback Apr 29 '20 at 16:05
  • Those symlinks seem like a giant pain. I’m not sure what you’d be trying to accomplish with them. – Livinglifeback Apr 29 '20 at 16:58