Making a Linux XFS Root

The following procedure outlines the general steps you perform to make a root filesystem for use with XFS Linux.

In order to perform this procedure, you must have a machine with sufficient space for two copies of the filesystems, since the procedure involves making full copies of your partitions and filesystems.

1. Boot an XFS-capable kernel. Instructions for installing an XFS kernel are provided in Installing from the Source and Installing XFS from the Red Hat RPM packages.
2. Set up copies of all of your partitions with a partition editor.
3. Make XFS filesystems that parallel your existing filesystems on the new set of partitions.
4. Mount the XFS filesystems somewhere. Mount the filesystems in the same layout as they will be used:
   /mnt/ /mnt/usr /mnt/usr/local /mnt/var ... etc.
5. Copy data for each filesystem:
   find / -mount -print | cpio -pdm /mnt
   find /usr -mount -print | cpio -pdm /mnt/usr

   etc.

6. On what will be the new root, edit the /etc/lilo.conf file to add an entry for the new root filesystem and give it an XFS-capable kernel (XFS as a module is more complex).

   For example:

   image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.2-XFS-0.10.smp
        label=xfs-root
        read-only
        root=/dev/hda1
        append="console=ttyS0,115200"
   

7. In the new root, edit the fstab file and replace device entries with the device entries for the new setup. Change the filesystem type to xfs.
8. Install the new lilo configuration:
   lilo -r /mnt

   where /mnt is the root of the new tree.

9. Reboot to the new kernel and root.