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09-02-2006, 10:16 PM
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#1
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LQ Newbie
Registered: Sep 2006
Posts: 15
Rep:
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Upgrade RedHat 8.0 -> FC5 question.
Can I install FC5 over an existing RedHat 8.0 installation without destroying extraneous data on the partitions?
I have a poorly partitioned existing RAID install that I'd like to salvage. The OS was installed on the same partition with data.
Is is possible to do this with minimal risk to the data?
thanks
Pat
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09-02-2006, 10:28 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Registered: Jan 2005
Location: Manalapan, NJ
Distribution: Fedora x86 and x86_64, Debian PPC and ARM, Android
Posts: 4,593
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Yes, but you should backup your data anyway (failures can occur). Also, if you're running ext2, after the upgrade you should add a journal (see 'man tune2fs') and remount as ext3.
In general, I always recommend a clean install - it prevents the accumulation of no longer referenced files, and insures an optimal configuration (ext3, LVM2, grub, etc.).
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09-02-2006, 11:57 PM
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#3
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LQ Newbie
Registered: Sep 2006
Posts: 15
Original Poster
Rep:
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Yes, thanks, I do have a backup and the system is already on ext3.
I assumed that this would probably work but just thought I'd ask to make sure that the install doesn't wipe out the partition unecessarily.
What about booting from the DVD and manually removing the old OS files before the new installation?
Pat
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09-03-2006, 12:18 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Registered: Jan 2005
Location: Manalapan, NJ
Distribution: Fedora x86 and x86_64, Debian PPC and ARM, Android
Posts: 4,593
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You are given the option of installing to the existing partition, or wiping the partition. Removing the old files manually is problematic. You probably want to keep some (like non-rpm installs), as well as configuration data - what's in /etc for example. However, many packages have been obsoleted in the last few years, so you'd have to sift through it carefully (a time consuming process).
That's the reason I recommend a clean install. You can even install multiple times, making sure you're happy with the configuration, then restore the data and configure services. Of all the ways I've done upgrades, this is the fastest (I can usually get a typical server done in a day, two if I'm taking my time).
One of the things I started doing during an upgrade like this is configuring a virtual system on another server first. Restore the data to the virtual system, and configure it so that you are happy. Then switch the virtual server in to handle the real servers work, while the real server is being upgraded. The upgrade requires two brief outages, but no loss of service and no overtime work. It also tests the restore process before shooting yourself in the foot. You move from a stable position to a stable position. The real server gets upgraded faster, because you already created new (working) configurations on the virtual server. 
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09-03-2006, 12:18 PM
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#5
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LQ Newbie
Registered: Sep 2006
Posts: 15
Original Poster
Rep:
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Thanks again. I don't need to keep any existing OS configuration or packages - it's a pretty basic install and to the extent that I can clean it out in the upgrade that is good. I just want to try to preserve the user data on the same partition if possible. The reason is that it is a terrabyte raid and, while I do have backups of the important stuff, rebuilding it would be time consuming.
Since I don't care about the existing config I thought it might be a good idea to boot from a DVD and just manually remove the OS files first... to clean house. e.g. /boot /System /bin, etc.
I do know Unix pretty well, I'm just not familiar with the Redhat installer and thought I'd get advice before beginning this adventure
Do you think that this (removal) step is unecessary and the installer will do a decent job of overwriting the old files?
If not, is it possible to get a shell from the install DVD or would I need to use a live distro of some kind?
thanks,
Pat
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09-03-2006, 02:38 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Registered: Jan 2005
Location: Manalapan, NJ
Distribution: Fedora x86 and x86_64, Debian PPC and ARM, Android
Posts: 4,593
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The removal step is unnecessary - the installer (anaconda) generally doesn't have a problem. FC5 has both a liveCD and liveDVD available if you want to perform a manual cleanup first.
You might also want to consider using the re-spin install DVD on that page - it has all of the maintenance already applied (as of 08-18-2006). This will save you the time-consuming step of downloading and applying almost a gigabyte of updates after the install.
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