Ubuntu :: Using Secondary Partitions And HDD

I'm running Ubuntu 10.04 LTS on an old HP Pavilion 710 PC, dual-booting with WinXP. I followed instructions and successfully partitioned my primary hard drive, and installed Ubuntu just fine (I think--everything seems to work, anyway).

Here's my partition setup:

Code:

Code:

The secondary disk is strangely set up for unrelated reasons, and I haven't done anything to it since moving to Ubuntu. My plan is to keep most of my data on that disk, and use the primary disk for system files and applications, but I don't yet understand how Ubuntu decides where to keep things, so I haven't done anything with that disk yet.

Here are my questions:

1. I want to run a MySQL database locally, to test a php/MySQL web site I'm developing. I thought it would be a good idea to set aside a partition just for the database, which is what /dev/sda7 is supposed to be; but I have no idea how to make Ubuntu or MySQL use that partition. (I'm also brand spanking new to MySQL, or I'd probably know.) How do I do that?

2. It occurs to me now that I ought to put the database on my secondary hard drive, which is much bigger and faster than the primary. If the answer to #1 doesn't tell me, how do I do that?

3. My home directory is on /dev/sda right now. Can I move my data files to /dev/sdb without moving the whole home directory? Or must I move everything and keep it all together in one directory?