> I originally made my "/" partition too large (only 2% is used) and now I want
> to shrink it because the /usr partition is full. My plan is to save the "/"
> partition, delete the partition and then create a new one. I have already
> saved the /usr directories.
You may avoid all the hassle with the re-partitioning by moving any big
directory from /usr to / and making symbolic link to it. This is the fastest
workaround for your problem, e.g.
# mv /usr/big_dir /
# ln -s /big_dir /usr/big_dir
In this case no further changes will be needed (i.e. resetting PATHs for
installed software etc.)
> The question is, how do I copy just the contents of the partition without
> copying the entire Linux disk (cp -a would copy the entire disk)?
I would suggest dump (look man dump, man restore). e.g.:
/usr/sbin/ufsdump 0ucf /some_dir/target_file /dev/hda5
-- /dev/hda5 - your root file system device
-- /some_dir/target_file a backup file.
I hope this helps. Dump prevents links and all necessary privileges. I would
avoid using cp command.
I hope this helps
Darek
