My root partition filled up and kept filling up.
I’m running LVM setup on 1TB disk and I initially used 25GB for root. Suddenly, I found myself unable to log in and I could only boot to login screen.
I had to create another user to log in to IceWM and from there I found my root partition full. 100% full.
I booted a live disk and changed my partitions to add another 10GB to my root partition then went back to my normal user profile.
Checking sysinfo showed there was space, but only for a few minutes.
Then crashing and a full root partition again.
Anyway, this was messing things up when I was running live CD also.
After a few minutes it would crash also, even with the root partition not mounted.
I moved my ram around and tested the memory with the scanner on the live CD and all was OK.
I ended up re-installing the OS with my same LVM setup and it formatted the partition.
Left home partition intact.
It was odd, though because to get the live install to run I had to clear the /tmp directory.
Everything worked after that.
Anyone have any ideas?
You hit the problem with the install: A flooded /tmp. From what it looks like, that’s what the Live-CD likes to use as well…Cleaning the /tmp from runlevel 1 would have done the job as well.
In Yast, System, Sysconfigmanager you can set some variables on cleaning the tmp dirs at boot. Cleaning them out on a running system is not without danger.
Next time, I suggest you first look here, hundreds have been where you’ve been, we could have helped you out to get the system running.
Since Knurpht gave you an excellent answer, reference you question about a virus … perhaps you could surf on the internet, and then post here a list of the most likely and most common Linux virus you think you could have caught?
If you can withstand a bit of cynicism (I know - I’m a mod and I should not say this, but here goes anyway): …
Inquiring minds want to know. lol!
Yeah I use this method or I set it to clean once in 5 days.
Reference cause and effect, … I once had a aborted print job (that was not aborted properly by me) fill up a 1.5 TB drive with error messages in the /var/log in less than a day … It was my stupidity and it resulted in an inability to boot X until I clean up the /var/log/messages and /var/log/warnings files. The hard drive then started filling again, until I went and properly deleted the failed print job.
Yes yes yes.
I think that this was probably it.
I was messing around with a Photosmart that I found in the trash.
And when it first started freakin out it spat out a bunch of black printed pages during an attempted reboot, and kept on acting crazy even when I unplugged the printer.
From what I could see in the /tmp directory it really was filling up fast, but I had no idea what was filling it.
Using LVM and a seperate boot partition is what saved me on this trip, but after the reinstall and a new Vidcard I have the best system I’ve ever had.
ALL HAIL open SUSE,
THANKS!
CHEEEEEERRRSS !!!
A fun poke on the virus issue …
There are only two living things on earth that expand and devour every usable resource. The virus, and humans! Interestingly, during AI tests an AI computer concluded that given all pertinent data there is no difference between the human and a virus. The AI machine was touted as the smartest computer yet developed!
To date, Linux and other 'nix like systems are the only system that by structure are void of virus’s and infections (when used/configured correctly). But as the OP found, us humans are capable of asking our machines to mimic a virus.
- write a byte to disk
- advance one byte
- repeat at #1
Like a computer without any program or bios ROM (00 00 00 00 …) Add BX,[DI] Add BX.[DI] or something crazy like this, we have the fastest idiot money can buy! or have created the biggest waste of harddisk a goof up can produce.
Cheers
Well,
It’s happened again.
So I’m trying to
rmdir *
at runlevel 1 and the directories contain things so rmdir won’t do them.
I’m a poorly practiced CLI guy so I guess I just need to know another command.
I could also use some advice an how to keep an eye on the print cue so that it doesn’t do this again.
Thanks,
AARON
“rmdir” will not work. You need “rm -r” <dirname or wildcards>.
I did have limited success from that approach.
Lots of things went away form the /tmp folder.
.ICE-unix and .X11-unix directories won’t go away.
Even at runlevel 1.
I think it must have cleared out some space, but I’m still getting the same results from login attempts.
knurpht,
Where in the yast menu is that /tmp thing? I’ve always inserted an rm -r at boot.local
cheers
Yast - System - Sysconfigeditor, search for “tmp”, and you’ll see some options to set the system to clear tmp folders at boot.