Linux Debian support - Reformatting /var

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Author Reformatting /var
Madhusudan Singh

2005-08-21, 5:46 pm

If I copy all the stuff over to some other partition to backup and then try
to unmount it (before mkfs) :

# umount /var
umount: /var: device is busy
umount: /var: device is busy

-f switch does not work either.

So, how do I reformat var here (which is reiserfs) to make it ext3 ?
Amarok

2005-08-21, 5:46 pm

Madhusudan Singh wrote:

> If I copy all the stuff over to some other partition to backup and then
> try to unmount it (before mkfs) :
>
> # umount /var
> umount: /var: device is busy
> umount: /var: device is busy
>
> -f switch does not work either.
>
> So, how do I reformat var here (which is reiserfs) to make it ext3 ?


Do it with a live-cd like knoppix
wittempj@hotmail.com

2005-08-21, 5:46 pm

Move it physically to another partition, then make your reiserfs an
ext3 fs - and then move it back?

Dave Uhring

2005-08-21, 8:45 pm

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 18:40:58 -0400, Madhusudan Singh wrote:

> If I copy all the stuff over to some other partition to backup and then try
> to unmount it (before mkfs) :
>
> # umount /var
> umount: /var: device is busy
> umount: /var: device is busy
>
> -f switch does not work either.
>
> So, how do I reformat var here (which is reiserfs) to make it ext3 ?


By booting from CD.

Madhusudan Singh

2005-08-21, 8:45 pm

wittempj@hotmail.com wrote:

> Move it physically to another partition, then make your reiserfs an
> ext3 fs - and then move it back?


How does one do that ?

There can be only one var under /, remember ?
Alan Connor

2005-08-21, 8:45 pm

On comp.os.linux.misc, in
<430902cd$0$18649$14726298@news.sunsite.dk>, "Madhusudan Singh"
wrote:

> If I copy all the stuff over to some other partition to backup
> and then try to unmount it (before mkfs) :
>
> # umount /var umount: /var: device is busy umount: /var: device
> is busy
>
> -f switch does not work either.
>
> So, how do I reformat var here (which is reiserfs) to make it
> ext3 ?


Use a rescue disk or remove the /etc/fstab entry for /var
and reboot?

(can you even boot without var?)

AC

Toby Inkster

2005-08-22, 7:46 am

Madhusudan Singh wrote:

> # umount /var
> umount: /var: device is busy
> umount: /var: device is busy
>
> -f switch does not work either.


"umount -fl" might do it, but you'll probably crash a few processes by
formatting /var.

--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact

acd

2005-08-22, 5:52 pm

Alan Connor wrote:

> On comp.os.linux.misc, in
> <430902cd$0$18649$14726298@news.sunsite.dk>, "Madhusudan Singh"
> wrote:
>
>
> Use a rescue disk or remove the /etc/fstab entry for /var
> and reboot?
>
> (can you even boot without var?)
>

yes you can, using -b as flag to the boot parameters ( single user ).
all you need to do basically is going down to single user and then
unmount/reformat /var . this is done with "init 1" or "init s" depending on
your setup. don't need rescue cd's doing that
hope that helped,
--
acd
Alan Connor

2005-08-22, 5:52 pm

On comp.os.linux.misc, in <4309e2b2@nntp.zianet.com>, "acd"
wrote:

(Earthlink's newsserver doesn't carry alt.os.linux.debian.)

> Alan Connor wrote:
>
>
> yes you can, using -b as flag to the boot parameters ( single
> user ). all you need to do basically is going down to single
> user and then unmount/reformat /var . this is done with "init
> 1" or "init s" depending on your setup. don't need rescue cd's
> doing that hope that helped,
> -- acd


Thanks a lot,


AC

Alan Connor

2005-08-22, 5:52 pm

On alt.os.linux.debian, in <3erOe.178$Mb5.59@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net>, "Alan Connor" wrote:
>
> On comp.os.linux.misc, in <4309e2b2@nntp.zianet.com>, "acd"
> wrote:
>
> (Earthlink's newsserver doesn't carry alt.os.linux.debian.)
>


I was wrong about the above. My list is out-of-date. Sorry.

<snip>

AC
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