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 ?

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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

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

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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 tr
y
> 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.

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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 ?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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