[opensuse] boot partition too small
For as long as I can remember I've set up a /boot partition with 15MB. Recently, however, routine kernel security updates (Suse 10.2) need slightly more space on /boot to perform the updates. What would be the safest way to get around this? I've thought of moving some symlinked files to another partition, performing update and then returning file to /boot. For example, vmlinuz points to vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default which is on /boot. vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default If I move vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default to root "/", update and move it back then I should be OK. Is there something I might be overlooking that could lead to a catastrophe? Also, this process is an awkward workaround. Is there a better approach? TIA, Patrick -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Patrick skrev:
For as long as I can remember I've set up a /boot partition with 15MB. Recently, however, routine kernel security updates (Suse 10.2) need slightly more space on /boot to perform the updates. What would be the safest way to get around this?
I've thought of moving some symlinked files to another partition, performing update and then returning file to /boot. For example, vmlinuz points to vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default which is on /boot.
vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default
If I move vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default to root "/", update and move it back then I should be OK. Is there something I might be overlooking that could lead to a catastrophe?
Also, this process is an awkward workaround. Is there a better approach?
TIA, Patrick
With a risk of suggesting the obvious; enlarge the /boot partition.. Anders. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Patrick wrote:
For as long as I can remember I've set up a /boot partition with 15MB. Recently, however, routine kernel security updates (Suse 10.2) need slightly more space on /boot to perform the updates. What would be the safest way to get around this?
I've thought of moving some symlinked files to another partition, performing update and then returning file to /boot. For example, vmlinuz points to vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default which is on /boot.
vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default
If I move vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default to root "/", update and move it back then I should be OK. Is there something I might be overlooking that could lead to a catastrophe?
Also, this process is an awkward workaround. Is there a better approach?
TIA, Patrick
I use exactly the same setup. I'm on 10.2, kernel 2.6.18.8-0.3 using a little over 8Mb of the boot partition. One of the things you might like to check, is whether you have an accretion of files from older kernels that you no longer use. There is little point in keeping them around if you don't have the corresponding /lib/modules files - which in any event, get cleaned out and replaced after each update. (The directories may be there, but they are emptied.)
On 7/22/07, Patrick <> wrote: ...
If I move vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default to root "/", update and move it back then I should be OK. Is there something I might be overlooking that could lead to a catastrophe?
If your system really needs a separate /boot partition, it will be unbootable while vmlinuz... is not physically in /boot.
Also, this process is an awkward workaround. Is there a better approach?
* Delete obsolete files * Increase size of partition. That's the _only_ real solution - that is, if you really require a /boot partition. -- Cheers, Carlos E. R. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Carlos Robinson wrote:
On 7/22/07, Patrick <> wrote:
...
If I move vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default to root "/", update and move it back then I should be OK. Is there something I might be overlooking that could lead to a catastrophe?
If your system really needs a separate /boot partition, it will be unbootable while vmlinuz... is not physically in /boot.
Also, this process is an awkward workaround. Is there a better approach?
* Delete obsolete files * Increase size of partition.
That's the _only_ real solution - that is, if you really require a /boot partition.
I have separate /boot on a couple of my systems. One runs LVM and the other RAID 5 & LVM. Either situation requires that /boot be outside of LVM or RAID -- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Patrick wrote:
For as long as I can remember I've set up a /boot partition with 15MB. Recently, however, routine kernel security updates (Suse 10.2) need slightly more space on /boot to perform the updates. What would be the safest way to get around this?
I've thought of moving some symlinked files to another partition, performing update and then returning file to /boot. For example, vmlinuz points to vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default which is on /boot.
vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default
If I move vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-0.1-default to root "/", update and move it back then I should be OK. Is there something I might be overlooking that could lead to a catastrophe?
Also, this process is an awkward workaround. Is there a better approach?
TIA, Patrick
I always thought Suse would complain if you made a boot partition less than 75MB?! Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy. Matthew -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On 7/23/07, Matthew Stringer
I always thought Suse would complain if you made a boot partition less than 75MB?!
Nope. However, it will refuse to make a reiserfs partition smaller than 100 MB; that's why /boot usually is ext2.
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Some old PCs still need them. It's not a linux problem, it is a bios problem. -- Cheers, Carlos E. R. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Carlos Robinson wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Some old PCs still need them. It's not a linux problem, it is a bios problem.
It's been a long time since I've seen that issue and I suspect that you'd not want to run recent Linux distros on any system that still has that limitation. -- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On Monday 23 July 2007 08:33, Matthew Stringer wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Matthew
This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 08:33, Matthew Stringer wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Matthew
This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go.
Since when does / have to be on a primary partition? I have one system where it's on a LVM and another, RAID. -- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
James Knott wrote:
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 08:33, Matthew Stringer wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Matthew
This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go.
Since when does / have to be on a primary partition? I have one system where it's on a LVM and another, RAID.
Without involving LVM or RAID, I do not have any root partitions as a primary partition. The only primary partitions are /boot and swap. All root partitions are extended partitions, one for each distro with which I work. I have never had boot problems. I have had to develop my own system for managing between six and nine bootable kernels. Bill Anderson WW7BA -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Bill Anderson wrote:
James Knott wrote:
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 08:33, Matthew Stringer wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Matthew
This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go.
Since when does / have to be on a primary partition? I have one system where it's on a LVM and another, RAID.
Without involving LVM or RAID, I do not have any root partitions as a primary partition. The only primary partitions are /boot and swap. All root partitions are extended partitions, one for each distro with which I work. I have never had boot problems. I have had to develop my own system for managing between six and nine bootable kernels.
I suspect you could use logical partitions for everything. This reminds me of dual booting OS/2 and Windows. Windows had to be installed on a primary partition (C:), but OS/2 could be anywhere, bearing in mind BIOS boot limits. Also, with the OS/2 boot manager, only it had to be within the BIOS boot limit. The actual OS, when started from boot manager, could ignore those limits. -- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On Monday 23 July 2007 12:38, James Knott wrote:
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 08:33, Matthew Stringer wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Matthew
This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go.
Since when does / have to be on a primary partition? I have one system where it's on a LVM and another, RAID.
What you have written is true, but you are reading what I wrote totally out of context. It was suggested to the OP that he did away with his /boot partition and put it all on the / partition. Perhaps I have missed something, but he needs a primary somewhere -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 12:38, James Knott wrote:
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 08:33, Matthew Stringer wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Matthew
This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go.
Since when does / have to be on a primary partition? I have one system where it's on a LVM and another, RAID.
What you have written is true, but you are reading what I wrote totally out of context. It was suggested to the OP that he did away with his /boot partition and put it all on the / partition. Perhaps I have missed something, but he needs a primary somewhere
He does not need a primary to boot Linux. He could use one as an extended partition to hold all the logical partitions, so that his first partition is /dev/hda5. For example, here's the lines for my fstab on my home system. There are no partitions in the range /dev/hda1 - hda4 listed. With Linux, primary partition numbers range from 1 - 4. Logical partitions start at 5. Please note, I have /boot on /dev/hda6, which is a logical partition and / is on my LVM array. This shows that "This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go." is false. /dev/system/system / reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 1 /dev/hda6 /boot ext2 acl,user_xattr 1 2 /dev/hda5 /local ext3 defaults 1 2 /dev/system/opt /opt reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 2 /dev/system/tmp /tmp reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 2 /dev/system/var /var reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 2 /dev/system/swap swap swap defaults 0 0 -- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On Wednesday 25 July 2007 15:45, James Knott wrote:
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 12:38, James Knott wrote:
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 08:33, Matthew Stringer wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Matthew
This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go.
Since when does / have to be on a primary partition? I have one system where it's on a LVM and another, RAID.
What you have written is true, but you are reading what I wrote totally out of context. It was suggested to the OP that he did away with his /boot partition and put it all on the / partition. Perhaps I have missed something, but he needs a primary somewhere
He does not need a primary to boot Linux. He could use one as an extended partition to hold all the logical partitions, so that his first partition is /dev/hda5. For example, here's the lines for my fstab on my home system. There are no partitions in the range /dev/hda1 - hda4 listed. With Linux, primary partition numbers range from 1 - 4. Logical partitions start at 5. Please note, I have /boot on /dev/hda6, which is a logical partition and / is on my LVM array. This shows that "This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go." is false.
/dev/system/system / reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 1 /dev/hda6 /boot ext2 acl,user_xattr 1 2 /dev/hda5 /local ext3 defaults 1 2 /dev/system/opt /opt reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 2 /dev/system/tmp /tmp reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 2 /dev/system/var /var reiserfs acl,user_xattr 1 2 /dev/system/swap swap swap defaults 0 0
Whatever. I think there is some opaqueness about that description. BIOS needs to boot something before even looking at your /boot partition, ie it needs some sort of MBR. And even if you have a mainboard which doesn't require a boot record from a primary, what you say needs qualifying for the type of main board. In the OP's situation, unless factor XX is present, he cannot just ditch his /boot partition and expect to boot up from a non primary /. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Vince L wrote:
Whatever. I think there is some opaqueness about that description. BIOS needs to boot something before even looking at your /boot partition, ie it needs some sort of MBR. And even if you have a mainboard which doesn't require a boot record from a primary, what you say needs qualifying for the type of main board. In the OP's situation, unless factor XX is present, he cannot just ditch his /boot partition and expect to boot up from a non primary /.
The master boot record is outside of primary, extended or logical partitions. In Linux, it points to code that can reside on any partition, either primary or logical. As far as I know, only Windows requires at least part of the OS to reside on C:. In OS/2, while the boot manager had to be on a primary partition, once it was loaded, the OS could be anywhere, other than Windows, which still had it's limitations. -- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On Mon, 23 Jul 2007 09:43:20 +0100
Vince L
On Monday 23 July 2007 08:33, Matthew Stringer wrote:
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
Matthew
This assumes that / is on a primary partition. If not, it is no go.
I have not used a separate /boot partition in years and I always set up
my / partition as a logical(extended) partition, on my 10.1 system it is
a ReiserFS and on 10.2 (64) it is Ext3. There are some valid reasons to
have a separate /boot so I am not advocating having or not having one.
--
Jerry Feldman
On 2007/07/23 08:33 (GMT+0100) Matthew Stringer apparently typed:
I always thought Suse would complain if you made a boot partition less than 75MB?!
Anaconda does that. As a consequence, I used to make my boot partitions 78M. Now that HD sizes are insanely large I make them 200M to hold lots of kernels and initrds. -- "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteoousness." 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://mrmazda.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Matthew Stringer wrote:
I always thought Suse would complain if you made a boot partition less than 75MB?!
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
I have often used smaller than 75 MB for /boot and haven't seen that complain. Also, if you're using LVM or software RAID, /boot must not be in either of those. -- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On Monday 23 July 2007 12:27, James Knott wrote:
Matthew Stringer wrote:
I always thought Suse would complain if you made a boot partition less than 75MB?!
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
I have often used smaller than 75 MB for /boot and haven't seen that complain. Also, if you're using LVM or software RAID, /boot must not be in either of those.
-- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org
But presumably, /boot does not need to be on a primary partition. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 12:27, James Knott wrote:
Matthew Stringer wrote:
I always thought Suse would complain if you made a boot partition less than 75MB?!
Can't you just do away with the partition? Unmount it move everything to the root filesystem but still under /boot, re-install grub & use Fdisk to change the boot flag over. Linux has not needed /boot on a separate partition for a long time now and using symlinks is messy.
I have often used smaller than 75 MB for /boot and haven't seen that complain. Also, if you're using LVM or software RAID, /boot must not be in either of those.
-- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org
But presumably, /boot does not need to be on a primary partition.
No it doesn't. As I showed in another message, my main home system has it on hda6, which is a logical partition. On that same system, / is on an LVM partition. -- Use OpenOffice.org http://www.openoffice.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On 07/26/2007 11:41 PM, Vince L wrote:
On Monday 23 July 2007 12:27, James Knott wrote:
I have often used smaller than 75 MB for /boot and haven't seen that complain. Also, if you're using LVM or software RAID, /boot must not be in either of those.
My boot is running on software RAID 1 (though GRUB accesses it on only one disk OR the other). I have read newer GRUB will have native support for Linux RAID.
But presumably, /boot does not need to be on a primary partition.
Mine are on hda5 and hdc5, neither of which are primary. -- Joe Morris Registered Linux user 231871 running openSUSE 10.2 x86_64 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
participants (11)
-
Anders Norrbring -
Bill Anderson -
Carlos Robinson -
Daniel Feiglin -
Felix Miata -
James Knott -
Jerry Feldman -
Joe Morris (NTM) -
Matthew Stringer -
Patrick -
Vince L