for huge "recommended" patch, not enough room in /var/sadm/patch

Not enough room in /var/sadm/patch, the install-script
says.

But on other partitions and disks I have *lots* of
space available.  Just not on the root partition,
which contains /var/sadm/patch (among much else,
of course).

Might this work.

Rename /var/sadm/patch to eg /var/sadm/patch2-original,
then create a patch dir in some partition that had
logs of space, and then make /var/sadm/patch
a symlink to there.



Or should I symlink either higher up the var/sadm tree,
or symlink *several* of those directories?

And is there any reason to *copy* those directories
to where I'm going to symlink to, so that if there's
already some contents, they'll still be "there"?

(That install-script doesn't explicitly check for
this trick -- I hope not.)

-----

Or is there maybe some better way to do surmount this not-enough-disk pbm?



----------

Of course I do down to single-user before doing
the   ./install_cluster,

but any reason I can't leave everything else
mounted?

I mean, in recent years, has anyone *ever* gotten
hurt by doing that?   (If so, please say how, so we
can all get wised-up on this, uh, danger.)


Thanks!!!

David

In article <g1tf70$cog$ XXXX@XXXXX.COM >,




This will only get worse as you apply patches.  Make some time to backup 
and re-layout your system disk so that / and /var are separate 
filesystems.  Be sure to have lots of room for mail spool, patches, and 
printing.

-- 
DeeDee, don't press that button!  DeeDee!  NO!  Dee...
[I filter all Goggle Groups posts, so any reply may be automatically by ignored]

But you wont accept that. 


Then fix whats broke yah putz! : >


No no no - just do whats right
 

Was it not Dr. Johnston or Samuel Peyps that said
that symlinks were the last refuge for scoundrels...?
 

Do it right the first time. Failing that, backup and fix whats broke
then restore. Sys Admin 101 stuff


Making a mess messi-er is not the way to the truth and the light : <

As root, run the command

find /var/samd -type f -name obsolete.Z -print

On a system that has been extensively patched over some time, there will be
a large number of such files, many of which will be very big.  It is safe to
delete these files with the command

find /var/samd -type f -name obsolete.Z -exec rm {} \;

I've seen systems where hundreds of megs have been released to /var by
deleting these files.

Also check /var/tmp, it is not cleared out during reboots (whereas /tmp is.)

Of course, the best solution is not to skimp when sizing / or /var,
do NOT accept the minimum values that the installer suggests.

-- 
Pierre Laplace: The telescope sweeps the skies without finding God.

s/samd/sadm/

-- 
Ian Collins.

Yes, I'll try the "find".

Now, supposing that doesn't work -- ie still not enough
space.

What's so awful with the symlink thing?

I'd set it up, do the patches, reboot, see if the
system basically works (like for 20 minutes of stuff), 
and if so, undo the symlink, resetting it to what it was before,
of course *not* removing what the symlink pointed to (in case
I have to back out of the patches), and ufsdump.

What I need to know is not whether this is "good admin practice"
(it's horrible, and I already know it), but WILL IT WORK?


Assuming there's nothing *inherently* wrong with doing
it this way *this one time*, ie that it won't reformat
all my disks or something equally horrible, I want to do it --
just this ONCE.

----

<ASIDE>

Then, I plan to buy an untra-5 (ie sparc), with 10 already 
on it.

(Oh, I have 9 on this one, a blade-100).

(I think that's how the ultra-5 comes, with 10 on it already?
And some way for me to partition it in some more reasonable
way than I did for the blade100.)

Make sure all my stuff works on that new computer -- and THEN
put 10 or open or 11 or whatever they call it onto the blade,
repartitioning it at the same time.

----

My blade, which is on-line (internet) maybe 5 minutes a month
for large downloads from my kermit-accessed (phone-line, ie
safe from hackers) -- it has been a *long* time since
I did the last recommended-and-security monster.

Since it's virtually never on the net, and since it has
been working fine for me for the compiling and testing
and development I do, no big deal.

So, I just want to get up-to-date, save it all away on
dump tapes, and then go to 10 or whatever.

And wait until *then* (when I will also purchase more disks)
and properly arrange things.

</ASIDE>


-----

So, for this one time, shouldn't the symlink scheme work ok?


Thanks!

David

There is also the old backout copies of stuff.

If you look in /var/sadm/patch you will see all the patches that have
been applied.

Look for ones where you have lots of old versions.

Then from /var/sadm

find . -type d -name ancientpatchrev -exec rm -r {} \;

Once you do that you can't backout the patch, but if it is more than
a couple of rev's back it is unlikely you'll ever want to.


-- 
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

Nothing unless you leave it there and attempt an upgrade.

It'll work, but do you want this level of arse ache for each big patch?

Ultra 5s tend to come out of skips these days!

-- 
Ian Collins.

If you have LOTS of space available, back up your system disk,
repartition it with more generous allocations, and restore.

And make a note for the future that, when setting up a system,
generous allocations will save future agony!  I like to allocate 4 GB to
/ and another 4 GB to /var.

With today's EIDE disks, disk space is CHEAP.  Your time is not!  And 
even if you are using a more expensive technology, disk space may STILL 
be cheap relative to the time spent trying to cope with too small 
allocations!

In article < XXXX@XXXXX.COM >,





Anyone want to explain that?  (Does he mean "ships"?)

David

(snippage)


Skip = garbage can. Usually a big dumpster.

Colin

I believe, that we would call a skip a "dumpster"!  Ultra 5s make high 
tech doorstops! I have one that I haven't powered up in several years! 
It was the first Sun box I ever owned but I have replaced it with an 
Ultra 10; same MOBO but bigger power supply and more physical space to 
install RAM (the 256 MB DIMMs won't fit in the Ultra 5), two hard drive 
bays instead of one, etc.

In article <1AZ0k.124$js6.109@pd7urf1no>,






Thanks!

Some 30 or more years ago Barnes and Nobel had a remainders
bookstore on 5th ave at 18th st, across the street from
their main one, and in it I got (cheap!) an illustrated
oxford dictionary.  Yep, skip was in there under that
(and of course many other) meanings.  But no such meaning
in my giant American Heritage dictionary.

Two different languages, British and American!

David

In article < XXXX@XXXXX.COM >,


...

OOPS!  Ultra TWENTY-5.  the one they came out with just last year
or so.

What do I know about these things?  Three names, so far: sun 3/160 (1986)
("rack" went up to the ceiling), then the wonderful sparstation 5,
and now the blade100, which just went past end of life (no sunservice
available any more).   And each time, only one of them.

Thanks so much for explaining that skip term, guys.  Would be a bit
embarrassing trying to order the "super-fast" ultra 5!


Back to the main question:  This symlink-scheme outta work, right?

I mean I will be able to back-out of those patches if I need to,
right?   

(I'm waiting for someone to say yes, even thought it's not the
way to operate in the future -- ie partition the thing right
in the first place, which I will when I go to the next level
os.  (And what should that be?  10?  11?  Open?   ))

Thanks!

David

 http://www.**--****.com/