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Solving filesystem problems

fsck_ufs initialization phase

Before a ufs filesystem check can be done, fsck sets up certain tables and opens certain files. The following messages relate to error conditions resulting from command-line options, memory requests, the opening of files, the status of files, filesystem size checks, and the creation of the scratch file:


cannot alloc NNN bytes for blockmap
cannot alloc NNN bytes for freemap
cannot alloc NNN bytes for statemap
cannot alloc NNN bytes for lncntp
fsck's request for memory for its virtual memory tables failed. This is very rare. When it does happen, fsck terminates. This is a serious system failure and should be handled immediately. Contact your service representative or another qualified person.

Can't open checklist file: F
The filesystem checklist or default file F (usually /etc/vfstab) cannot be opened for reading. When this occurs, fsck terminates. Check the access modes of F.

Can't stat root
fsck's request for statistics about the root directory failed. This is very rare. When it does happen, fsck terminates. Contact your service representative or another qualified person.

Can't stat F
Can't make sense out of name F
fsck's request for statistics about the filesystem F failed. When fsck is running interactively, it ignores this filesystem and continues checking the next filesystem given. Check the access modes of F.

Can't open F
fsck's attempt to open the filesystem F failed. When running interactively, it ignores this filesystem and continues checking the next filesystem given. Check the access modes of F.

F: (NO WRITE)
Either the -n flag was specified or fsck's attempt to open the filesystem F for writing failed. When fsck is running interactively, all the diagnostics are printed out, but fsck does not attempt to fix anything.

file is not a block or character device; OK
The user has given fsck the name of a regular file by mistake. Check the type of the file specified.

Possible responses to the OK prompt are:


YES
Ignore this error condition.

NO
Ignore this filesystem and continue checking the next filesystem given.

UNDEFINED OPTIMIZATION IN SUPERBLOCK (SET TO DEFAULT)
The superblock optimization parameter is neither OPT_TIME nor OPT_SPACE.

Possible responses to the SET TO DEFAULT prompt are:


YES
Set the superblock to request optimization to minimize running time of the system. (If optimization to minimize disk space use is desired, it can be set using tunefs(1M).)

NO
Ignore this error condition.

IMPOSSIBLE MINFREE=D IN SUPERBLOCK (SET TO DEFAULT)
The superblock minimum space percentage is greater than 99 percent or less than 0 percent.

Possible responses to the SET TO DEFAULT prompt are:


YES
Set the MINFREE parameter to ten percent. (If some other percentage is desired, it can be set using tunefs(1M).)

NO
Ignore this error condition.

MAGIC NUMBER WRONG
NCG OUT OF RANGE
CPG OUT OF RANGE
NCYL DOES NOT JIVE WITH NCG*CPG
SIZE PREPOSTEROUSLY LARGE
TRASHED VALUES IN SUPER BLOCK
This is followed by the message:
F: BAD SUPER BLOCK: B
USE -b OPTION TO FSCK TO SPECIFY LOCATION OF AN ALTERNATE
SUPER-BLOCK TO SUPPLY NEEDED INFORMATION; SEE fsck(1M).
The superblock has been corrupted. An alternative superblock must be selected from among the available copies. Choose an alternative superblock by calculating its offset or call your service representative or another qualified person. Specifying block 32 is a good first choice.

INTERNAL INCONSISTENCY: M
fsck has had an internal panic, whose message is M. This is very rare. If it does happen, contact your service representative or another qualified person.

CAN NOT SEEK: BLK B (CONTINUE)
fsck's request to move to a specified block number B in the filesystem failed. This is very rare. If it does happen, contact your service representative or another qualified person.

Possible responses to the CONTINUE prompt are:


YES
Attempt to continue running the filesystem check. (Note that the problem often persists.) This error condition prevents a complete check of the filesystem. A second run of fsck should be made to recheck the filesystem. If the block was part of the virtual memory buffer cache, fsck terminates with this message:
   Fatal I/O error

NO
Terminate the program.

CAN NOT READ: BLK B (CONTINUE)
fsck's request to read a specified block number B in the filesystem failed. This is very rare. If it does happen, contact your service representative or another qualified person.

Possible responses to the CONTINUE prompt are:


YES
Attempt to continue running the filesystem check. fsck retries the read and prints out the message:
   THE FOLLOWING SECTORS COULD NOT BE READ: N
where N indicates the sectors that could not be read. If fsck ever tries to write back one of the blocks on which the read failed, it prints the message:
   WRITING ZERO'ED BLOCK N TO DISK
where N indicates the sector that was written with zero's. If the disk is experiencing hardware problems, the problem will persist. This error condition prevents a complete check of the filesystem. A second run of fsck should be made to recheck the filesystem.

If the block was part of the virtual memory buffer cache, fsck terminates with the message:

   Fatal I/O error

NO
Terminate the program.

CAN NOT WRITE: BLK B (CONTINUE)
fsck's request to write a specified block number B in the filesystem failed. The disk is write-protected; check the write-protect lock on the drive. If that is not the problem, contact your service representative or another qualified person.

Possible responses to the CONTINUE prompt are:


YES
Attempt to continue to run the filesystem check. The write operation will be retried. Sectors that could not be written are indicated by the message:
   THE FOLLOWING SECTORS COULD NOT BE WRITTEN: N
where N indicates the sectors that could not be written. If the disk is experiencing hardware problems, the problem will persist. This error condition prevents a complete check of the filesystem. A second run of fsck should be made to recheck this filesystem. If the block was part of the virtual memory buffer cache, fsck terminates with the message:
   Fatal I/O error

NO
Terminate the program.

bad inode number DDD to ginode
An internal error was caused by an attempt to read non-existent inode DDD. This error causes fsck to exit. If this occurs, contact your service representative or another qualified person.

© 2004 The SCO Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
UnixWare 7 Release 7.1.4 - 22 April 2004