fsck_ufs running too often

[Polytropon]

On Sat, 23 Jun 2012 12:57:01 +0200, Julian H. Stacey wrote:
> > My suggestion: Set background_fsck="YES" in /etc/rc.conf and let
> > the system boot up that way. _If_ you have a faulty disk or other
> > data corruption, you'll notice this _before_ going multi-user and
> > maybe making things worse. Yes, it might take some time, but it's
> > time well invested in your data integrity.
> > 
> > Alternative: Perform a "shutdown now" and go into single-user mode.
> > Then unmount all your file systems, do "mount -o ro /" and then
> > perform the fsck run on all file systems. It's typically adviced
> > to perform file system checks on unmounted (or at least read-only
> > mounted) file systems.
> 
> man fsck:
> -----
>              Note that background fsck is limited to checking for only the
>              most commonly occurring file system abnormalities.  Under certain
>              circumstances, some errors can escape background fsck.  It is
>              recommended that you perform foreground fsck on your systems
>              periodically and whenever you encounter file-system-related pan-
>              ics.
> ---
> 	
> So do a manual fsck to make sure there's no residual faults lurking.

Sorry, my own stupidity. Of course I wanted to say:
My suggestion: Set background_fsck="NO" in /etc/rc.conf and [...]
                                    ^^
A fsck at boot time might take longer, but will make sure that
the startup of the system is performed on clean file systems.
One may argue: "But it takes time!" My response: Is your data
valuable? Then you have this time, in worst case. In ultra-worst
case, you have backups. :-)



> Realise fsck wont start if it thinks its clean, (but might not be clean) so
> Boot single user & type 
> 	fsck
> 	or fsck -y

You can force a fsck run by using "fsck -f"; from the manual:
"Force checking of file systems, even when they are marked
clean (for file systems that support this)." This could also
be done regularly on a scheduled (!) basis if there's the
suspection of "silent corruption" - but in such cases, better
spot the faulty hardware and replace it (bad disks, bad power
supply, bad PSU and the like).



-- 
Polytropon
Magdeburg, Germany
Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0
Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...