Server keeps shutting down ! (FC3)

[Mikkel L. Ellertson]

Kim Lux wrote:
> This is what I get from the drive when its mounted via the USB drive
> caddy on another machine:
> 
> #/sbin/fsck /dev/sda
> fsck 1.39 (29-May-2006)
> e2fsck 1.39 (29-May-2006)
> Couldn't find ext2 superblock, trying backup blocks...
> fsck.ext2: Bad magic number in super-block while trying to open /dev/sda
> 
> The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
> filesystem.  If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2
> filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
> is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate
> superblock:
>     e2fsck -b 8193 <device>
> 
<------------[ SNIP ]-------------->
> 
> The first error message is exactly the same as what happens on the
> server.  Why does fsck /dev/sda fail, but fsck /dev/sda1 and
> fsck /dev/sda3 work ?
> 
> Does this drive problem have something to do with the server shutting
> down ?
> 
The problem is that fsck does a file system check, and /dev/sda does
not have a file system on it to check. But partition 1 (/dev/sda1)
and partition 3 (/dev/sda3) do have file systems that can be
checked. Remember, /dev/sda is the entire hard drive, including the
master boot record, partition table, and the contents of the
partitions. This is why you can use dd to copy and entire drive to a
matching drive, or make an image of an entire drive.

Mikkel
-- 

  Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
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