[mythtv-users] Change filesystem format in place?

[Hika van den Hoven]

Hoi Hika,

Sunday, July 12, 2015, 3:28:41 PM, you wrote:

> Hoi Hika,

> Sunday, July 12, 2015, 3:25:08 PM, you wrote:

>> Hoi Richard,

>> Sunday, July 12, 2015, 2:50:51 PM, you wrote:

>>> On Sat, Jul 11, 2015 at 12:49 PM, Simon Hobson <linux at thehobsons.co.uk>
>>> wrote:

>>>>
>>>> There is a slight problem ...
>>>> 1 is OK, 2 is OK, 3 is OK, as is 4
>>>> But, after these 4 steps you are left with your EXT4 partition at the
>>>> beginning of the disk, with the XFS partition following it. When you shrink
>>>> the EXT4 partition the second time, you have a gap which is *before* the
>>>> XFS partition - and to extend it, (AFAIK) you'll need the space after it.
>>>> That means you have to physically move the XFS partition each time - and
>>>> that's a critical operation which could easily lose your data if it gets
>>>> interrupted.


>>> I wonder if I can shrink the front of the ext4 partition then?

>>> Thanks,
>>> Richard

>> You can try with gparted, but I have never tried. But it stays risky
>> and a disk is not so expensive and always useful!

> I did a fast look and even with ext3 it refuses. So that only leafs
> dd, which is extremely risky/dangerous and totally unrecommended
> without a full backup! So you do need an extra disk!

Unless you can free more then half
  - shrink
  - copy the partition to the end
  - verify the new partition
  - delete the old
  - create xfs in the free space at the start
  - copy the data
  - verify the data
  - extend the new xfs partition

A lot of work and sweat and things that can go wrong!

Tot mails,
  Hika                            mailto:hikavdh at gmail.com

"Zonder hoop kun je niet leven
Zonder leven is er geen hoop
Het eeuwige dilemma
Zeker als je hoop moet vernietigen om te kunnen overleven!"

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