Topic: Converting ext2 drives to ext3 (SME 5.5-->5.6)?

[Robert Harlow]

Sirs

Production server is at version 5.5 (no updater revs). Boots into an ext2 SCSI drive. Seven attached internal drives - three ext2 SCSI, three ext2 IDE and one FAT32 IDE.

If I were to run the 5.6 *upgrade* verbatim does this...
• convert the booting ext2 drive *transparently* to ext3?
• convert attached ext2 drives *transparently* to ext3?
• wreak initialisation death for all content of attached drives?
Are there any known issues for upgrading verbatim,
or is the concensus of opinion that a wipe/install is best?
  (like it always is in the Windows world)

If I were to run the 5.6 *install* does this...
• blindly initialise all content of all attached drives (like 5.5 does)

I have to ask because my 'test' server does not do me any favours in this respect, it's too different to tell reliably:~/

best wishes, Robert

[Michael Smith]

I wouldn't try that on your production server without a written demand from my boss indemnifying me against any and all problems -- *and* a gun to my head.

In your case, a wipe/reinstall would definitely be best!  I'd back up everything, detach all drives but the install drive, do the install & then re-add the other drives, as you no doubt did w/5.5.

[Robert Harlow]

Agreed:-)

Backup would be tediously slow. Will go that route if necessary. Wipe/reinstall is my choice too.

It's all the stuff on the attached drives... occurred to me that, as the differences between the ext2 and ext3 formats is at best a few journal files, then there might exist a quickie *transparent* command line conversion that could be done dynamically.

best wishes, Robert

[Dan Brown]

A 5.6 upgrade will transparently convert the ext2 filesystems to ext3.  Been there, done that.  I'd expect that the install will reformat attached drives just like prior versions.

[Robert Harlow]

To confirm - no particular issues just running the 5.6 *upgrade* natively on the SME, it all survives the conversion and settles out in ext3?

But make sure to unhook all the attached drives (othewise they'll get initialised in the upgrade)?

best wishes, Robert

[Dan Brown]

I don't know if an upgrade will reformat other attached drives or not--I've never had other drives attached to my SME server for any length of time to know.  However, the main drive (or array)  ends up at ext3 when it's done, and upgrades nondestructively.

[Robert Harlow]

Thank you Dan - that's part of the load off my mind - at least the server should come out of this alive!

I think I'll have to err on the side of caution and hive off all the attached drives - maybe get them up to ext3 one by one manually with some capacity shuffling. I'll order some more caffeine just in case:-)

best wishes, Robert

[Craig]

What I did was to detach my data drive, do a complete wipe/install of my main program drive then plug my data drive back in and run tune2fs on it before mounting.  My data drive had the users directories on it so I had to do a bit of manual editing to get the file permisions right.

In theory you shouldn't lose any data by just updating, it should convert all your drives to ext3.  But I would still backup if you don't want ot take any chances!

The ext2 > ext3 conversion command is:
tune2fs -j /dev/hdb1
  for the first partition on the second drive.
Make sure to change your fstab if you do it the manual way.

[Robert Harlow]

What transpired...
• all attached drives disconnected - except for booting SCSI drive
• ran the *upgrade* (rather than the *clean install* route)
• SME *detected* error and offered only to *clean install*
   guess it failed to find attached drives (still) specified in fstabs
• elected to run a clean install.
Booting SCSI drive is now ext3.
I then manually converted the ext2 drives...
   tune2fs -j -i 60 /dev/(drives)
...into ext3 drives - transparently - to my great relief.
   (-i 60 switch implementing 60day time-related checking)
Thank you, posters, for your help and advice:-)

best wishes, Robert