06.01.2023 7:44, Mike Karels wrote: > The branch main has been updated by karels: > > URL: > https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/src/commit/?id=8664e266d6a4573d1875ee8f4ce0cdb091171780 > > commit 8664e266d6a4573d1875ee8f4ce0cdb091171780 > Author: Mike Karels <kar...@freebsd.org> > AuthorDate: 2023-01-05 13:15:21 +0000 > Commit: Mike Karels <kar...@freebsd.org> > CommitDate: 2023-01-06 00:44:16 +0000 > > growfs(7): clarify assumptions and limitations > > Document that the growfs(7) script works only if the root file system > is in the last partition and free space immediately follows it. > Don't imply that /usr can be a separate partition, as that would > likely mean that root is not last. > > Reported by: marklmi at yahoo dot com
Meantime, growfs(8) binary command living in /sbin successfully growfs root file system being NOT last, if there is following free space immediately after it. I use that feature occasionally dealing with installworld problem for systems installed long time ago (pre-date introduction of Clang in FreeBSD) when distinct root and /usr partitions sized 512MB were more than enough. For example: swap partition (b) 8GB root partition (a) 512MB /usr partition (d) 512MB others including /usr/local, /home etc... For major source based upgrade 512MB is not enough to hold new /usr contents, so I temporary destroy swap partition at the beginning and recreate it 1GB less to make hole that is used to create alternative 1GB sized partition temporary mounted as /mnt/usr. I dump|restore /usr to /mnt/usr, change /etc/fstab to mount new partition as /usr and not mount old one at all, and reboot. After that: swap partition (b) 7GB /usr partition (g) 1GB root partition (a) 512MB former /usr partition (d) 512MB others... Then I destroy partition (d) making free space immediately following root partition that is NOT last one. And growfs(8) works on mounted r/w root just fine. That worked every time I tried. I wonder why growfs(7) should have the limitation described in cited commit.
