Description of problem: Normally you can specify a UUID for creating a filesystem with an external journal, eg: /sbin/mke2fs -t ext2 -J device=UUID=298765c4-c6a7-49a6-b53b-9df92aad9ebe -b 4096 /dev/vda2 That works fine. However, if you typo the UUID string, then you get this misleading error message: /sbin/mke2fs -t ext2 -J device=UUID=12345678 -b 4096 /dev/vda2 Bad journal options specified. Journal options are separated by commas, and may take an argument which is set off by an equals ('=') sign. Valid journal options are: size=<journal size in megabytes> device=<journal device> The journal size must be between 1024 and 10240000 filesystem blocks. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): e2fsprogs-1.41.10-5.fc13.i686 How reproducible: Always. Expected results: It should say something like 'device does not exist'.
sure, suppose that could be changed, to be clearer. Maybe even "device with label XXX not found"
Sent a patch upstream for this: # mke2fs -j -J device=UUID=12345678 /dev/sdb5 Could not find journal device matching UUID=12345678 Bad journal options specified. .... http://marc.info/?l=linux-ext4&m=127015000013807&w=2 -Eric
Ok, patch is committed upstream: From: Eric Sandeen <sandeen> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 19:26:30 +0000 (-0500) Subject: mke2fs: be explicit if external journal device is not found X-Git-Url: http://git.kernel.org/?p=fs%2Fext2%2Fe2fsprogs.git;a=commitdiff_plain;h=1bb14a22b5ea31ce4b9b5d9d8c7e75f02fad77ee mke2fs: be explicit if external journal device is not found This for RH bug #572935 - RFE: Misleading error message from mke2fs -J option If the journal device UUID is typo'd or otherwise not found, the error message looks like it's a usage() type of problem. It'd be helpful to explicitly say that the device requested could not be found. Addresses-Red-Hat-Bug: #572935 Signed-off-by: Eric Sandeen <sandeen> Signed-off-by: Theodore Ts'o <tytso> --- Any particular desire for a fix pushed to F13 or should I just move this to rawhide and we'll pick it up when the next e2fsprogs is released? Thanks, -Eric
(In reply to comment #3) > Any particular desire for a fix pushed to F13 or should I just move this to > rawhide and we'll pick it up when the next e2fsprogs is released? Just rawhide is fine for me.
Ok, I'm going to take it one step further and close it NEXTRELEASE, Ted should have updated e2fsprogs soon and then it'll be in rawhide. Thanks for the report, that's a useful fix. -Eric