AWS 95 or A/UX 3.x: Manually Executing fsck

This article describes Manually Executing the fsck command on an Apple Workgroup Server (AWS) 95 or A/UX 3.x after a system crash.
Running fsck From the A/UX Startup Shell

When restarting an AWS 95 or A/UX 3.x after a system crash, you should perform a manual file system check (fsck) from the A/UX Startup shell. Any file system inconsistency is made worse if you continue to use that file system (consequently modifying it further) without running fsck.

You enter the A/UX Startup shell by turning on your server and clicking the Cancel button or pressing Command-. (Command and period keys) in the dialog box containing "Welcome to the Apple Workgroup Server 95". This cancels the A/UX startup process and presents the A/UX Startup shell. After the A/UX Startup shell displays, the following command-line prompt appears:

startup#

At the prompt, enter this UNIX command (use lower case):

fsck -y /dev/default

Press Return to execute this fsck command. The fsck program lets you know which phase and what file system it is checking at any given time. It may take several minutes to complete the check. For a complete description of all the phases of fsck, refer to the "Server Administration with A/UX" manual which came with your Workgroup Server 95.

When fsck completes running, if you see this message, "FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED", it is recommended you execute the above fsck command again. You want fsck to make a complete check without any modifications or changes.

Note: This sequence performs a filesystem check of the root partition. To check other partitions you can modify the fsck command as follows:

fsck /dev/dsk/cX0Yd0sZ

Where X = SCSI BUS (1, 2, 3 or 4)

Y = SCSI ID of the drive (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6)

Z = Slice where the file system will be created (0 for root volume)

A listing of partitions on the system and their associated mount points can be located in the filesystem table (fstab). This file can be read by entering the following command:

cat /etc/fstab

Running fsck From the Command Shell

Before running the fsck command, be certain there are no applications running which use mounted filesystems, like AppleShare, and then unmount the filesystems using the following command:

umount -a

This unmounts all partitions listed in the file /etc/fstab except "/". To run fsck on these partitions all at once, enter:

fsck

Once the file system check is complete, the partitions can be remounted by entering:

mount -a

The system is now ready to resume normal activity.

Published Date: Feb 18, 2012