Re: [gentoo-user] Re: Need help: Filesystem (ext4) corrupted!

[meino.cramer@gmx.de]

Francisco Ares <frares@gmail.com> [13-09-03 17:23]:
> 2013/9/3 William Kenworthy <billk@iinet.net.au>
> 
> > On 03/09/13 11:26, meino.cramer@gmx.de wrote:
> > > William Kenworthy <billk@iinet.net.au> [13-09-03 05:08]:
> > >> On 03/09/13 10:45, meino.cramer@gmx.de wrote:
> > >>> walt <w41ter@gmail.com> [13-09-03 04:15]:
> > >>>> On 09/02/2013 09:15 AM, meino.cramer@gmx.de wrote:
> > >>>>> The rootfs and $HOME of my embedded system is stored
> > >>>>> on a 16GB SD-card (about 5GB used, rest free). The FS
> > >>>>> is ext4.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Since the system hangs for unknown reasons several times
> > >>>> Does it hang at a predictable point, like during boot, or poweroff?
> > >>>>
> > >>>> I know almost nothing about SD cards (yet).  Do they develop bad
> > >>>> blocks like other storage media?  I notice fsck.ext4 has a -c flag
> > >>>> to check for bad blocks.
> > >>>>
> > >>> No, it hangs while compiling or while updateing (eix-sync; emerge ...).
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> I did the following now:
> > >>> I did a binary image backup with dd of the sdcard.
> > >>> I made a backup of the all files from the bad fs with tar.
> > >>> I say "YES" to fsck to fix what it found.
> > >>> I made another backup of the all files from the bad fs with tar.
> > >>> I md5summed both tar archives and found them identical.
> > >>>
> > >>> Now...is the conclusion correct, that the identical md5sum
> > >>> indicate, that the fixed error of the fs only had impact to
> > >>> already invalidated data?
> > >>> Or whatelse could this indicate?
> > >>>
> > >>> Best regards,
> > >>> mcc
> > >>>
> > >>> PS: What come mind just in this moment:
> > >>> Can I ran fsck on an binary image of the fs which I made with dd
> > somehow?
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >> Have you run out of inodes? - ext 4 has had very mixed success for me on
> > >> solid state.  Running out of inodes is a real problem for gentoo on
> > >> smaller SD cards with standard settings.
> > >>
> > >> BillK
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > > Does this error message from fsck indicate that? I am really bad in
> > > guessing what fsck tries to cry at me ... ;)
> > >
> > >
> > >>>     solfire:/root>fsck.ext4 -f -p /dev/sdb2
> > >>>     rootfs: Inodes that were part of a corrupted orphan linked list
> > found.
> > >>>
> > >>>     rootfs: UNEXPECTED INCONSISTENCY; RUN fsck MANUALLY.
> > >>>         (i.e., without -a or -p options)
> > >>>     [1]    18644 exit 4     fsck.ext4 -f -p /dev/sdb2
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > > Is there any way to correct the settings from the default values to
> > > more advances ones, which respect the sdcard size of 16GB *without*
> > > blanking it...a "correction on the fly" so to say???
> > >
> > > And if not: Is there a way to backup the sdcard and playback the files
> > > after reformatting it by preserving all three time stamps of the
> > > files (atime is deactivated via fstab though) ?
> > >
> > > Best regards,
> > > mcc
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > df -i - if you get 100% iUSE or near to it thats your problem ... I have
> > seen that error message you give as a result of running out of inodes
> > corrupting the FS.
> >
> > No, your only way out is to copy (I use rync) the files off, recreate
> > the fs with max inodes ("man mke2fs") and rsync the files back.  Once an
> > ext* fs has been created with a certain number of inodes its fixed until
> > you re-format.
> >
> > I get it happening regularly on 4G cards when I forget and just emerge a
> > couple of packages without cleaning up in between packages.  On 16G
> > cards, its compiling something like glibc or gcc that uses huge numbers
> > of inodes at times.  On a single 32G card I have, the standard settings
> > have been fine ... so far :)
> >
> > Billk
> >
> >
> >
> Just my  2 cents: while updating I think it would it be a good practice to
> have some sort of external storage (even networked) and do a unionfs with
> the working file system.  Some folders inside /usr use to keep almost half
> (more, sometimes) of all files in my systems (like "/usr/portage" ,
> "/usr/src" and "/usr/include" , which are not needed while not under system
> maintenance).
> 
> Francisco

Hi Francisco,

GOOD point!
Only one thing "forbids" this:
I often commute between two places. I bought this little embedded
computer to do try this or that with it at both places. I have
internet access at both places but only at home there is my PC
with Gentoo Linux.
I dont want to miss Gentoo-hacking ;) at one of the places... :)

Best regards,
mcc