Re: [gentoo-user] Filesystem corruption - reiserfs? - won't boot, "filesystem couldn't be fixed :("

[Mark Knecht]

On Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 4:24 AM, Stroller <stroller@××××××××××××××××××.uk> wrote:
> There seem to have been a few people posting with filesystem corruption in
> the last week or two. It seems to be my turn, so I hope it isn't contagious.
> The cause here is quite clear - whilst rummaging in the server cupboard
> yesterday, power to the machine was accidentally disconnected.
>
> I have booted with a live CD & run `reiserfsck --fix-fixable` on the
> filesystem, but nevertheless when I attempt to boot the system I get a
> "failed to open the device... no such file or directory" message, followed
> by another error as per subject line.
>
> However, you will see from this screenshot (taken with an IP KVM) that the
> filesystem does indeed seem to have been mounted successfully, if read-only:
>
> http://linux.stroller.uk.eu.org/fs-corruption.png
>
> All I did here was log in with the root password.
>
>
> When I boot with a live CD I can mount, read & write the filesystem:
>
> root@sysresccd /root % mount -v -L root /mnt/gentoo
> mount: you didn't specify a filesystem type for /dev/sda3
>       I will try type reiserfs
> /dev/sda3 on /mnt/gentoo type reiserfs (rw)
> root@sysresccd /root % ls /mnt/gentoo
> bin  boot  dev  etc  home  lib  mnt  opt  proc  root  sbin  sys  tmp  usr
>  var
> root@sysresccd /root % touch /mnt/gentoo/foo
> root@sysresccd /root % echo foobar >> /mnt/gentoo/foo
> root@sysresccd /root % ls -lh !!:$
> ls -lh /mnt/gentoo/foo
> -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 7 2010-03-03 11:18 /mnt/gentoo/foo
> root@sysresccd /root % cat !!:$
> cat /mnt/gentoo/foo
> foobar
> root@sysresccd /root % rm !!:$
> rm /mnt/gentoo/foo
> rm: remove regular file `/mnt/gentoo/foo'? y
> root@sysresccd /root %
>
> All the important system stuff on this PC is on a single partition. I have
> two other drives attached at /mnt/space & /mnt/morespace - they are XFS and
> I have run xfs_repair on both of them, which completes quickly indicating no
> problems.
>
> I'm not really sure how to proceed next. I feel the problem is indeed on
> this reiserfs filesystem, the root filesystem with the label "root". I can't
> help thinking that the problem is not that the system "failed to open the
> device", but instead maybe that there's an important system file missing
> that means the init script (or whatever responsible for mounting the
> fiesystem) is not properly returning 0. Does this seem possible? Maybe the
> reiserfs handler for mount is somehow broken (performing the mount, but not
> returning 0, or perhaps broken in such as was it is able to mount read-only
> but not read-write).
>
> I am tempted to chroot into the system and re-emerge system & baselayout. If
> I'm correct in this above guess then re-emerging the correct file   will fix
> the problem. Right?
>
> `reiserfsck --help` shows some other options besides the simple
> --fix-fixable - I assume the "expert option" of --scan-whole-partition is
> unsafe, but what about the --rebuild-sb or --rebuild-tree? Can I safely run
> these? Am I advised to run these?
>
> Stroller.

Hi Stroller,
   Sorry for your problems. I've had a rash of machine problems over
the last 6 weeks. No fun. I feel for you.

   In my most recent case what looked like a simple disk corruption
problem was really a prelude to the drive just plain going bad. Have
you tried smartctl to see what it says about the drive at this point?

   It would be even more frustrating to chroot in, do all the work,
think you had it fixed and then the underlying foundation of your
house crumbles beneath you 3 weeks from now.

Good luck,
Mark