Re: /etc is gone

On Fri, Jun 22, 2007 at 09:49:47PM +0000, j j wrote:
> On 6/21/07, Bob McGowan <rmcgowan@veritas.com > wrote:
>
> Karl E. Jorgensen wrote:
> > On Mon, Jun 18, 2007 at 08:54:30PM -0400, j j wrote:
> >> Hello
> >>
> >> I have been have trouble with my debian box(64 studio). i just
> discovered that
> >> /etc directory is missing. I dont think i deleted it, but it seems that
> I must
> >> have.
> >
> > Perhaps not.
> >
> > Things to look at:
> >
> > - you haven't mounted something on /etc, have you? Although insanely
> > stupid, pls don't be offended. When weird things happen, it's time to
> > be insanely paranoid... (/proc/mounts should tell)
> >
> > - You haven't chroot'ed yourself, have you? (I know. Paranoia...)
> >
> > - Anything in the system logs? (things like re-mounting read-only or
> > filesystem corruption would be very interesting...)
> >
> > I am surprised that you don't mention any other problems - if /etc/ was
> > really really gone, I'd expect loads of other problems. Hence the
> > somewhat paranoid checks...
>
> Not least of which would be no password file, hence no way to log
> in. Plus, no rc scripts to bring the system up, either. So, I'd suggest
> the system has booted into some sort of maintencance mode. Or, you're
> simply in maintenance mode for some other reason, running from some sort of
> RAM disk?
>
> More info is needed, as printed during the startup, particularly just
> before the point where you get a shell prompt.

>

Please don't top-post.

For the current kernel instance:

    # dmesg | less
will catch the last 8k (or so) messages...

Debian normally saves that in /var/log/dmesg. This only covers from boot to start of sysklogd - stuff after that goes go syslog and is governed by your syslog configuration - normally /var/log/syslog.

But if you're missing /etc, then all bets are off...

-- 
Karl E. Jorgensen
karl(at)jorgensen.org.uk  
http://www.jorgensen.org.uk/karl(at)jorgensen.com     
http://karl.jorgensen.com
==== Today's fortune:
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.
		-- John Kenneth Galbraith

-- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-REQUEST@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org