[mythtv-users] Reviving a myth system after hardware failure on /var

[UB40D]

On Wed, Nov 5, 2014 at 7:35 AM, Yann Lehmann <aristide at vtxmail.ch> wrote:

> I think you don't need to boot from the old drive, once you have copied
> all files to the new one.
>
> I don't know what distribution you are using. But with any xbuntu install
> cd, you can "repair" an existing linux-installation (as you will have on
> the new drive). It is an option of the text based installer and will allow
> you to install grub on the new disk.
>
> Eventually, you will have to adjust '/etc/fstab' with according uuids. The
> command 'ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid' will list the uuids of all partitions,
> and you can the use the result in '/etc/fstab'.
>

Yes, more or less. I'm on mythbuntu. This (from memory) is what I managed
to do yesterday evening and this morning before having to head off to work:

- physically install the spare drive

- suitably partition it with gparted (booting from the old drive)

- make temporary mount points for these partitions with mkdir, and change
their permissions

- list the new drive's partitions by uuid and copy the uuids into suitable
entries in /etc/fstab

- reboot into single user mode (shift key during grub, press e, edit the
linux entry by adding single at the end, boot with F10)

- check whether all the new partitions mounted properly, fix typos in fstab
and repeat ;-)

- for each of /boot, /, /var, home, rsync -bunchofoptions from old drive to
new drive

- observe that some had errors, as expected, but sadly not just on /var

- grub-install /dev/sdf

- failure because I needed to set the grub_bios flag on that partition.

- did that with parted

- grub-install again (no complaints)

- attempt to boot

- failure

I forgot what it complained about but I had no time left to keep fiddling
with it ;-)
However I don't think I'm THAT far off. Next steps would be

- make it actually boot

- remove the drive with i/o errors and check it still boots

- attempt to repair the database with mysql tools

- if that doesn't work, attempt to restore a database from a week ago
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