USB install can't use full 8 GB

[stvtyn]

Hi,
I've installed Fedora 11 on a 8 GB USB memory stick. I'm trying to install Oracle XE database but I'm getting "need 1.5 GB not enough space on /usr/bin directory" error. I certainly have more than enough space but I don't know how to use it. For example, when running "Applications | System Tools | DIsk Usage Analyzer." Then selecting "Edit | Preferences" I can see the issue . /dev/mapper/live-rw has only 3 GB of total space (of ext4) with only 823 MB available - this is where it is trying to load.. While /dev/sdb1 shows 7.4 GB and 5.7 available (of vfat).

Then fdisk -l /dev/sdb1 shows I have four "partitions" Not sure if this truly partitions or not. since Applications | System Tools | GParted Partition Editor does not show these 4. /dev/sdb1p1, /dev/sdb1p2, /dev/sdb1p3 and /dev/sdb1p4

Regardless, how do I get Fedora to use more of the space I have (and I guess somehow let it belong to /usr/bin or / <root>).

Here's what I tried.
I can't expand the partitions with Gparted since it doesn't see these 4 "partitions". I can't seem to expand /dev/mapper/live-rw since it is not really a partition (nor is it really a device). I tried splitting my USB by creating two partitions one 3.5 GB of vfat and one 3.5 GB of ext4. Then with the ext4 being called /dev/sdb2 I tried a link (using the ln command) to /usr/bin and once directly to / <root> but it doesn't seem to see this "extra space". I even copied all files, subdirectories, ext. of /usr/bin to /dev/sdb2 and then tried a mounting the /dev/sdb2 to /usr/bin and that didn't work either. That actually caused more work to get it to mount and then more problems because once I mounted it I lost all commands I couldn't do anything.. So I feel I tried everything but to no avail.


Any suggestions on how to use the extra 5.7 GB I have and somehow have / <root> see this space would be appreciated or maybe better still have any software I load see the space I have. My gut feeling though is all software needs to be loaded to /usr/bin and therefore /usr/bin will need to have more space.

I"m out of ideas - and I've search all the forums and didn't find anything. I saw some things in the forums but nothing that seemed to answer this issue.


Thank you, Steve

[ryptyde]

Is this a livecd iso install to the 8GB memory stick, if so then if it was formatted as FAT32 you would of been able to create a <4GB persistent overlay that should have given you enough space for extra packages.

You would use about 700MB for the live image install and the other 3GB of the persistent overlay for additions. The other unused 4GB outside of the persistent overlay can be used as a regular usb device to store data. Well that's how I understand it and have seen it work.

[stvtyn]

Thank you for the response. I thought I already tried that. Then again, I tried so many things I could be mistaken. So, I will be happy to try again. I'll let you know the results

[stvtyn]

Hi,
Yeah, that was my fear. I ran into the same issue.
Here is what I did. I re-created the USB with 4 GB persistent overlay as you suggested. When opening the "Disk Usage Analyzer" This is what I get this time - the same as before.
/dev/mapper/live-rw ext4 3.0 GB (total Size) 851.8 MG (available)
However, what did change was this
/dev/sdb1/ vfat 7.5 GB (total size) 2.8 GB (available)

So my available for /dev/sdb1 is down from 5 GB or whatever it was before to 2.8 GB because of the 4 GB overlay.
Just for kicks, I tried to load oracle-xe with rpm and got this error - the same error as before

root@localhost # rpm -ivh oracle-xe-univ-10.2.0.1-1.0.i386.rpm
Preparing... ########################################### [100%]
You have insufficient diskspace in the destination directory (/usr/lib) to
install Oracle Database 10g Express Edition. The installation requires at
least 1.5 GB free on this disk.
error: %pre(oracle-xe-univ-10.2.0.1-1.0.i386) scriptlet failed, exit status 1
error: install: %pre scriptlet failed (2), skipping oracle-xe-univ-10.2.0.1-1.0

So the issue seems to be because of /dev/mapper/live-rw - not having enough space (not my full USB not having the space - since I have the space).

fyi: I also tried removing software with the "Add / Remove Software" and eventually got it down to 1.6 available and was able to load .... BUT, my system was unstable. I tried to remove only that which I thought I would not need. But, the "Add / Remove Software" also removes "related" packages. Like if I removed Evolution (which I don't use) it removed about 20 other packages too. There seemed to be no way around it.

Anyway.
What is so frustrating is that I have the disk space and plenty of it .... just not on /usr/lib ARRRGGG!!!

Back to square 1. and my original questions. Is there anyway to expand /usr/lib OR have rpm think it has the disk space. or force rpm to load somewhere else? Or any other solution so that I can install Oracle-XE?? without wrecking my Fedora System? (Keep Fedora Stable)


Thank you, Steve

[stvtyn]

When I said I tried to remove software, that was not this time. That was one of my many tries from before. This time I just tried the 4 GB overlay.

[Gödel]

The persistent overlay won't increase the root partition size beyong 3GB, there's no point making it any bigger than that. If you want a bigger partition for / then use livecd-creator to build a custom livecd from the same kickstart file, but increase the size of the partition from 3Gb to what you desire (it's set near the top of the kickstart file)

http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FedoraLiveCD/LiveCDHowTo

Alternatively mount a ext2/3 partition in the free space on the usb drive and install oracle to that (using rpm relocate options - see the man page)

[stvtyn]

Hi
Thank you for the suggestions in kickstart and rpm -relocate. I did some minimal runs of each of those. rpm -relocate gave me an error saying I can only use it on "new" software. Not sure why it said since this is new. Kickstart, I need to figure out how to run livecd-creator from another device and then point to the USB I want it on since running livecd-creator on the same USB would blow everything away.
Okay, I have a lot more "reading" and work to do. I think one of these will work. I just wanted to write a quick respond to you letting you know I'm working these. Hopefully, I will have something in a day or two. I'll respond then, whether I am successful or not.
Thank you, Steve

[stvtyn]

Okay, I tried again. I deleted everything from my USB. Then reloaded Fedora 11 (the normal way via Windows using livecd-creator GUI).

Then I tried rpm with --relocate and for some strange reason it doesn't work. Here is the command with the error.

[root@localhost liveuser]# rpm --relocate /usr/lib=/mnt/live oracle-xe-univ-10.2.0.1-1.0.i386.rpm
rpm: --relocate and --excludepath may only be used when installing new packages


Well, this is a "new" package. So I don't get why I get this error. It hasn't been loaded before - if that's what "old / new" means. Nor is the date on the file indicate it being "old"

-rwxrwxrwx. 1 liveuser liveuser 262909363 2009-08-22 17:17 oracle-xe-univ-10.2.0.1-1.0.i386.rpm

Okay, so my next step is to either figure out how to trick rpm into thinking this is new - which it is new (or at least it isn't already installed or if new means date, the date on it is Aug. 2009. - unless new means the format of the .rpm file) Regardless, I get the feeling there is no way to convince rpm that this is new.

Or try the livecd-creator with kickstart. The issue is how to let livecd-creator load on the USB since it seems to try to load on the / root directory on the device it is on. For example, if I'm on /dev/sda1 and I want to load onto /dev/sdb1 I haven't found a way to tell it to use /dev/sdb1 . It seems to chose on its own. I skimmed the man pages and didn't see this type of option.

(Actually, I did try, for kicks, to load on the USB when I was on /dev/sdb1 and tried loading on /dev/sdb1, I was on and it failed saying I would lose data)

Maybe, just maybe ,I missed something in the man pages I will see at next reading.

Steve

[stvtyn]

okay. Read so much my head is spinning. Not sure why livecd-creator is not working for me ( or least not the way I expect it to nor need it to). I found enough examples I figured something would work.

Anyway, running livecd-creator (with kickstart) didn't create a CD nor can I install it directly to my USB (without running into error messages) . I must have missed something. But, I followed all the examples verbatim. Guess, I have to hang this up. Hate to do so. Maybe I can get another Linux version to work. Just I like how Fedora 11 boots so fast in comparison to others and has so many programs, tools, and packages.

Thank you all for your advice. I appreciate the help still the same

[stvtyn]

HI,
Okay, I decided to search one last time and lo and behold found a solution. Basically, the solution was to install via live CD and install it to the USB as if it was being installed on a hard drive. This allowed me to choose the size of the partitions I wanted (via the install - not via gparted as suggested in the tutorial in the link below)

Here's the link to the tutorial that indicated the solution. I needed to modify it to my needs.
But, it worked
http://linuxsoftwareblog.com/blog/?p=156

This is the original link. I may have overlooked it since the title was about "persistent overlay" and I wasn't having an issue with that.
http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=219250

Thank you all again for your suggestions, Steve

[patemos]

when moving live-cd image to usb-stick you have an underlying vfat partition (i.e. max 4GB files size) with all its limitations, which - due to setup of the live-cd - also puts limitations on your linux installation. Nice to see that you went for a direct installation onto the USB-drive. It's the smartest thing to do. Now you can go for tuning linux to run off a usb-media, i.e. elevator=deadline, and other stuff.