I am using OpenBSD 7.7 (and 7.8) and I'm connecting via ssh with no access to the boot.
Problem Y: I can't find a way to stop using swap so that it doesn't cause the partition to be busy. First I use swapctl to stop using swap `b` # swapctl Device 512-blocks Used Avail Capacity Priority /dev/sd0b 16934264 0 16934264 0% 0 # swapctl -d /dev/sd0b # swapctl swapctl: no swap devices configured # disklabel -E sd0 Label editor (enter '?' for help at any prompt) sd0> d b sd0*> q Write new label?: [y] y disklabel: DIOCWDINFO: Device busy disklabel: unable to write label So I commented out the swap b partition in fstab and rebooted. That did nothing as the swapctl man says: > The initial swap device (root disk, partition `b`) need not appear in > /etc/fstab, though it is not an error for it to do so. Okay that explains why swap is still being used. Now I comment this line out in /etc/rc:396:swapctl -A -t blk which I would think would be the one activating the swap in the first place (Wrong). I reboot and swapctl is still showing sd0b is being used. Removing the swap using swapctl still causes the device to be busy and I can't prevent swap `b` from being used in the first place. I can't win. Problem X: As stated in the title this is an XY problem. I began trying to expand my `a` partition from 1 GB to 1.1 GB and the 8GB swap space seemed like a great work area to solve this remotely. I've successfully done this before when OpenBSD went from root needing 800 MB to 1 GB. My plan was to make a second root partition that was 1.1 GB and copy all the root files there. Then reboot to the new root and adjust the original `a` root partition to be 1.1 GB. Then reboot back to the properly sized `a` partition. Why ask this XY problem then? >From what I understand is that fsck was needing a swap for checking large file systems so I imagine this 'required' swap was implemented. I am hoping that the stickiness of the swap is a bug. I would like it if swapctl -d /dev/sd0b would relinquish the use of the `b` partition so that disklabel can modify it. One of the main reasons I enjoy using OpenBSD is that the system is straightforward and there are no hidden tricks. This feels like there is a hidden feature and magic is happening. This possibly is reducing the flexible nature and maintainability of OpenBSD. -alfred
