How to extend /boot partition in SafeSquid

[Pratik]

The older version of the SafeSquid ISO installer suggests a default partition layout with /boot partition size of 232 megabytes.
This was sufficient for older versions of the operating system (older than ubuntu 18.04 LTS) however, with newer versions of ubuntu /boot partitions get utilized rather quickly.
Example of an obsolete filesystem structure.

old_fs.JPG (97.76 KiB) Viewed 2090 times

Moreover /boot partition gets populated with old kernel modules and other leftover upgrades.
SafeSquid ISO installs, which are not recent may have issues with /boot partition utilized to 100%

This can prevent system updates and security patches essential for server security.
Example of such an error.

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Preparing to unpack .../06-libcupsimage2_2.2.7-1ubuntu2.9_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libcupsimage2:amd64 (2.2.7-1ubuntu2.9) over (2.2.7-1ubuntu2.8) ...
Preparing to unpack .../07-libcups2_2.2.7-1ubuntu2.9_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libcups2:amd64 (2.2.7-1ubuntu2.9) over (2.2.7-1ubuntu2.8) ...
Preparing to unpack .../08-libmagickcore-6.q16-3-extra_8%3a6.9.7.4+dfsg-16ubuntu6.13_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libmagickcore-6.q16-3-extra:amd64 (8:6.9.7.4+dfsg-16ubuntu6.13) over (8:6.9.7.4+dfsg-16ubuntu6.12) ...
Selecting previously unselected package linux-modules-4.15.0-188-generic.
Preparing to unpack .../09-linux-modules-4.15.0-188-generic_4.15.0-188.199_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking linux-modules-4.15.0-188-generic (4.15.0-188.199) ...
dpkg: error processing archive /tmp/apt-dpkg-install-DPzMI2/09-linux-modules-4.15.0-188-generic_4.15.0-188.199_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 cannot copy extracted data for './boot/System.map-4.15.0-188-generic' to '/boot/System.map-4.15.0-188-generic.dpkg-new': failed to write (No space left on device)

Attached is a complete log for detailed analysis.

error.txt

(12.83 KiB) Downloaded 53 times

In a newer version of SafeSquid ISO install, the problem of a smaller boot partition has been resolved.
/boot is configured to have comparatively large disk space.
Example of existing filesystem structure.

new_fs.jpg (91.59 KiB) Viewed 2043 times

Workaround for users with older installs and smaller boot partitions can extend their /boot partition size.
Below is a guide on how to extend your /boot partitions.

How to extend /boot partition for an older version of SafeSquid install
(Note: Test for extending /boot portion was performed on newer SafeSquid install as we do not have SafeSquid with the older install, although execution remains similar.)
Default filesystem for SafeSquid ISO install

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Add a new disk with a minimum of 2GB and a maximum of 5GB to your SafeSquid server.
(Note: Adding a new disk will not be covered here, you can find resources online to achieve the same based on your system type)

Validate disk status.

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lsblk

- List all storage devices.
For me, after adding a new storage device, the existing sda storage device is now referred to as sdb and new storage device is referred to as sda

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Create a new filesystem of type ext4.
(Note: In this example, the new storage device is referred to as sda and the existing boot partition is referred to as /dev/sdb1.
If you are following this guide please make sure that you have selected the appropriate partitions before performing any given task.)

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 mkfs.ext4 /dev/<sda> 

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Create new directory in /usr/local/src/old_boot for mounting old boot partition.

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mkdir -p /usr/local/src/old_boot

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umount /dev/<sdb1> ; mount /dev/sdb1 /usr/local/src/old_boot

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Mount new partition to /boot directory

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mount /dev/<sda> /boot

use rsync to copy all files with their permissions from the old boot directory to the new boot directory.

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rsync  -avz /usr/local/src/old_boot /boot

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Edit /etc/fstab to modify the UUID of /boot directory.
To get the UUID of your storage device, use the below command.

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 blkid| grep /dev/<sda>| awk '{print $2}' | awk -F = '{print $2}' | awk -F \" '{print $2}'

copy UUID and edit /etc/fstab file.

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vim /etc/fstab

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Hit "Esc" and

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:wq!

to save and exit from vim.
restart your server.
Validate if /dev/sda has automounted in /boot directory.

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lsblk

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Executing the below command if you have any unattended updates

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apt update && apt upgrade -y

The system should now update without any errors.

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