Re: Request for enhancement [Re: Question about /etc/fstab in Squeeze]
On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 5:37 PM, Stephen Powell <zlinuxman@wowway.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 11:44:35 -0500 (EST), Rick Thomas wrote:
>> On Dec 19, 2010, at 8:09 AM, Stephen Powell wrote:
>>>
>>> Caution: reformatting a swap partition with mkswap will change the
>>> uuid unless the existing one is explicitly re-specified during
>>> formatting.
>>
>> Which raises a question that has been on my mind for a while...
>>
>> The Debian Installer insists on reformatting any swap partitions it
>> finds, even though that partition, specified by UUID, is probably in
>> use in the /etc/fstab for some other instantiation of Linux -- thus
>> breaking the other Linux, leaving it without a usable swap partition.
>>
>> Would it be possible to either:
>>
>> 1) have the option (default) of *not* reformatting a swap partition
>> or
>> 2) if reformatting is necessary or desired, have the option (default)
>> of preserving the UUID.
>> or
>> 3) using "LABEL=" instead of "UUID=" in fstab for swap partitions, if
>> it turns out to be easier to preserve a LABEL than a UUID.
>
> From what I've heard, the Ubuntu installer has the same problem,
> and it can ruin a functioning Debian system too. Of course, that's
> not something the Debian installer team can do anything about.
> That's outside of their jurisdiction. But many Ubuntu people, both
> users and developers, are known to monitor Debian's lists.
I used to have a netbook on which I installed multiple distributions
and I had to run "mkswap - U <uuid>"after on any new
install/re-install and edit its fstab. Both the Live CD and the
alternate CD Ubuntu installers run mkswap (the alternate is basically
the Debian installer) just like d-i.
We had a thread on d-u about this some time ago and someone said that
the expert installation mode allows you to disable mkswap from
running.
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