Issue installing Alpine Linux on a VPS
Hello all,
i have several VPS with VirMach since years, all running Alpine Linux i've installed from netboot.xyz (network install). They are all running smooth since a while but there is one i've never been able to install. It's been a while, as i was "well just let it on the side for now eventually VirMach may have an issue they will fix" but after months i'm not able to install my server. I'm pretty sure anyway there is a workaround without involving my provider so i wanted to ask the community here first.
This VPS is able to run with they're premade setup (i've tried Ubuntu, works).
Again i already have several VPS with the same provider, all on Alpine Linux, same setup used. The difference between them is the node where they are hosted, as i often jump on new discounts they have (this one is a BF-2021 special, i have 4 VPS from this offer, 3 are working with Alpine).
Please see following screenshot to view my issue:
Thank you so much for sharing your time helping to debug 
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Site Reliability Engineer using DevOps mindset. High interest in so many hosting companies (VPN, Drive, Web, VPS, etc.) and believe in privacy.
Opinions are my own.
Comments
Why with alpine persistency archive layer i sometimes randomly get corrupted archive when i save changes, on a Raspberry Pi 2?
My sdcards are supreme quality, superior potassium. 🤔
PS: This is why i left alpine and went on with readonly raspbian root filesystem instead.
I'd start with a boot into rescue, then manually run fdisk on /dev/vda, wiping out the partition table. Try installing Alpine again.
Alpine appears to have an issue re-partitioning your current layout.
It wisnae me! A big boy done it and ran away.
NVMe2G for life! until death (the end is nigh)
/dev/vda3 contains ext4 last mounted April 17, while the installer says that it just deleted/wiped it. DO NOT COMPUTE.
I would assume installer is broken and can't handle the 3 partition you already have there (from previous system?) and it never creates them / removes, just shits itself without any decent error handling.
Use the rescue mode and nuke all 3 partitions (aka format drive) or just throw different image earlier - something that will change the partitions structure/number and re-try with alpine.
Haven't bought a single service in VirMach Great Ryzen 2022 - 2023 Flash Sale.
https://lowendspirit.com/uploads/editor/gi/ippw0lcmqowk.png
Not the same thing.:p
It wisnae me! A big boy done it and ran away.
NVMe2G for life! until death (the end is nigh)
Thank you for the feedback. It helped to install the server and i can use it now ^^. That was still so basic! I'm surprised that was enough to block the setup process. After wiping disk from rescue the server had issue to setup the network properly, but i've continued anyway and will deal with it directly on the fresh install.
Thanks all for your help, really appreciate it
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Site Reliability Engineer using DevOps mindset. High interest in so many hosting companies (VPN, Drive, Web, VPS, etc.) and believe in privacy.
Opinions are my own.
^ Sometimes, the simplest of things can screw us over and are easily missed.
I recalled, many moons ago, where a Windoze reboot somehow remembered a previous fdisk wipe. That confused me! Straining to remember properly but something to do with the 1st 20 bytes of data on a disc.
(Is pleased that someone with a week into cardiac rehab can still offer something useful.)
It wisnae me! A big boy done it and ran away.
NVMe2G for life! until death (the end is nigh)
Always onwards and upwards. Stick at it.
Keith