/opt is being deleted in overlayfs build after extra sfs install

[peabee]

@dimkr ?
BookwormPup32 with a savefolder and an extra sfs with /opt in it loaded - after reboot there is no longer a /opt directory.....

The savefolder upper directory shows /opt has been replaced by "something else":

[peabee]

Further info: BookwormPup64 with a different sfs (but containing /opt) seems to work correctly.

Will make a small test sfs that can be installed on both systems.........

[dimkr]

The "file" in the save is a whiteout. When you unload a SFS, sfs_load.overlay deletes empty leftover directories, and /opt is deleted because it's 1. present in the SFS and 2. empty.

If you load another SFS that contains /opt, install a package that contains /opt or simply create /opt (through a file manager or mkdir /opt, doesn't matter), you will see /opt again.

[peabee]

The extra sfs is loaded by putting it into the frugal install directory and clicking on it.
The extra sfs is never unloaded.
A possible difference between BW64 and BW32 is that BW64 has items in /opt in the puppy.sfs whereas in BW32 /opt is empty....??

[peabee]

Confirmed that putting some dummy content into /opt in the main system sfs for BW32 stops /opt being erased after an extra sfs with /opt content is loaded and queued and rebooted.

[dimkr]

A possible difference between BW64 and BW32 is that BW64 has items in /opt in the puppy.sfs whereas in BW32 /opt is empty....??

Yes, sfs_load.overlay removes every directory present if the SFS during unloading, if it's empty. If /opt was empty before the SFS was loaded and the SFS contains /opt, /opt will be deleted when you unload the SFS.

[peabee]

Bit confused about mention of SFS unloading as the activity was not unloading - it was loading and queuing an sfs with /opt contents for use after a reboot - which couldn't happen because /opt was "deleted".
Does "unloading" somehow occur as part of queuing and rebooting??
Will try the proposed fix.

[dimkr]

The leftover directory cleanup procedure happens only if:

1. You unload a SFS, or
2. You use PUPMODE 12 and reboot while a SFS loaded by sfs_load is still loaded, or
3. You use PUPMODE 12 and power is lost (or disk corruption, or something else) while a SFS loaded by sfs_load is loaded, then boot Puppy again