Verifying File Systems

File system inconsistencies can stem from the following:

• Stopping the system with file systems mounted.
• Physical disk deterioration or damage. This procedure should be used before mounting any file system.

You can use the Web-based System Manager fast path wsm fs to check file systems for inconsistencies or you can use one of the following procedures.

Among the many reasons to verify file systems are the following:

• After a malfunction. For example, if a user cannot change directories to a directory that has that user's permissions (uid).
• Prior to backing up file systems to prevent errors and possible restoration problems.
• At installation or system boot to make sure there are no operating system file errors.

Prerequisites

• An understanding of the fsck command
• Unmount the file systems being checked, except for / (root) and /usr, or the fsck command will fail.
• Check the / and /usr file systems only from the maintenance shell (see "Check the Operating System" ).
• You must have write permission on files, or fsck will not repair them (even if you answer yes to repair prompts).

Check a User File System

1. Use the smit fsck fast path to access the Verify a File System menu.

2. Specify the name of an individual file system to check in the NAME of file system field.

   OR

   Proceed to the TYPE of file system field and select a general file system type to check, such as a journaled file system (JFS).

3. If you want a fast check, specify yes in the FAST check? field. The fast-check option specifies that the fsck command checks only those file systems that are likely to have inconsistencies. The most likely candidates are the file systems that were mounted when the system stopped at some point in the past. This option dramatically reduces the number of files that need checking.

4. Specify in the SCRATCH file field the name of a temporary file on a file system not being checked.

5. Start the file system check.

Check a File System

The fsck command requires that target file systems be unmounted. In general, the / (root) and /usr file systems cannot be unmounted from a disk-booted system. If the fsck command is to be run on / or /usr, then the system must be shut down and rebooted from removable media. This procedure describes how to run fsck on the / and /usr file systems from the maintenance shell.

1. With the key mode switch in the Service position, boot from your installation media.

2. From the Installation menu, choose the Maintenance option.

3. From the Maintenance menu, choose the option to access a volume group.

   Note: Once you choose this option, you cannot return to the Installation menu or Maintenance menu without rebooting the system.

4. Choose the volume group you believe is the rootvg volume group. A list of logical volumes that belong to the volume group you selected will be displayed.

5. If this list confirms that this is the rootvg volume group, choose 2 to access the volume group and to start a shell before mounting file systems. If not, choose 99 to display a list of volume groups and return to step 4.

6. Run the fsck command using the appropriate options and file system device names. The fsck command checks the file system consistency and interactively repairs the file system. The / (root) file system's device is /dev/hd4 and the /usr file system's device is /dev/hd2. To check /, enter the following:

   $ fsck -y /dev/hd4

   The -y flag is recommended for less experienced users (see the fsck command).

   You may also want to check the /tmp and /var file systems at this time. The device for /tmp is /dev/hd3, and the device for /var is /dev/hd9var.

7. When you have completed checking the file systems, turn the key to Normal and reboot the system.