[SOLVED] Arch won't boot after I created a separate /var parition

Question

Arch won't boot after I created a separate /var parition on an existing installation.And let me confess: it was maybe stupid trying to do it on an existing install.
I edited the fstab correctly, copied the files using rsync preserving permissions. Then I kept a backup of /var using tar. Then went on to delete everything under /var, ie /var/*, the /var folder is still there. All this I did from a live CD. After that I booted into my arch linux. Here I get messages about systemd successfully finishing fsck on each of my partitions, then the screen starts blinking. And there is no more output. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete causes systemd to stop its services and reboot.
Having realized I had borked my system, I removed the /var line from fstab and restored /var from the tar file I made earlier. Again I did this from a live cd. Rebooted into my arch system, and again similar issues, namely that after fsck and messages informing a few services had started, the screen keeps blinking.
The live cd I used for reorganizing my partitions was elementary OS freya. They have GParted in there. I also have an arch install iso lying aroung from May 2013. If necessary, I can download the latest version. I am currently typing from a Windows installation I dual boot from.
I don't know how to extract any boot logs as I am locked out of the system. Here is my fstab in any case:
# Filesystem information
# /dev/sda5 LABEL=fs_root
UUID=b9d739cf-fd8c-46dd-a919-bd827dc47c66 / ext4 rw,noatime,data=ordered 0 1
# /dev/sda9 LABEL=fs_var
UUID=ec0f7a49-dccd-43ab-8651-9aa3fdb41cc7 /var ext4 rw,noatime,data=ordered 0 2
# /dev/sda2 LABEL=fs_boot
UUID=0e8ab31a-3bda-4b85-a901-a36f21b1583d /boot ext2 rw,noatime 0 2
# /dev/sda6 LABEL=fs_home
UUID=d9e63c47-274e-447f-ad01-0d97afe0fd34 /home ext4 rw,noatime,data=ordered 0 2
# /dev/sda7 LABEL=fs_swap
UUID=7301227c-e9f3-41b8-9d0f-4cf3c159491c none swap defaults 0 0
# /dev/sda3 LABEL=fs_win
UUID=12B639D1B639B5D7 /fs_win ntfs uid=1000,gid=1000,dmask=027,fmask=137,showexec,nofail,noauto,x-systemd.automount 0 0
# /dev/sda3 LABEL=fs_share
UUID=D272269772268079 /fs_share ntfs uid=1000,gid=1000,dmask=027,fmask=137,showexec,noauto,nofail,x-systemd.automount 0 0
I would greatly appreciate any help.
Last edited by richcocoa (2015-05-03 18:04:44)

Answer 1

Have you moved everything from /var to /new_var (i named it for learning purpose)? You shoud copy content from /var but not on the fly but booting from arch iso cd, and than you shoud mount your / into arch-chroot environement, mount all of your mount points and than copy content from default /var to new /var. The copying should be done with this
cp -rax
and you can add -v switch to verbose output. I have my own /var moved the same way.
The simples way is:
-boot the arch iso cd
-mount all of your mount point (i created here in this step /new_var to move /var to a new place, and this /new_var i put in /etc/fstab as /var later)
-copy /var to /new_var with -rax or -vrax (recursive, archive, this filesystem or verbose, recursive, archive, this filesystem switches)
-umount all of it
-reboot.
Last edited by firekage (2015-05-02 07:49:20)