Re: File System conversion -- ideas

[rmoser <mlmoser@comcast.net>]

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 6/29/2003 at 8:50 AM David D. Hagood wrote:

>This is a place where logical volume management can help.
>
>For example, suppose you have a 60G disk, 55G of data, in ext2, and you
>wish to convert to ReiserFS.
>
>Step 1: Shrink the volume to 55G. This requires a "shrink disk" utility
>for the source file system (which exists for the major file systems in
>use today).
>Step 2: Create an LVM block in the remaining 5G.
>Step 3: Create a ReiserFS in the LVM block.
>Step 4: Move 5G of data from the ext2 system to the ReiserFS block.
>Step 5: Shrink the ext2 volume by another 5G
>Step 6: Convert that 5G into an LVM block
>Step 7: Add that block to the ReiserFS volume group.
>Step 8: Grow the ReiserFS.
>Step 9: Repeat 4-8 as needed.
>

Ass yourself for hours, each time risking making a typo and killing both
filesystems, or risking having the LVM resize die from a powerdrop or a kick
to the power button (sorry we don't all have immortal fault tolerance).  I actually
though about this one and figured it was too rediculously annoying to actually
bring up :-p

>
>This is why I'd really love to see LVM|EVM become standard, not just in
>the kernel but in the distributions - if every distro by default made
>all Linux volumes in LVM, then migrating data to bigger drives/adding
>more space/converting file systems would be so much easier.
>

I've never used LVM, but I'll look at it one day.  If it's stable, that's good; I
don't use Windows.  I don't know exactly what LVM is but I have a pretty
good idea; it's been forever since I read the doc on it, I forgot what it said!

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--Bluefox Icy