-Make 3 '/' (root) partitions = 1GB with the initial '/' mounted on the first. Name the other two something like 'root2' and 'root3'. This way you'll have root partitions for installing other Linux distros to evaluate how they handle your database and programs. "Yeah", you can run all your same data and programs in various Linux distributions by doing this. I recommend using the JFS:Reiser file system. It's a journalised FS so it keeps malware script from 'worming' it's way onto the HD. Hackers like using Windows to load linux viruses and vice-versa to get people who dual boot between the two. Your windows virus scanner won't detect a Linux virus aimed at your ext2 Linux drive and the opposite holds true of Linux and your FAT32 drive.
-Next make a Linux Swap partition and set it to atleast 2x system RAM.
-Next make a /home partition. This should be about 20% of the drive or 5 GB for 3 distros and a few users. More users or distros will require a larger partition.
-Next make the /usr partition. You'll want to make this as large as possible since this is where most Users' files go.
-The last 2 are optional depending upon if you'll be running a Linux server. /var is for the server files and should be sized accordingly. And /stuff is the default Guru name for everything they want to save outside of /usr.
If you're new to Linux the best advice might be to install a second HD, make it the boot drive, install Linux to it using the Grub bootloader being sure to mount the Windows drive during install at the partitioning screen. You have to do that manually, just by clicking the hdc tab (2nd HD) and clicking on the blue windows partition then selecting 'mount'. It's not done by default. >>>??? If you do it this way you'll boot to the Grub bootloader and it will allow you to select between Windows and Linux.
Now if you upgrade to XP then it's different. XP won't allow you to change drive letters or controller assignment. If you do it won't load so that new, snazzy 7200rpm drive will be the D:\ drive. That's not a problem for Grub. It just means when you load Linux you're gonna want to create around a 600MB FAT32 partition as the last partition on the new HD so when you boot to Windows you can switch your VMM to there. That way VMM runs off the fastest drive and is on a seperate controller from the OS which = more speed and stability for '98.
XP is pretty cool, I'm using Pro now. It's fast and easy and as malware like sircam, nimda and codered have brought the NT4 kernals (NT, '98) to their knees NT5 has protected memory and file systems similar (but somewhat inferior -no flames please) to Linux with JFS.