Your /var/cache is very large, here's my /var/


If you trace that 4.x GB usage through /var/cache you should be able to figure out which service is responsible for it, then tell it to clean up the cache (eg: "zypper clean"). Once cleaned up, a lot of applications will let you change the cache location. If whoever is responsible lets you change the cache directory, I would move it somewhere in /home/ to get it onto the 300GB partition so you don't run into this in the future.

I do not advise that.

Deleteing system files (basically anything outside your /home) is not necessary under normal circumstances. Especially if you are not 100% sure what the file does and what the full implications will be. :)

Rather, I'm hoping you can drill down another level:

for more information.

I have a hunch you have a large cache of software packages. Hopefully an OpenSUSE user can explain how to clear these properly using the package manager. :)

If you want to free up some space in /usr, the way to do this is by uninstalling applications you don't need. However you will get a much better effort/reward ratio by clearing out your /var/cache first. :)

ps After you clean your zypper cache you will probably need to start your interrupted upgrade from the beginning again, hopefully you don't have a bandwidth cap or slow connection?

I've ended up with:

4.9G /var/cache/zypp

and

linux-p9bp:/home/laura # du -sh /var/cache/zypp/packages/*
119M /var/cache/zypp/packages/devel:languages:perl
36K /var/cache/zypp/packages/dvd
676M /var/cache/zypp/packages/Education
4.0K /var/cache/zypp/packages/InstallationImage
153M /var/cache/zypp/packages/KDE:Extra
1.2G /var/cache/zypp/packages/KDE:Unstable:SC
8.0K /var/cache/zypp/packages/libdvdcss repository
8.0K /var/cache/zypp/packages/multimedia:musescore
20K /var/cache/zypp/packages/openSUSE-11.4-11.4-0
12K /var/cache/zypp/packages/openSUSE:Factory:Contrib
36K /var/cache/zypp/packages/packman
1.1G /var/cache/zypp/packages/Packman Repository
4.0K /var/cache/zypp/packages/PK_TMP_DIR
8.4M /var/cache/zypp/packages/repo-non-oss
880M /var/cache/zypp/packages/repo-oss
735M /var/cache/zypp/packages/Updates-for-openSUSE-11.4-11.4-0

So it looks like it, yes. Odd, I didn't think I had very much installed. I'll have a dig through and see what I can get rid of. I still don't understand why the other updates went through too when they were larger.

Just dump the cache (I think maybe "zypper clean") and you will free 4.9gb instantly. These files are no longer necessary. :)

Try running "zypper clean" as root, and then check the size of /var/cache/zypp again.

edit: too slow...

edit2: Once you clean it up, you can modify /etc/zypp/zypp.conf to move the cache directory onto your /home/ partition so it doesn't fill up "/" again.

Cache cleared, and updates completed. When I get some free time I'll also get rid of some unused packages. Thanks everyone! :)