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enter image description hereI have a server with broken HDD (at least one drive from Mdadm raid). Every HDD drive has a SWAP partition on it. Native system hangs on boot. I have an IPMI access to a server, and trying to identify a broken drive.

The problem is that a live usb itself tries to recognize a broken hard disk, reads list of partitions on it and hangs. I suppose that hang occurs on attempt to automatically mount SWAP partition. Is there any boot param that can be added to grub cmd line to forbid mounting Mdadm raid and swap partitions on boot?

Dmitriusan
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1 Answers1

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Portable installed system in an external drive

I don't know a solution with a live system based on Ubuntu. But I suggest a work-around. Boot into a portable installed system in an external drive (for example a USB pendrive). You can install the system yourself according to the following link,

Boot Ubuntu from external drive.

or use a pre-made system by cloning from a compressed image file according to the following link,

help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/UEFI-and-BIOS

Such a system (installed like into an internal drive, but in this case installed into an external drive) will not try to use swap partitions in the internal drives of your server. It will only use what is specified in its /etc/fstab file.

I think it is possible to install the repair tools, that you need, and perform the repair tasks with this kind of portable installed system.

Edit: You can also try with a Debian live system. I tested with a Debian [persistent] live system, made from the following iso file,

debian-live-9.0.1-amd64-cinnamon.iso

and it does not use any swap (when booted in a computer where Ubuntu and Ubuntu family live drives grab the swap partitions they find). Sorry to make the Ubuntu fans unhappy ;-)

sudodus
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