Re: [gentoo-user] root partition lost - backup too old - please help

[Helmut Jarausch]

On 14 Jun, Dru Kargin wrote:
> On 06/14/10 12:19, Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:
>> On Montag 14 Juni 2010, Helmut Jarausch wrote:
>>
>>> On 14 Jun, Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Montag 14 Juni 2010, Helmut Jarausch wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>> due to a disk crash I've lost my root partition.
>>>>> Unfortunately, the backup version is 4 weeks old.
>>>>> But my /usr partition is up-to-date and I have
>>>>> binary build-pkgs.
>>>>> What's the fastest way to restore the portage-relevant
>>>>> data on the root partition?
>>>>>
>>>>> Many thanks for a hint,
>>>>> Helmut.
>>>>>
>>>> if /var/db survived, you can grep for /bin /lib /sbin etc in /var/db and
>>>> install the packages hit.
>>>>
>>> Thanks, but unfortunately /var was on the root partition.
>>>
>>> So, I have to  emerge -k --update @world @system .
>>>
>>> Helmut.
>>>
>> except that without /var portage does now know what @system or @world is made
>> off.
>>
>>
> If you have a 4-week old version of /var/db, you can probably use that
> for the sake of rebuilding/unpackaging system and world.  Hopefully,
> system and world won't have changed so much in four weeks that a
> ground-up rebuild will be more efficient.

Yes, I'm trying that. Though I've encountered some difficulties.
E.g. the 'old' system had gcc-4.4.3-r2 in slot (4.4) while the /usr
partition contained  gcc-4.4.4. Trying to emerge gcc-4.4.4 (binary)
portage went into a loop (at least it would have taken more than an hour
on a fast machine). I had to fetch /etc/env.d/gcc from a similar machine
here. The problem seems to be that during installation portage tries to
remove a version which isn't installed anymore.
Meanwhile I could reinstall gcc-4.4.4 which was the biggest corner
(hopefully).

Thanks,
Helmut.