Re: Q: how to switch to reiserfs?

[Jean Francois Martinez <jfm2 club-internet fr>]

victors a écrit :
> 
> Hello,
> 
> I'm already using a few ext2 partition, but want to convert it to
> reiserfs. So, is it possible to convert partition or I have to do full
> backup & restore? Any HOWTO's on this?
> 

I doubt it is possible to make a tool who can do reformatting in place
And in case someone wants to write one I suggest a name: "russian
roulette".

I converted ALL my partitions to XFS (btw why choose reiser when there
is
XFS?).   Mount a partition with enough free space and then 
tar cvlzf /mypart/var.tgz /var   (notice the l in tar arguments is l as
in latin, it tells tar not to cross filesystem boundaries) then
umount /var, reformat it, mount and untar.  Repeat wiyth other
partitions.

Another BTW is that some people have had problems with Reiser.

Two points.  You must be in single user mode, otherwise some partitions
will not umount, and you must be using a kernel who is able to deal with
the new format.

In case you reformat / you must first create an empty partition, save
the old / and restore it in the new partition.   Don't forget to build
another initrd including modules for new Fs support.  Reboot using
new partition as root (and new initrd).  Reformat old partition,
restore.
Reboot again, this time using old root (butr new initrd).

If you reformat /boot don't forget to rerun LILO.   BTW why RedHat is
still
releasing that LILO crap? except for having a logo at boot prompt and
the 
fact GRUB does not support XFS, LILO is inferior in everything to Grub;
more
dangerous to use, less flexible, you don't know the parms kernel will be 
booted (you see them in Grub), and VERY IMPORTANT, Lilo does not support
national keyboards (in theory it supports them but in pratice some key
gliphs
like numbers could be impossible to generate with foreign keyboards, so
better *
type keep LILO in US mode and type blind at boot prompt).  Grub 
support of national keyboards is quite simply superb.

-- 
			JF Martinez

Independence Linux (http://independence.seul.org)
Because Linux should be for everyone.