ext2resize(8)
NAME
ext2resize - GNU ext2 filesystem resizer
SYNOPSIS
ext2resize [-d] [-f] [ -q] [-u] [-v] [-V] device [size[b|K|M|G|T]]
DESCRIPTION
- The ext2resize tool resizes an unmounted ext2 or ext3 file
- system. It enlarges or shrinks the file system located on device
- (partition, loop device, logical volume, ...) so that it will
- have size ext2 filesystem blocks. If the size parameter is not
- specified, the filesystem will be resized to fill the given de
- vice. The size parameter may have one of the optional modifiers
- b, K, M, G, or T which means the size parameter is given in
- 512-byte blocks, kilo-, mega-, giga-, or terabytes respectively.
- The ext2resize program does not manipulate the size of the
- device. If you wish to enlarge a filesystem, you must make sure
- you expand the underlying device first. This can be done using
- fdisk(8) for partitions, by deleting the partition and recreating
- it with a larger size (assuming there is free space after the
- partition in question). Make sure you re-create it with the same
- starting disk cylinder as before! Otherwise, the resize opera
- tion will certainly not work, and you may lose your entire
- filesystem. Logical Volumes can be extended with lvextend(8)
- prior to growing a filesystem, or after shrinking it. Alternate
- ly, the e2fsadm(8) tool can be used to combine the operations of
- resizing the Logical Volume and the filesystem into one step.
- If you wish to shrink an ext2 or ext3 partition, first use
- ext2resize to shrink the file system. You may then use fdisk(8)
- or lvreduce(8) to shrink the device. When shrinking the size of
- the device, make sure you do not make it smaller than the reduced
- size of the ext2 filesystem. If you are not sure of the exact
- device size, shrink the filesystem slightly more than desired,
- shrink the device, and then run ext2resize again to increase the
- filesystem to fill the new device size.
- -d, --debug
- Turns on various debugging messages, normally only
- useful if you are working on a problem.
- -f, --force
- Force, do not perform sanity checks. Use with EX
- TREME care, you are on your own.
- -u, --unsafe
- Do not flush the device's buffer cache during the
- resize operation.
- -q, --quiet
- Do not print anything but error messages.
- -v, --verbose
- Turn on extra progress status messages.
- -V, --version
- Print the version number and exit.
RETURN VALUES
0 Resizing successful.
1 Error in command line.
2 Error during resize operation.
EXAMPLES
- The following example shows how to test ext2resize on a
- loop device. First a file of 10MB is created which is mounted on
- the loop device. Then an 5MB ext2 filesystem is created on the
- loop device, after mounting its size is verified. Before extend
- ing unmounting is necessary, when the size parameter is not spec
- ified the filesystem is extended to fill the loop device.
dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/file bs=1k count=10240
losetup /dev/loop0 /tmp/file
mke2fs /dev/loop0 5120
mkdir /mnt/test
mount /dev/loop0 /mnt/test
df /mnt/test
umount /mnt/test
ext2resize /dev/loop0
mount /dev/loop0 /mnt/test
df /mnt/test- For shrinking the loop device we need to unmount it first,
- then run ext2resize with a size parameter, in this case 8MB.
umount /mnt/test
ext2resize /dev/loop0 8M
mount /mnt/test
df /mnt/test
WARNING
- Note that resizing a filesystem is inherently dangerous
- and may corrupt filesystems, although no errors resulting in data
- loss have ever been reported to the author. Use with caution.
- Backups are always a good idea, because your disk may fail at any
- time, you delete files by accident, or your computer is struck by
- a meteor.
AUTHOR
- GNU ext2resize was written by Lennert Buytenhek
- <buytenh@gnu.org> with the help of volunteers around the net.
- This man page was originally written by Joey Hess
- <joey@kitenet.net>, and Dirk de Rycke significantly improved that
- version.
COPYRIGHT
- GNU ext2resize is (C) Copyright 1998, 1999 by Lennert
- Buytenhek, and 2000, 2001 Andreas Dilger, and may be distributed
- under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
SEE ALSO
- fdisk(8) e2fsck(8) e2fsadm(8) mke2fs(8) losetup(8)
- lvextend(8) lvreduce(8)
- ext2resize v1.1.18 July 2002