data loss with reiserfs

data loss with reiserfs

[Julian Picht]

Hello!

I've got SuSE 8.0 Pro installed on reiserfs version 3.x.1b.
About a week ago my /var/ folder was empty. I know that it wasn't deleted by 
any user the files and subfolders where just gone. The content in the /var/ 
directory was not that important but today the content of another directory 
vanished including some files I need.
The files vanished today where about 1.5 GB but this space is _not_ free. So 
the files aren't there but they are also not realy gone.
I first thought I could have exidentaly moved them but I cannot "locate" them. 
[Yes I did "updatedb"]
So i wanted to do "reiserfsck" but when I mounted the drive read/write it said
----------------------
reiserfsck 3.x.1b (2002)
Will read-only check consistency of the filesystem on /dev/hdb3
Will put log info to 'stdout'

Do you want to run this program?[N/Yes] (note need to type Yes):Yes
###########
reiserfsck --check started at Fri Jun 21 19:13:18 2002
###########
Device /dev/hdb3 is mounted w/ write permissions, can not check it
----------------------
When I mounted it read only it said the same, also when I did not mount the 
device at all: the same message.

So, what can I do?

greetings Julian Picht

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Oleg Drokin]

Hello!

On Fri, Jun 21, 2002 at 07:21:37PM +0200, Julian Picht wrote:

> So i wanted to do "reiserfsck" but when I mounted the drive read/write it said
> ----------------------
> reiserfsck 3.x.1b (2002)
> Will read-only check consistency of the filesystem on /dev/hdb3
> Will put log info to 'stdout'
> 
> Do you want to run this program?[N/Yes] (note need to type Yes):Yes
> ###########
> reiserfsck --check started at Fri Jun 21 19:13:18 2002
> ###########
> Device /dev/hdb3 is mounted w/ write permissions, can not check it
> ----------------------
> When I mounted it read only it said the same, also when I did not mount the 
> device at all: the same message.

you mean
umount /dev/hdb3 ; reiserfsck --check /dev/hdb3
produces error about device being already mounted?
Anything interesting in logs?
I hope /dev/hdb3 is not your root device?

Bye,
    Oleg

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Julian Picht]

> you mean
> umount /dev/hdb3 ; reiserfsck --check /dev/hdb3
> produces error about device being already mounted?
Yes

> Anything interesting in logs?
Not in that logs I looked in.

> I hope /dev/hdb3 is not your root device?
Well... it is.

greetings Julian Picht

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Oleg Drokin]

Hello!

On Fri, Jun 21, 2002 at 07:59:17PM +0200, Julian Picht wrote:
> > you mean
> > umount /dev/hdb3 ; reiserfsck --check /dev/hdb3
> > produces error about device being already mounted?
> Yes

> > I hope /dev/hdb3 is not your root device?
> Well... it is.

Hm. That explains why umounting fails.
You need to boot off some rescue media in order to 
check and then repair root fs (wellm to check it you may just
reboot in single-user mode)

Bye,
    Oleg

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Julian Picht]

Hello...

> Hm. That explains why umounting fails.
> You need to boot off some rescue media in order to
> check and then repair root fs (wellm to check it you may just
> reboot in single-user mode)
When I said I tried to unmount that device I meant I booted from SuSE CD 2 
which is a rescue system.
And even there it was impossible to fsck /dev/hdb3

greetings Julian Picht

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Julian Picht]

> When I said I tried to unmount that device I meant I booted from SuSE CD 2
> which is a rescue system.
> And even there it was impossible to fsck /dev/hdb3
I just saw that SuSE rescue mountet that device... sorry... I'll try again to 
fsck it...

greetings Julian Picht

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Julian Picht]

Hello!

I just did an fsck ... It said something like no error found... But now the 
space which was used by my files is free. :-(
Everything gone.
Is there any possibility to "undelete" these files?

greetings Julian Picht

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Oleg Drokin]

Hello!

On Fri, Jun 21, 2002 at 08:48:07PM +0200, Julian Picht wrote:

> I just did an fsck ... It said something like no error found... But now the 
> space which was used by my files is free. :-(

What options have you passed to reiserfsck?

And have it reported anything other than "no errors"?

Bye,
    Oleg

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Julian Picht]

Hello!

> What options have you passed to reiserfsck?
I typed "reiserfsck --check /dev/hdb3"

> And have it reported anything other than "no errors"?
It gave an status report while scanning, then said "no errors".

greetings Julian Picht

Re: data loss with reiserfs

[Oleg Drokin]

Hello!

On Sat, Jun 22, 2002 at 11:32:21AM +0200, Julian Picht wrote:

> > What options have you passed to reiserfsck?
> I typed "reiserfsck --check /dev/hdb3"

This does not modify any data on the partition.

> > And have it reported anything other than "no errors"?
> It gave an status report while scanning, then said "no errors".

Well, then it must be something other that have freed the space.
There is a painful way of trying to restore all bits that were lost.
this is using -S switch in conjunction to --rebuild-tree in reiserfsck.
Note that most probably your partition would be destroyed after result, though
from bunch of files in /lost+found (and may be at old place) you may be able to
find what you are looking for. 

This doesnot give the answer to the question of why the data was lost, though.

Bye,
    Oleg