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HI everyone,
I tried to install btrfs on my root filesystem (/), this is what I did :
install debian with :
/boot (ext2) (for grub),
/ (ext3),
swap,
grub on MBR.
compile the 2.6.31-rc4 from kernel.org with btrfs support
test the new kernel by rebooting (worked fine)
install btrfs-tools from debian sid repository (0.19-2)
boot on a ubuntu 9.04 live cd
update the source.list with debian sid
install btrfs-tools from debian sid
convert my / to btrfs
reboot
then the system didn't boot. the kernel loads but freezes (when disabling quiet mode I had "waiting for root filesystem") and drop to busybox.
I tried to mount manually the /
but I got "couldn't mount because of unsupported optional features (1)" "open_ctree failed".
What I wanted to have is :
/boot (ext2)
/ (btrfs 0.19 with snapshot features and maybe compression)
what's the problem ? anyone can help ?
(I have no data on the hard drive, so if you have a better procedure to get the rootfs with btrfs...)
thanks in advance.
one step after the other
why don't you start with another partition. in addition to /boot and / (ext3), after having booted into a kernel with btrfs support, create a new partition, make a btrfs there and mount under /mnt/test or so. then test this partition. if something fails, you don't have an unbootable system. this way you can try different btrfs options and versions until you are happy.
if you got kernel and btrfs-tools to work together, use debootstrap to create a 2nd debian installation on the btrfs, chroot inside and complete the installation (alternately: copy from the working /), then use grub to boot into the original or the new root as needed. if everything works, remove the ext3.
did you find out _which_ option was unsupported? do kernel and btrfs-tools agree on the on-disk format?
So you suggest that I install
So you suggest that I install debian normally and try to mount another btrfs partition and if it works copy the / onto it and try to boot.
This eliminates enventual conversion problems and keep system bootable (just have to modify grub to get back on the old system). This seems a good idea, thanks.
I don't know which option is unsupported because I didn't use any ;) I just used the -t to specify the partition type, so I had no "-o" explicitly specified and no fstab available (since my fstab is in the unmountable volume).
I don't think there's problem with on-disk format because the kernel I used has 0.19 btrfs version and I was using 0.19-2 tools. But I know that the format changed between 0.18(2.6.29 or 2.6.30) and 0.19 (2.6.31-rc only) and because this is a highly experimental filesystem this may often change. I'll try with 0.18 just to be sure I haven't screwed up downloading the kernel.
I think I'll use your method to find out what's wrong, I'll keep you posted within few days.
Thanks.
slowing down
Yes that's a cleverer approach indeed. I'll try this to find out what's wrong.
I wasn't using any options (no fstab, and only the partition type in the command), so I don't think that's the cause.
I think the tools and the kernel are agree because the kernel runs 0.19 version and the tools are 0.19-2, but I'll check with another version to be sure I haven't screwed up with the kernel download (I've never compiled RC, only stable).
thanks for this useful answer, I'll keep you posted.
have a good night.
bad_crow
thanks
Hi,
thanks for the reply. I found out what was wrong.
I did all well but I forgot a command, I had the patch in the right directory but I didn't apply it...
So I was in stable and not with the RC... This mean I had 0.18 in kernel and 0.19 in utils, I patched and recompiled the kernel and it worked flawlessly, compression included.
Thanks for your help.