Recovered!! (was Re: Anyone Care to Critique my Apt Preferences? (was Re: apt-cacher as package rollback buffer))

On Mon, Feb 22, 2010 at 11:01:44PM +0900, Osamu Aoki wrote:
Hi,

On Sat, Feb 20, 2010 at 11:41:26AM -0800, Freeman wrote:
My ego may be the more delicately balanced but my system is the more
precious. :)

This squeeze testing cycle has been rough because of major transitions.
My recent upgrade in one of the multiboot setup from stable to unstable
caused unbootable system.


Yep. I've never lost a file-system in 7 years of Debian until the
xserver-xorg/mesa upgrade.

Wait... you did not loose file system. I am writig from ex-unbootable
system :-) This is typical unstable situation. Data are there. Just a
broken boot system.

You just need to boot system with another partition or from live CD and
chroot into unbootable system after fixing obvious problem like broken
/etc/resolv.conf. Then update system with good deb via aptitude in chroot.

I have had several broken grub/lilo previously, too. These are easyones
to fix.


Sorry! Delayed by illness.

Maybe I used the term unbootable too loosely.

Following the big xserver-org/mesa seg-fault/crash I was at grub playing
space invaders.

1.) I could reach the diversion to maintenance mode where it recommended
running e2fsck on mounted partitions, which I eventually did, reluctantly.

2.) On restart I got up and running with errors flying everywhere, missing
files and directories and frequent process failures.

3.) I shutdown (hard) and ran e2fsck from gparted live cd on all partitions,
unmounted--about 15 minutes of fixing inodes, files and directories.

4.) On subsequent boot I could only reach a prompt that asked for a run
level, to which it would reply that there are no processes left in that run
level.

<!--But you inspired me to plug in Knoppix and and have another look.-->

5.) After about 20 minutes it dawned on me that there was no /etc directory!

=8-O

6.) After restoring from a fairly close backup it is running quite well with
some minor glitches that will require maybe reinstalls at worst.

It seems as if the major problem throughout was the degredation, then loss,
of the /etc directory.

Thanks!

--
Kind Regards,
Freeman

http://www.debian.org/MailingLists/#codeofconduct


--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20100227170408.GB24569@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Relevant Pages

  • Re: [opensuse] Installing 10.2 but keeping my files
    ... create two additional partitions on it, ... backing up configuration and user data. ... An upgrade can be a very exotic ... the samba configuration (configuration file rewritten) ...
    (SuSE)
  • Re: Ubuntu i386 - stumped
    ... (the process system had died earlier in the middle of a feisty upgrade ... SO I burned a new Herd5 alternate CD to see if I could fix it. ... I've been trying to install Ubuntu Linux on a PC, ... on two partitions, and tried to reformat them and install Ubuntu. ...
    (Ubuntu)
  • Re: Considering updating to Gutsy Gibbon
    ... It may be a little less dangerous to use < sudo apt-get clean> rather ... but it seems that the upgrade process requires well over ... It seems the install software only ... I don't alter any live partitions, ...
    (Ubuntu)
  • Re: Cannot update to 9.1 (Problem with parted)
    ... > BEGIN MSG ... > remove partitions from that disk using YAST. ... Starting the upgrade from within 9.0 will allow you to upgrade ... your home directories, data directories etc, then restore your config files ...
    (alt.os.linux.suse)
  • RE: upgrading Dual Boot system NT4/Win95
    ... I understand that you want to upgrade from win95 ... to 2000 with an existing dual boot system. ... If you want to build a NT4/2000 duel boot system, ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.migration)