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Why partition a hard drive. If the old drive is out of order

In an environment where progress is taking place by leaps and bounds, and new items constantly appear on the computer components market, more and more users prefer to replace them over time. hard disk for a new larger volume. If until recently the capacity of the hard drive was not very large, the lion's share of the space was occupied by the system, and very little space was left for personal use. And when HDD large volume, it makes sense to divide it into sections. The easiest way to do this is to reinstall the operating system.

The usefulness and necessity of partitioning a hard disk into partitions is due not only to convenience, but it is also important from a security point of view. For example, it is advisable not to save any other files other than system files to the system drive C, especially those downloaded from the Internet, since you can never be completely sure that the file is not infected with some kind of virus or that it will not be lost if the OS fails. It will also be very convenient if you have several disks on the hard drive, each of which can be used for specific purposes; when splitting, you can assign a name to each disk. For example, drive D will be for installing games and called Games, drive E for storing other important files for work. This makes it much easier to quickly find the file or folder you want. I recommend creating only 2 sections C and D. C - system, D for everything else.

After you have decided on the number of partitions, you need to correctly think over the distribution of the volume of the entire hard drive into partitions. For system disk C, it is desirable to allocate 70-120 GB (depending, of course, on how much the total volume of the hard drive allows), because in addition to the system itself, all programs are installed on the C drive, while working at the computer from time to time it becomes necessary to install new programs, and what the more space there will be on the C drive, the less likely it is that one day you simply will not have enough space there to put the next program. Also, there should always be free space on the C drive, since the system copies the necessary files to this drive to a temporary folder during operation. You can already allocate space on the remaining sections depending on your own wishes.

Sometimes there are opposite situations when it is necessary to combine previously broken partitions on the hard drive. There will already be a little more work here, because the information that you have saved during use is stored on the already created sections. In order not to lose it, it is necessary to save all files and folders stored on them before combining the disks, this can be done either on virtual disks on the Internet, or temporarily burn it to regular discs.

How can Partitions be useful?

Imagine a typical office. There are boxes in it, folders in boxes, documents in folders. Can you find anything if you cancel this document layout system? Probably you can, but with what forces? Information storage on computer disks is implemented in a similar way, allowing you to put things in order in data storage, installation of operating systems and applications. Partitioning a disk is like a layout different folders on separate boxes, and in many cases allows you to use disk space more efficiently. The operating system displays each partition as a separate hard drive, assigning its own drive letter. Partitioning a disk can help you prevent conflicts between different operating systems on the disk, protect data (including from unauthorized access), experiment with new software, etc.
If your hard disk is not partitioned, then over time you will end up with either too many folders in the root partition of the disk, or an extremely extensive folder system in which the path to desired file may be too long and uncomfortable. Dividing the disk into partitions in accordance with the main activities carried out on this computer will help to avoid this.
Backing up data becomes much easier, as well as restoring a damaged operating system, since you can simply restore an image of a partition with an operating system, without worrying about the fact that your documents have already been updated many times since the creation of this image. So placing the data and the operating system in different sections is a very useful exercise.
Partitioning a disk can also help in delimiting access to data. You just create a separate section and password protect it.
If you keep several operating systems on one physical disk, then it is more convenient to install them on different sections... This will again help in the event of a system crash. You just restore the partition from the image and keep working. Remaining sections and OS won't even notice it.
Another important consideration when working with hard disks is the size of the cluster - the minimum unit of space allocated by the system for your information. The larger the partition, the larger the cluster becomes and the less disk space is used. Let me explain with an example: suppose the cluster size on disk is 32 kilobytes. This automatically means that no matter how small the file size, it will still occupy at least 32 KB on disk. Many small files can take up many times their size. And if your file has a size of 65 kilobytes, then it will take 3 clusters - 2 entirely, and the third - by 3%, which again will lead to a loss of free disk space. Of course, modern disks amaze our imagination with their size, but, as practice shows, archives of documents, drivers, and other similar files can devour disk space simply catastrophically.

How to avoid this and how to manage partitions on the disk?

There are several ways. For example, you can put files into one large archive, but this makes it inconvenient to use it. It is much more reasonable to allocate a relatively small partition on the disk for numerous small files, and set aside a large partition for multimedia files.
A convenient tool for working with partitions is software package Partition Magic, developed by PowerQuest. Of course, you can use the fdisk utility to create partitions, but what if your data structure has changed over time or you have new operating systems? If you use only fdisk, then repartitioning a physical disk into partitions is possible only by completely backing up data and operating systems, deleting existing partitions and creating new ones, followed by formatting and installing the system and applications. In some cases, the system can be restored from the partition image, but all the same, this event can horrify most users.
It is much more convenient to use the Partition Magic utility. Without any deletion or archiving of data, this program is capable of:

create new partitions on the disk;
resize partitions;
change the type of partitions, and latest version can work with FAT, FAT32, Linux Ext2 or Ext3, Linux swap and NTFS;
helps to move data from section to section;
combine sections into one and split one section into several parts;
help in installing new operating systems to disk and manage the boot of these systems.

Unfortunately, there were some drawbacks. The interface of this program has not yet been translated into Russian, so for all the intuitive clarity of the interface, it is still better to know a few English words. Also note that the program is not freeware. You can purchase it directly on the manufacturer's website.

Sometimes it seems that some of the big tasks in Scrum cannot be broken down into pieces. This is a dangerous misconception that both newbies and teams that have been using Scrum for a long time.

Decomposition reduces product risks of doing something unnecessary or doing something wrong, lowers the cost of risk through quick feedback, and allows you to get Validated Learning to use it to develop the Product.

For example, you need to integrate the client module and the customer's back office. Usually they are developed separately and then combined. This way of working increases the risk of problems. Perhaps our integration method is not suitable, or the integration is not needed at all, and another problem needs to be solved. The most annoying thing is that we find out about this only after we finish all the work (very delayed feedback).

The client does not need a separate back office or a separate client module, all the more, no integration is needed. The client needs a service, consisting of a set of functions, each of which covers some kind of user need. Therefore, instead of supplying modules, it is worth supplying the same functions.

This approach to development is called End to End. If we are developing pieces of the End to End functionality, then the customer can immediately start using them and find errors. In the future, we will use the experience that we gained in solving errors, and the development of the Product will not go according to the original plan.

The main thing

Breaking down reduces risks and allows you to get fast feedback.
You need to break the development into small pieces that have value for the end user.

Drop

send

Step 1: Determine the relationship between the PBI and the business goal

We discussed what ties PBI to the immediate business goal: increasing the conversion rate of requests from the website (CR). If you have not previously identified a business goal, then the Impact Mapping technique and its variation will definitely help in this step.

Step 2. Describe the PBI in a who, what and why format

I often use the following format for describing Product Backlog items:

who is the user segment or person;
what - short description tasks;
why - business value or user value.

The Product Owner and the teams discussed this in an open discussion. I recorded what I said on a flipchart so that it was easy to get back to the information.

Step 3. Split PBI into small groups

We formed four groups of 3-5 people and sent them to workstations in the open space, where they decomposed PBI within 20 minutes. The guys used partitioning patterns and other techniques, in particular, User Story Mapping. If the teams do not yet possess the skills of decomposition, it is necessary to conduct.

Step 4. Present the splitting options

We have got four decomposition options. Now I wanted us to find the most valuable thing in each of them. To do this, we walked through each workstation, where each of the partitioning options was presented to us. We spent no more than five minutes at each station.

Step 5. Carry out the final "gluing"

I asked the Product Owner and several team representatives to do the final gluing of the various decomposition options. To do this, we brought all the flipcharts and hung them on the wall. The Product Owner would select the best parts and place them on the final version.

Step 6. Assess and prioritize the resulting features

At this point, the giant feature has been broken down into smaller pieces. I asked representatives from each team to conduct a rapid assessment using "shirt sizes". Then the Product Owner organized all the received features. As a result, we got 11 features, the highest priority of which had to fit comfortably in a two-week Sprint.

Step 7. Clarify Priority PBIs

Each group took one feature from the top of the Product Backlog and clarified it at the workstation. After 20 minutes, at each station appeared:

description of the feature,
updated estimate,
acceptance criteria,
business and user value.

Then we did several rounds of the "world cafe", moving clockwise. At each station there was a person who took feedback and talked about the feature.

Step 8. Discuss the value received

Before the closing of the meeting, I asked to voice the received values and record the result on a flipchart. These were estimates, a target for the quarter, a complete picture of what was happening.

conclusions

Prefer to use Multi-Team PBR when several teams are updating the Product Backlog at once.
Always start your PBI discussion with a link to a business goal.
Decompose the Product Backlog items using partitioning patterns and User Story Mapping techniques.
Work in small groups and world-class café, trade show or cocktail party formats.
Use paper, flip charts, scissors, or sticky notes for better interaction.

Andrey Tolmachev tells how to resolve mutual discontent between the Product Owner and the Development Team.

Conditions of the problem

Imagine this situation. You are the new Scrum Master. Your Development Team consists of a systems analyst, two developers, and two testers. Sprint length is two weeks. The team works with a complex system on the old platform, therefore, for each item of the Product Backlog, the analyst, development and testing fall into separate Sprints. During the last Sprint, the Team did not manage to complete the work taken to the Sprint, so the Product Owner is asking Retro on who did what during the Sprint. The Product Owner complains that the Team is very slow. Team members complain that the business controls and micromanages them. How to resolve mutual dissatisfaction between the Product Owner and the Development Team? Let's figure it out.

What's happening

For each item of the Product Backlog, analyst, development and testing fall into separate Sprints - this means that the item will be ready for release only after three Sprints. In this case, the true length of the Sprint is six weeks, which is more than the Scrum Manual allows.

The maximum duration of a Sprint is one calendar month. With a longer planning period, changes in goals, an increase in complexity and an increase in risks are possible.

Scrum Guide When the Team rarely delivers a ready-made Increment, it rarely gets feedback from stakeholders and clients. As a result:

the risk of doing the wrong thing increases. The ability to respond to change decreases;
the stability of the process decreases, it is difficult to predict the work. For example, testing reveals defects weeks after development. Bugs are discovered late, so the amount of "support" will vary from Sprint to Sprint;
the workflow ceases to be transparent.

For these reasons, the Development Team loses the trust of the Product Owner and stakeholders, therefore, the pressure increases and conflicts begin.

Solution

The Scrum Master cannot solve the problem on his own, but can help his Team in the following way:

explain the system dynamics described above and its harmful consequences. The Scrum team must understand that the Scrum rule about Done Increment every Sprint is a natural system solution their problems;
help formulate or revise the minimum DoD that can be completed during the Sprint and that will ensure that the Increment is ready for release;
teach the Development Team to correctly decompose the Backlog items. Small items in the Product Backlog contribute to early delivery, product value optimization and improved workflow;
help to agree to take at least one small item of the Backlog into the next Sprint, but bring it to the Done state;
visualize the work flow. Transparency is the key to success;
eliminate downtime. To do this, the Scrum Master teaches the Team good engineering practices, for example, general knowledge of the code, stimulates the development of T-shaped or E-shaped people in the Team, enters into team agreements;
explain to the Product Owner that the delays are due to technical debt and convince him to pay.

Use Retrospective to find the best solutions for removing obstacles. Remember that these solutions are experiments, not the fact that they will bring the expected effect. Therefore, inspect the results of past decisions and adapt decisions in the next Retrospectives.

Outcomes

The finished Increment at the end of the Sprint is the most important rule Scrum, which helps to avoid increased risks, loss of predictability and flexibility. The described causal relationships are useful to know in order to understand why Scrum requires an appropriate DoD, ready-to-release Increment every Sprint. The following actions can help you achieve this goal:

decomposition of work into small PBIs;
visualization of the work flow in the Sprint and the search for the main bottlenecks;
Eliminate downtime through team agreements, good engineering practices, and the development of T-shaped or E-shaped people;
systematic liquidation of technical debt.

no, well, it’s like, what would not all be killed at once by the command format-s SABZH - Imagine a typical office. There are boxes in it, folders in boxes, documents in folders. Can you find anything if you cancel this document layout system? Probably you can, but with what forces? Information storage on computer disks is implemented in a similar way, allowing you to put things in order in data storage, installation of operating systems and applications. Partitioning a disk is similar to laying out different folders in separate boxes, and in many cases allows you to use disk space more efficiently. The operating system displays each partition as a separate hard drive, assigning its own drive letter. Partitioning a disk can help you prevent conflicts between different operating systems on the disk, protect data (including from unauthorized access), and experiment with a new software etc. If your hard disk is not divided into partitions, then over time you will either end up with too many folders in the root partition of the disk, or an extremely ramified folder system in which the path to the desired file may be too long and inconvenient. Dividing the disk into partitions in accordance with the main activities carried out on this computer will help to avoid this. Backing up data becomes much easier, as well as restoring a damaged operating system, since you can simply restore an image of a partition with an operating system, without worrying about the fact that your documents have already been updated many times since the creation of this image. So placing the data and the operating system in different sections is a very useful exercise. Partitioning a disk can also help in delimiting access to data. You just create a separate section and password protect it. If you keep several operating systems on one physical disk, then it is more convenient to install them on different partitions. This will again help in the event of a system crash. You just restore the partition from the image and keep working. The rest of the partitions and operating systems won't even notice it. Another important consideration when working with hard disks is the size of the cluster - the minimum unit of space allocated by the system for your information. The larger the partition, the larger the cluster becomes and the less disk space is used. Let me explain with an example: suppose the cluster size on disk is 32 kilobytes. This automatically means that no matter how small the file size, it will still occupy at least 32 KB on disk. Many small files can take up many times their size. And if your file is 65 kilobytes in size, then it will take 3 clusters - 2 entirely, and the third - by 3%, which again will lead to a loss of free disk space. Of course, modern disks amaze our imagination with their size, but, as practice shows, archives of documents, drivers, and other similar files can devour disk space simply catastrophically. (With)...