[xubuntu-users] "Not enough space on disk /boot"

Mon May 25 15:13:06 UTC 2015

On 05/25/2015 06:16 AM, Petter Adsen wrote:
> On Mon, 25 May 2015 19:35:44 +0900
> Thomas Blasejewicz <nyuwa at hb.tp1.jp> wrote:
> 
>> On 2015/05/24 16:02, Petter Adsen wrote:
>>> On Sat, 23 May 2015 22:55:38 +0900
>>> DO NOT START RANDOMLY DELETING KERNEL PACKAGES IF YOU ARE NOT
>>> TOTALLY SURE WHAT YOU ARE DOING! If you decide to use Synaptic to
>>> get rid of old kernels, then be careful, and make sure to leave (at
>>> least) the latest working one, or you will be unable to boot.
>>>
>>>
>> * THAT precisely is my problem: I DO NOT know what I am doing!
>> And, since I could not find any other "solution" DID delete old 
>> "kernels" (whatever that means).
> 
> The kernel is the part of the system that is actually called "Linux".
> It is the heart of the operating system, if you will, responsible for
> interacting with hardware and allocating resources to programs. If you
> remove all the kernels, your computer will not be able to start.
> 
> (Yes, this is very simplified. I intended it that way.)
> 
> In the future, if you need to remove kernels, always remember to leave
> at least one that you know works for you. You will be able to get your
> system up and running again if you delete them all, but it will require
> a bit of fiddling.
> 
>> That is why there is currently only one. No automatic process running
>>
>> Just checked "df /boot". It shows:
>> Filesystem  lk-blocks  Used   Available   Used%   Mounted on
>> /dev/sda1    240972  90020   138511   40%   /boot
>>
>> Why is this thing "limited"? The one and only partition encompasses
>> the entire 500-GB HDD where at least 350 GB are free space.
>>  From all the things written here in the last messages, I gather,
>> this is "Linux problem" and any possible solution will require
>> a high level of technical knowledge.
> 
> Basically, it's a silly decision on Canonicals part (the people behind
> Ubuntu). It should (arguably) not be this way. Since so many people are
> being bitten by this, it will probably change in the (hopefully near)
> future. This is a problem that pops up all the time.
> 
>> * Please forgive me, I do not want to be rude, but about the "know
>> what you are doing" thing ...
>> I need at least two computers for my work (translation and running a 
>> little acupuncture clinic)
>> In particular the translation jobs require that I (can) handle a 
>> wordprocessor, dictionaries and a mailer.
>> To do my work, I have to concentrate on those operations.
>> I know this is pure heresy in the Linux community, but ... I do not
>> have the time (and intention) to learn a new language (= "computer)
>> and make a masters degree in computer science just to be able to type
>> my work. Frankly, I do not care about all the intricacies of computer
>> science and programming as long as the computer = tool does what I
>> need it to do. THAT is why I was asking about the "automatic"
>> workings of the OS silently in the background.
> 
> I can absolutely understand that, and I agree with you completely. This
> is the kind of thing that the system should handle for itself. In my
> mind, part of the problem is that Linux is suitable for so many wildly
> different things. It is hard to come up with a default configuration
> that will not break things in one way or another, depending on how
> people use it.
> 
> Another thing is that traditionally, a large percentage of Linux users
> have been hobbyists and professionals who *do* care about the
> intricacies of the system, and adapt it to their needs. Linux is still
> evolving at a rapid pace, and unfortunately, not everything is in place
> yet to make everything suitable for people with limited technical
> knowledge. The system simply gives you so much control over its inner
> workings by design.
> 
> Linux is actually very, very good at simply doing what it's told and
> get out of the users' way. The problem is that it needs someone to tell
> it exactly what to do :) If you get it set up to meet your needs, you
> will be hard pressed to find a more reliable platform. Linux is
> actually quite user friendly, but it has a bit of a learning curve.
> 
>> Also precisely because I am not a computer specialist, most of the 
>> explanations/advice provided here eludes me.
>> Most of commands I am supposed to execute or programs I should run
>> are completely alien to me and I am usually not able to follow thes
>> given instructions.
> 
> If you need clearer instructions, feel free to ask :) In general,
> people are happy to help.
> 
>> I had placed great hope on the "just works" and "user friendly"
>> concepts to widely advertised on all Linux related websites.
>> But it seems, Linux is not meant for ordinary mortal men.
>> So, I guess, I will have to continue to regularly and manually
>> uninstall old/unused(?) kernels to keep things going.
> 
> You should not need to. The system absolutely should handle this for
> itself.
> 
> Another thing you might consider, is restricting updates to security
> updates only. You can do this under the system settings, under
> "Software & Updates". If there are no bugs that affect you, this might
> be a reasonable thing to do. Others may disagree with this, but I'd say
> that as long as you get security fixes, you shouldn't need to worry too
> much about the rest. "If it isn't broken, don't fix it".
> 
>> I am really sorry for the commotion I caused.
> 
> No reason to be :)
> 
> Petter
> 
One option you might try, especially if you're not into kernel
management (as I am), is Ubuntu Tweak. Download it at:

https://launchpad.net/ubuntu-tweak/0.8.x/0.8.7/+download/ubuntu-tweak_0.8.7-1%7Etrusty2_all.deb

The PPA is at:

http://ppa.launchpad.net/tualatrix/ppa/ubuntu

The Tweak website is:

http://ubuntu-tweak.com/

Tweak offers a lot of customization options that really don't apply to
xubuntu.  But, the janitor button allows you to clean up old software
AND old kernels.  Give it a go.

And, yes, I agree with others that this "kernels filling up /boot" is a
bug that should at least be handled by the OS.

Good luck,
Victor

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