Kernel upgrade won't install, claims not enough space on /boot

[IHeart SymLinks]

On my laptop at home when I run yum update it doesn't work and I have to use KPackage Kit to install packages because there I can uncheck the kernel package.

I get an error complaining about not enough free space on /boot, but it appears I have enough space. When I get home I can post output from yum update and df -h /boot

I have Fedora 15.

[briand]

...or, even a du -h /boot

there may be a number of previous (and seldom, if ever, used) kernels still hanging out in there. clear some of the old ones out.

[IHeart SymLinks]

I'll try that too, is there a limit to the number of kernels that can be there? From what I recall from my Grub menu there should be at most only 3.

[jpollard]

It also depends on how large the partition for /boot is.

Current requirements are 600MB, though preupgrades have failed at that size, but this seems due to the number of packages being processed during the preupgrade cycle.

[IHeart SymLinks]

[root@laptop admin]$ yum update kernel
Loaded plugins: presto, refresh-packagekit
Setting up Update Process
Resolving Dependencies
There are unfinished transactions remaining. You might consider running yum-complete-transaction first to finish them.
--> Running transaction check
---> Package kernel.x86_64 0:2.6.40.4-5.fc15 will be installed
--> Processing Dependency: module-init-tools >= 3.16-2 for package: kernel-2.6.40.4-5.fc15.x86_64
--> Running transaction check
---> Package module-init-tools.x86_64 0:3.16-1.fc15 will be updated
---> Package module-init-tools.x86_64 0:3.16-2.fc15 will be an update
--> Finished Dependency Resolution
--> Running transaction check
---> Package kernel.x86_64 0:2.6.34.8-68.fc13 will be erased
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

================================================== ================================================== =
Package Arch Version Repository Size
================================================== ================================================== =
Installing:
kernel x86_64 2.6.40.4-5.fc15 updates 23 M
Removing:
kernel x86_64 2.6.34.8-68.fc13 @updates/13 111 M
Updating for dependencies:
module-init-tools x86_64 3.16-2.fc15 updates 423 k

Transaction Summary
================================================== ================================================== =
Install 1 Package(s)
Upgrade 1 Package(s)
Remove 1 Package(s)

Total download size: 24 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
Setting up and reading Presto delta metadata
Processing delta metadata
Package(s) data still to download: 24 M
(1/2): kernel-2.6.40.4-5.fc15.x86_64.rpm | 23 MB 00:47
(2/2): module-init-tools-3.16-2.fc15.x86_64.rpm | 423 kB 00:01
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 488 kB/s | 24 MB 00:49
Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
Transaction couldn't start:
installing package kernel-2.6.40.4-5.fc15.x86_64 needs 2MB on the /boot filesystem


[('installing package kernel-2.6.40.4-5.fc15.x86_64 needs 2MB on the /boot filesystem', (9, '/boot', 2074624L))]
[root@laptop admin]$
[root@laptop admin]$
[root@laptop admin]$ df -h /boot
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda6 108M 77M 26M 76% /boot
[root@laptop admin]$ du -h /boot
242K /boot/efi/EFI/redhat
244K /boot/efi/EFI
246K /boot/efi
13K /boot/lost+found
325K /boot/grub
71M /boot
[root@laptop admin]$

It says it needed 2MB, but I had 26 free, or does it mean it needs 2 more MB (so 28 MB)? Either way I added exclude=kernel to the repo file for Fedora updates and ran yum-complete-transaction and updated. Later I removed the exclude and updated. Seems fine for now, but for the next time there is a kernel upgrade would increasing the size of /boot a bit be helpful?

[cranil7]

Keep only two copies of kernel (Last two) and delete other copies.
You certainly have too small /boot partition.
Search fedora forums, there are ways to adress this. (based on fact that you just need 2 more MB.)

For long term, you should at least be keeping your /boot partition @ 500-700MB

[IHeart SymLinks]

Judging from my grub menu, I have three kernels. Is that the default? How do I make it keep 2?

When I installed it I thought 100MB was plenty, but didn't consider the possibility of having two kernels installed (makes sense, good to have a fallback). So that's what that means, I need 2 more than I have. I thought it meant I only needed 2MB, they should fix the wording on that.

I'll look into making /boot bigger.

[brunson]

It'd be convenient if /boot could be on an LVM volume. Maybe someday.

[IHeart SymLinks]

Because LVM would be easier to resize? But boot can't be LVM because it has to be accessed before LVM can start?

[jpollard]

/boot really needs to be between 600GB and 1GB for future expansions.

One problem that preupgrade has is that it needs to put all updates on the /boot (for firstboot processing after reboot) and the amount it needs is listed as 400MB, but that is for a minimal system. The more packages you have installed, the more space it needs.

I believe the current recommended amount is 400MB, but there have been reports of preupgrade failing with 600MB, but working with 700...

I bit the bullet and increased mine from 200 to 1GB so that there would be plenty of space for extra kernels, as well as extra future expansions.

Disk space is currently cheap.

The problem is you can't boot a LVM because the data contained with an LVM is/can be spread across multiple disks and partitions. This cannot be booted from BIOS (which is lucky to even know about one disk), nor can grub handle logical volumes (takes up too much disk space for the drivers and code in the boot sectors). This makes it unlikely to be supported in the future.

You should, however, be able to boot a hardware raid which can perform the same activity. This removes the BIOS/Grub from the equation as the hardware raid presents the appearance of a single disk, no matter how it is configured.

[IHeart SymLinks]

You mean

/boot really needs to be between 600MB and 1GB for future expansions.

.

I didn't think boot would need so much, but better to have more than less I guess, not like losing 1GB off my 600GB hard drive would mean very much.

This makes it unlikely to be supported in the future.

Isn't that what stage 1.5 or stage2 is for, but then again you would have to load that from somewhere grub stage 1 can read :\

[jpollard]

oops. my fault. brain went south. Yes 600MB.

Grub2 is supposed to have LVM2 support (not LVM), but I don't know how it manages multiple disks - that usually requires a full partition scan of all disks, and that doesn't usually fit within either stage 1.5 or stage2. There may be restrictions on the support (as in only on one drive, but can span multiple partitions) to get the code small enough.

[marko]

Originally Posted by IHeart SymLinks

You mean
.

I didn't think boot would need so much, but better to have more than less I guess, not like losing 1GB off my 600GB hard drive would mean very much.

Isn't that what stage 1.5 or stage2 is for, but then again you would have to load that from somewhere grub stage 1 can read :\

The only time you'd need the large /boot size is if you want to use preupgrade, if don't use preupgrade then you can get by with a small /boot like 200MB

[IHeart SymLinks]

I am thinking of booting a Live CD, mounting my boot and root partitions then copying everything from the boot partition to the boot folder on my root partition and remove /boot from fstab. After I confirm it boots I will delete the boot partition (if not I can just make it use the boot partition again).

At this point I will have as much space on /boot as I do for my root Linux partition. I will update and see how much space I am using on boot. At which point I will make a new partition with that much space plus some, copy the files from /boot to it and mount it.

I have no space where my boot partition is but I have an unused 100GB of unallocated space.

Will this work, all I have to do is copy the files and edit fstab to change where what /boot mounts to (Either a partition or boot folder on /)

[brunson]

Originally Posted by IHeart SymLinks

I am thinking of booting a Live CD, mounting my boot and root partitions then copying everything from the boot partition to the boot folder on my root partition and remove /boot from fstab. After I confirm it boots I will delete the boot partition (if not I can just make it use the boot partition again).

At this point I will have as much space on /boot as I do for my root Linux partition. I will update and see how much space I am using on boot. At which point I will make a new partition with that much space plus some, copy the files from /boot to it and mount it.

I have no space where my boot partition is but I have an unused 100GB of unallocated space.

Will this work, all I have to do is copy the files and edit fstab to change where what /boot mounts to (Either a partition or boot folder on /)

That will break if your root partition is on LVM, grub cannot read from LVM (as you know since you pointed it out in your post above). If your root is not on LVM, it can work, but you'll have to update your grub.conf

FWIW, F16 is moving to GRUB2, which does know how to read LVM natively, so if you can get through this the problem may become moot.