Solved: root partion full?

[No_windows]

Jessie and Xfce

I started having problems with browser windows crashing and deleting cookies and such wasn't working. Then Synaptic didn't want to run, and I got "buss error" when starting it from a terminal window. I decided to reboot, even though I hate "fixing" things like that. It didn't work... I couldn't log in to my user account. I got an error about tmp being full. I tried logging in graphically as root, and was able to do that. I used Bleachbit and gained a little bit of space.... took / down from 100% to 99%.

I can now log into my user account, but / is way too high at 99%. It used to be around 1/2.

Google was giving my very old advice, and I think it was basically what Bleach-bit took care of... stuff related to apt/Synaptic.

How can I knock down this root partition?

[CwF]

How many old kernels are still installed?

[4D696B65]

as root

Code: Select all

apt clean

[No_windows]

as root

Code: Select all

apt clean

I got "invalid command clean"

I did an apt-get clean earlier, and it didn't do much.... still sitting at 99%

[No_windows]

How many old kernels are still installed?

This change in capacity used was fairly sudden, I think. I don't think it's kernels, but how would I check that to be sure?

[No_windows]

A quick Google search yielded a way to check kernels.... looks like just one

Code: Select all

root@Holly:/home/buck# dpkg --list | grep linux-image
ii  linux-image-3.16.0-4-amd64            3.16.51-3                                   amd64        Linux 3.16 for 64-bit PCs

[4D696B65]

perhaps a runaway log? check /var/log/ it happened to me a long time ago..

[Head_on_a_Stick]

https://packages.debian.org/jessie/ncdu

Be careful with it though, very easy to wreck your system by deleting critical files.

[wizard10000]

Nobody recommended ncdu?



Install ncdu, run from terminal, enjoy the ncurses goodness.

[No_windows]

perhaps a runaway log? check /var/log/ it happened to me a long time ago..

I think I found it.... a file called "testfile" in root. It was over 5gb, and I took the chance of simply deleting it..... capacity restored!

I think it's from running this:

Code: Select all

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/root/testfile bs=3G count=3 oflag=direct

I had no idea it would keep the file. I found it on a site detailing a server I just acquired.

Thanks for all the help!

[No_windows]

https://packages.debian.org/jessie/ncdu

Be careful with it though, very easy to wreck your system by deleting critical files.

This machine will be going down soon, as I've recently acquired another computer that will be getting Buster... or possibly MX. I didn't want to lose my current machine beforehand, However. I'll poke around this machine with ncdu, and maybe even break it purposely, after I've "moved".

[wizard10000]

Code: Select all

time dd if=/dev/zero of=/root/testfile bs=3G count=3 oflag=direct

Most excellent you got it fixed.

Wiz' PSA of the day: If you don't know what it's supposed to do don't do it.



No_windows, no disrespect; I'm really trying to share learnings with users and lurkers and not you in particular. You were just the unfortunate person who starting me thinking

Mistakes are excellent teaching tools if you choose to leverage them. If we look at the command above there are two real issues.

One, dd is pulling data from /dev/zero and writing zeroes to the hard drive <ignorethispart> but there's nothing in the dd string that gives dd any clue at all about when it's supposed to stop writing data so it decided to continue to write data until your root partition was full. </ignorethispart>

edit: I didn't thoroughly understand the command I cited above and God(dess) got me for that (see HoaS' comment below). Follow your own advice, Wiz.



Two, there's also nothing in the command string that would tell the system to remove the file it had created.

Terry Lambert's words:

It is not Unix' job to stop you from shooting your foot,
if you should decide to do so it is Unix' job to deliver Mr. Bullet to Mr. Foot
in the most efficient way it knows.

Okay. apologies if I sound preachy and I'm about to quit doing that

Every single one of us has made this mistake; almost all of us have made it many, many times. Understand what the command does before you execute it. If you don't make the effort to understand it may very well turn out okay, it might cause Catastrophic Breakage and you have all the power here.

Think Russian Roulette. Am I gonna spin the cylinder before I pull the trigger or am I gonna take the bullet out first?

One other thing that might help immensely and then I'll get off my soapbox is Back Your Stuff Up Before You Edit It. Almost all Linux text editors support automatically creating a backup of any file you edit and if you can put it back the way it was before you started messing with it you can do pretty much anything you want

cheers -

[Head_on_a_Stick]

there's nothing in the dd string that gives dd any clue at all about when it's supposed to stop writing data

Well actually there is:

Code: Select all

bs=3G count=3

So it would have stopped at a mere 9GiB of zeros.

+1 for everything else you said though

[wizard10000]

So it would have stopped at a mere 9GiB of zeros.

Oops.



I think God(dess) does that to me on purpose to keep me humble; I can get a little preachy

[No_windows]

Here's a dumber thing I did apparently. In my rush to delete un-needed things I deleted my Thunderbird profile and wiped out all my old emails. I was deleting files from packages that I've uninstalled. I think it was labeled as icedove. I could use my 5 year old profile from when I installed Jessie, but I probably won't.

[Deb-fan]

Russian roulette with no bullet?! What madness is this you type!? What's the point and how is anyone supposed to lose/win? However the Mr bullet, Mr foot thing is funny. +100 Wiz10k on the not running cmds/scripts without having a clue about them, though yep guessing everybody does it initially. Also being tech the do-over button should always be within easy reach, as long as a user isn't outright tarded. Virtual machines or even a clone on a testing partition. Takes very lil time to set up. Still a must to at least minimally know what's going on, part of script says dl/install huge-backdoor or whatever. Errr, somebody runs it, they're only getting their just rewards.

Deleted Thunderbird profile, another PSA opportunity, BACKUPS!!!, proven backup/restore plan in place and being used. Another +1 for ncdu and plenty of cmd-line wizardry that will show (x-number selected) of the largest files on a gnu/nix install, agree logs is a logical place to check but monster files can end up in the strangest of locations. Root user still allowed in, yet more of the geeky genius of the folks who came up with all this amazing tech, usually 5% of /root space reserved just for that purpose. Whew, good thing I got here just in time .... To add my pointless 2 cents. Now if you'll excuse me, going to run out and find someone who just cut themselves and tell em they should be careful while handling sharp stuff!