Sudden Expansion of Root File System [Solved on Three Levels!]

[wharfhouse]

Hi All,  

Some of you who have been reading my posts recently will know I've been doing a fair bit of remastering... I don't know if the above issue is responsible for this or just co-incidence (before you ask, there's no redundant iso's hidden around  ).  What was 3.6GB has shot up to 5.4GB; and yet apart from doing the mandatory regular updates in Synaptic, I haven't installed any new applications.  I performed a du command in a terminal which revealed 8.4GB in /var/cache/apt/archives  

Might this be the problem even 'though it states 8.4GB (when df reports 5.4???)?  Do I need to keep these archives?

Not a major problem (got a huge HDD  ) but just intrigued  

Cheers.

[menotu]

In Synaptic and you using "Leave all downloaded packages in the cache"  switch?

I don't use it, and my var folders are listed below for possible comparison

My /var/cache/   shows as using 54MB and /var/cache/apt/archives as 16KB

[ThirdOfSix]

If any of those remasters did not go exactly as planned and the program quit, it may very well have left some very large temporary work files behind.  Or, if it seemed to work but you found no output, it may have finished but left the output someplace other than where you thought you told it put it.

In either case, if you use the "Filelight" program in the repository, it makes large files easy to find visually even if you do not know the name or directory.

There really are not a lot of very large files in the system so it is easy to go investigate any that you find with Filelight.

 

[wharfhouse]

Thanks both for your tips 

I'll look at it further when I'm next on my system at home and report back... thanks!
 

[ThirdOfSix]

Just a reminder.

When looking for extraneous large files, be sure to tell the system to show hidden files.

The type of files that you are probably looking for are probably hidden...but I am not sure.

[wharfhouse]

Hi Both... update!

Menotu, I checked preferences in Synaptic and the "leave all downloaded packages in cache" was unchecked, but I checked "delete downloaded packages after installation" and that made a difference after rebooting... my /var/cache/ now shows 54MB and /var/cache/apt/archives shows 4KB... similar to yours then!    Overall that reduced my / file system from 5.4GB to 4GB, far more acceptable 

ThirdOfSix this "Filelight" program sounds usefull, but I can't find it in my repo, which is ftp.heanet.ie.  I also enabled distro.ibiblio.org and looked there as well, nothing.  What's your repo?  Perhaps I can look at yours and find it there 

[menotu]

On this 32bit install (with heanet.ie) I can see filelight (version 4.7.80)  or look for kde-utils-filelight

You've probably already done so, but do a Reload prior to searching

[wharfhouse]

Trying to acquire Filelight... I think I may have suddenly got a problem here 

I'm getting the following error messages in Synaptic:



then...



Don't understand why this is now happening... never done it before    I've tried several repo's and I get the same result.

Any ideas?

[Neal ManBear]

wharfhouse,     
Run bleachbit and bleachbit-root to clean up your system. Reload Synaptic.     

[wharfhouse]

Hi Neal,

wharfhouse,     
Run bleachbit and bleachbit-root to clean up your system. Reload Synaptic.     

Nogo, just the same.   Wracking my brains the only changes I've made was to select "Delete downloaded packages after installation" then pressing the "Delete cached package files button" in Preferences > Files > Temporary Files in Synaptic.  Other than sorting out VGA problems with on-board adapters as you know from my previous thread, I don't know what could have gone wrong.  Could it have been an update recently?

I've looked at TBercaht's post above referring to O-P's post, but it looks complicated and only refers to KDE installs.  Should I put this thread on hold and open a new one on Synaptic?

[wharfhouse]

Darryl... Well done you

You've made what looked complicated far simpler to understand and simple to execute... which solved this particular problem!  Brilliant    But it begs the question: how did you come by this answer or even know there was a problem?  I checked all the official notifications... couldn't find anything; keep my system up-to-date... well... up to this problem rearing its head... don't understand why it suddenly went wrong    Anyway, it's fixed now!

ThirdOfSix... Filelight... what a nifty little programme    I identified some rubbish and now got my root filesystem down to 3.1GB which, to my way of thinking, is very acceptable 

So, all in all, everything solved and PCLinuxOS working beautifully! 

Once more a big THANKS to all of you for looking after me and being so generous in giving up your time.  I'll now mark the thread as appropriate.

Cheers!
 

[Old-Polack]

Darryl... Well done you

You've made what looked complicated far simpler to understand and simple to execute... which solved this particular problem!  Brilliant    But it begs the question: how did you come by this answer or even know there was a problem? I checked all the official notifications... couldn't find anything; keep my system up-to-date... well... up to this problem rearing its head... don't understand why it suddenly went wrong    Anyway, it's fixed now!

ThirdOfSix... Filelight... what a nifty little programme    I identified some rubbish and now got my root filesystem down to 3.1GB which, to my way of thinking, is very acceptable  

So, all in all, everything solved and PCLinuxOS working beautifully!  

Once more a big THANKS to all of you for looking after me and being so generous in giving up your time.  I'll now mark the thread as appropriate.

Cheers!
 

Maybe because he actually reads the announcements, and read the error message you received.

You didn't seem to have read the announcement about the KDE upgrade, only glanced at it, or you would have seen the part about apt-sources-list version 1.0.2 making the necessary changes to the repo sections for all current mirrors. The apt-sources-list package is needed for all PCLinuxOS installations, regardless of DE used.

Another announcement you seem to have missed...

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,102057.msg869308.html#msg869308

There have been literally dozens of posts in threads in the various help sections of the forum where the same error was reported, and the same information given to fix the problem. A forum Search would have given you the information much sooner, and we have always stressed doing a Search before starting a thread. Seems like a lot of people don't take that advise seriously.  

[wharfhouse]

Maybe because he actually reads the announcements, and read the error message you received.

Well that's told me! 

You didn't seem to have read the announcement about the KDE upgrade, only glanced at it, or you would have seen the part about apt-sources-list version 1.0.2 making the necessary changes to the repo sections for all current mirrors. The apt-sources-list package is needed for all PCLinuxOS installations, regardless of DE used.

I guess you're referring to http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,108162.0.html.  Well, surely I'm allowed forgiveness for not reading it when I saw KDE 4.8.3 Upgrade when I'm running Zen Mini?

Another announcement you seem to have missed...

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,102057.msg869308.html#msg869308

Oh yes I did, and was already installed!! 

we have always stressed doing a Search before starting a thread. Seems like a lot of people don't take that advise seriously.

Now come on O-P... this is me here... you know I always do a search first     You're taking it out of context, this issue suddenly raised it's head in mid-thread of another problem!    But I'l let you off 

[Old-Polack]

Maybe because he actually reads the announcements, and read the error message you received.

Well that's told me! 

You didn't seem to have read the announcement about the KDE upgrade, only glanced at it, or you would have seen the part about apt-sources-list version 1.0.2 making the necessary changes to the repo sections for all current mirrors. The apt-sources-list package is needed for all PCLinuxOS installations, regardless of DE used.

I guess you're referring to http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,108162.0.html.  Well, surely I'm allowed forgiveness for not reading it when I saw KDE 4.8.3 Upgrade when I'm running Zen Mini?

Another announcement you seem to have missed...

http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,102057.msg869308.html#msg869308

Oh yes I did, and was already installed!! 

we have always stressed doing a Search before starting a thread. Seems like a lot of people don't take that advise seriously.

Now come on O-P... this is me here... you know I always do a search first     You're taking it out of context, this issue suddenly raised it's head in mid-thread of another problem!    But I'l let you off 

I wouldn't have mentioned any of that, had you not asked the question. You ought to know by now that I just can't resist such an open invitation to take a jab. 

[wharfhouse]

+1 

P.S.
Good to know you're still live & kicking... hadn't heard from you for a while