From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jun 13 22:40:23 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3B8481065674 for ; Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:40:23 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from glenn@elaw.org.test-google-a.com) Received: from hermes.elaw.org (hermes.elaw.org [64.112.226.136]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3A9AA8FC28 for ; Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:40:21 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from glenn@elaw.org.test-google-a.com) Received: (qmail 32532 invoked from network); 13 Jun 2008 22:13:39 -0000 Received: from gw.elaw.org (HELO [192.168.0.12]) ([64.112.226.130]) (envelope-sender ) by hermes.elaw.org (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP for ; 13 Jun 2008 22:13:39 -0000 Message-ID: <4852F113.4090908@elaw.org.test-google-a.com> Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:13:39 -0700 From: Glenn Gillis Organization: ELAW U.S. User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.14 (Windows/20080421) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org References: <84a992f30806121702r39f132a8y11f8e410221e132c@mail.gmail.com> <20080613012029.GA16341@dan.emsphone.com> <4851D328.8060107@ibctech.ca> <4851D6DD.8090801@ibctech.ca> In-Reply-To: <4851D6DD.8090801@ibctech.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: Re: Tried to symlink /etc to another disk, now stuck X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: glenn@elaw.org List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:40:23 -0000 Steve Bertrand wrote, On 6/12/2008 7:09 PM: > Steve Bertrand wrote: >> Dan Nelson wrote: > >> I'm off to try it. I've got a system here with a da device. I'll fsck >> up /etc/fstab, reboot, and report back with the appropriate mountroot> >> prompt entry... > > # cat /etc/fstab > > # Device Mountpoint FStype Options Dump Pass# > /dev/da0a / ufs rw,noatime 1 1 > md /tmp mfs rw,-s32M,nosuid,noatime > 0 0 > > (..snip..) > > ..change /etc/fstab to mount root to /dev/ad15a, reboot: > > mountroot> > > # mountroot>ufs:/dev/da0a {ENTER} > > ...machine boots up. > > To the OP...if you know what your disk type is, you CAN get it to > continue to mount root at the mountroot prompt. > > Furthering that, you can also fsck and mount your other disk mountpoints > in order to gain access to your editing binaries. > > There is no need to use an external resource to boot the machine from if > you are already aware that the only thing that got fsck'd up is the > mountpoints in the fstab (or, like in this case, the file was > unavailable entirely). The disk structure is still the same, and the > system can see this with manual intervention. > > OP: at the mountroot> prompt, try this: ufs:/dev/ad0s1a > > and see if you get anywhere. > > Steve Thanks to Steve, Dan and Andrew for offering suggestions for regaining access to my box! I was finally able to mount / from the mountroot> prompt using "ufs:/dev/aacd0s1a" (this is a Dell PowerEdge server with a SCSI RAID5 array.) Fortunately, there was an "/etc.old directory left over from the last patch level upgrade I did; that was enough to get the system booting normally so that I could copy back the former /etc directory that I had moved at the start of this whole fiasco. I think I will start retaining electronic and hard-copy fstab files from my FreeBSD boxes for future reference, as Steve suggested in a later message. -- Glenn Gillis ELAW U.S. Information Technology Manager Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide http://www.elaw.org