From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Jan 14 17:25:00 2009 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 A20F4106564A for ; Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:25:00 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (gizmo.acns.msu.edu [35.8.1.43]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 593378FC19 for ; Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:25:00 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: from gizmo.acns.msu.edu (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id n0EHOTmA028964; Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:24:29 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from jerrymc@gizmo.acns.msu.edu) Received: (from jerrymc@localhost) by gizmo.acns.msu.edu (8.13.6/8.13.6/Submit) id n0EHOT8P028963; Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:24:29 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from jerrymc) Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:24:29 -0500 From: Jerry McAllister To: Zbigniew Szalbot Message-ID: <20090114172429.GA28762@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> References: <94136a2c0901132313ga018517idd21cf7a784aae7f@mail.gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <94136a2c0901132313ga018517idd21cf7a784aae7f@mail.gmail.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.2i Cc: User Questions Subject: Re: updating to 7.1 with a small root slice X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:25:01 -0000 On Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 08:13:32AM +0100, Zbigniew Szalbot wrote: > Dear all, > > I am looking for your advice. Due to a very stupid design decision my > / slice is only 256 MB. It seems too little so whenever I compile a > new kernel, I need to move the kernel.old to a different slice to > install the new one. Then I pray, hope for the best and reboot. > However, I read that if I want to update to 7.1 I will need to boot a > generic kernel at some point. What option do I have? Probably you mean the / partition. Probably all those partitions are in one slice, but maybe not. Hmmm. 256 MB should be plenty for root, depending on what is in root. What do you leave in root? IF some things like /tmp, /usr or /var are living in the root partition, then they should be in their own. If they or some other big directory is in the way, then move it to your big partition (probably /home) and make a symbolic link (symlink) to it from the root partition. That will leave more room in root and you can get by until the next time you do a complete reinstall (maybe forever) that way. Then, if you want to redo your partitions, you can. By then, the main reason will be because disk sizes have become so large that you want to carve them up differently. > Even if I install a copy of GENERIC kernel into /boot, it most likely > won't fit in the available file space. The problem is the machine's > remote so I cannot take it down, replace drives, etc. as I am bound by > a hosting contract and frankly I really do not want to do that unless > I have no other option. Thoughts? Many thanks! It is easy to move a too big directory to another large partition. Just tar up the directory and untar it in the new place and then make the link. If everything looks to be OK - including files' ownership and permissions, then delete the old directory. Lets say you have a large /home that is a separate partition and that you left /var in root instead of making it its own partition. cd /var tar -cvf /home/var.tar * cd /home mkdir new.var cd new.var tar -xvpf /home/var.tar cd / mv var old.var ln -s /home/new.var var Check out the new.var for files/ownership/permissions cd / rm -rf old.var voila, you have room in root now. Do this to appropriate directories that are too big and really should have their own partition or be in the large partition anyway. Make sure you do not do it to directories that are needed for boot. The main one that may not be obvious is /etc. Don't move it. But also, do not move /bin, /sbin, /boot, /root, /dev, /lib or /libexec Really /tmp, /usr and /var or some directories within them are your only candidates. You might also check to make sure you didn't stash some large junk files in /root and forgot to get rid of them. Anyway, 256 MB should be plenty of space for / slash unless you are putting everything in it. ////jerry > > -- > Zbigniew Szalbot > www.slowo.pl > www.fairtrade.net.pl > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"