# mkfs.ext3 -b 1024 /dev/sdb1 2047000000 mke2fs 1.39 (29-May-2006) Filesystem label= OS type: Linux Block size=1024 (log=0) Fragment size=1024 (log=0) 255875072 inodes, 2047000000 blocks 102350000 blocks (5.00%) reserved for the super user First data block=1 Maximum filesystem blocks=2114191360 249878 block groups 8192 blocks per group, 8192 fragments per group 1024 inodes per group Superblock backups stored on blocks: 8193, 24577, 40961, 57345, 73729, 204801, 221185, 401409, 663553, 1024001, 1990657, 2809857, 5120001, 5971969, 17915905, 19668993, 25600001, 53747713, 128000001, 137682945, 161243137, 483729409, 640000001, 963780609, 1451188225 mkfs.ext3: Could not allocate block in ext2 filesystem while trying to allocate filesystem tables same on a loopback file: # touch fsfile # mkfs.ext3 -F -b 1024 fsfile 2047000000 mke2fs 1.39 (29-May-2006) Filesystem label= OS type: Linux Block size=1024 (log=0) Fragment size=1024 (log=0) 255875072 inodes, 2047000000 blocks 102350000 blocks (5.00%) reserved for the super user First data block=1 Maximum filesystem blocks=2114191360 249878 block groups 8192 blocks per group, 8192 fragments per group 1024 inodes per group Superblock backups stored on blocks: 8193, 24577, 40961, 57345, 73729, 204801, 221185, 401409, 663553, 1024001, 1990657, 2809857, 5120001, 5971969, 17915905, 19668993, 25600001, 53747713, 128000001, 137682945, 161243137, 483729409, 640000001, 963780609, 1451188225 mkfs.ext3: Could not allocate block in ext2 filesystem while trying to allocate filesystem tables
Ok, the issue is that we want so many inodes by default, there's no room for the inode table in the first block group. Seems like mke2fs could be a bit more informative about what is going on; if I reduce the nr. of inodes, mkfs completes ok... Bug 241765 is more worrisome, it actually completes but is corrupt.
Patch sent upstream
Patch committed upstream, http://git.kernel.org/?p=fs/ext2/e2fsprogs.git;a=commit;h=5a92a627f1e067ecfaa2478cfafeca2817cdc69f
Since I'm the only one who's ever hit this, and no customer has seen it on RHEL, I'm content to not churn this fix into RHEL; we can pick it up on the next e2fsprogs release - should be in e2fsprogs-1.40.3.