Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:13:39 -0700 From: Glenn Gillis <glenn@elaw.org.test-google-a.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Tried to symlink /etc to another disk, now stuck Message-ID: <4852F113.4090908@elaw.org.test-google-a.com> In-Reply-To: <4851D6DD.8090801@ibctech.ca> References: <84a992f30806121702r39f132a8y11f8e410221e132c@mail.gmail.com> <20080613012029.GA16341@dan.emsphone.com> <4851D328.8060107@ibctech.ca> <4851D6DD.8090801@ibctech.ca>
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Steve Bertrand wrote, On 6/12/2008 7:09 PM:
> Steve Bertrand wrote:
>> Dan Nelson wrote:
>
>> I'm off to try it. I've got a system here with a da device. I'll fsck
>> up /etc/fstab, reboot, and report back with the appropriate mountroot>
>> prompt entry...
>
> # cat /etc/fstab
>
> # Device Mountpoint FStype Options Dump Pass#
> /dev/da0a / ufs rw,noatime 1 1
> md /tmp mfs rw,-s32M,nosuid,noatime
> 0 0
>
> (..snip..)
>
> ..change /etc/fstab to mount root to /dev/ad15a, reboot:
>
> mountroot>
>
> # mountroot>ufs:/dev/da0a {ENTER}
>
> ...machine boots up.
>
> To the OP...if you know what your disk type is, you CAN get it to
> continue to mount root at the mountroot prompt.
>
> Furthering that, you can also fsck and mount your other disk mountpoints
> in order to gain access to your editing binaries.
>
> There is no need to use an external resource to boot the machine from if
> you are already aware that the only thing that got fsck'd up is the
> mountpoints in the fstab (or, like in this case, the file was
> unavailable entirely). The disk structure is still the same, and the
> system can see this with manual intervention.
>
> OP: at the mountroot> prompt, try this: ufs:/dev/ad0s1a
>
> and see if you get anywhere.
>
> Steve
Thanks to Steve, Dan and Andrew for offering suggestions for regaining
access to my box!
I was finally able to mount / from the mountroot> prompt using
"ufs:/dev/aacd0s1a" (this is a Dell PowerEdge server with a SCSI RAID5
array.) Fortunately, there was an "/etc.old directory left over from the
last patch level upgrade I did; that was enough to get the system
booting normally so that I could copy back the former /etc directory
that I had moved at the start of this whole fiasco.
I think I will start retaining electronic and hard-copy fstab files from
my FreeBSD boxes for future reference, as Steve suggested in a later
message.
--
Glenn Gillis
ELAW U.S. Information Technology Manager
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide
http://www.elaw.org
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