1. Tentative notes for converting / from ext2 to ext3 while booted on /:
2. unmount everything (including /proc …)
3. tune2fs -Ohas_journal /dev/cciss/c0d0p3 (assuming c0d0p3 is your root partition)
4. mount -t ext3 -o remount,rw / /
5. change the root entry in /etc/fstab
6. mount -a
7. mkinitrd /boot/initrd-ext3 2.4.18-3-smp
8. edit grub to point to the new initrd
9. shutdown -r now

Converting / from EXT3 to EXT2
while booted on the installation CD

Note: It appears that you cannot convert from ext3 to ext2 while booted on it. You must boot to the installation CD in rescue mode or you must pivot_root over to the initrd filesystem.

1. Tentative notes for converting / from ext3 to ext2:
2. Boot to the RH73 installation CD
3. at the boot prompt enter “linux rescue”
4. Have the rescue portion mount everything as rw
5. tune2fs -O^has_journal /dev/cciss/c0d0p3
6. fsck.ext2 -f /dev/cciss/c0d0p3
7. mount -t ext2 -o remount,rw / /
8. rm -f /.journal
9. /mnt/sysimage/usr/sbin/chroot /mnt/sysimage
10. mkinitrd /boot/initrd-ext2 2.4.18-3-smp
11. change the root entry in /etc/fstab
12. edit grub to point to the new initrd
13. exit (from chroot)
14. exit (from rescue mode) – system will reboot and CD will eject

EXT3 fix for RH71, 72, 73, and 80 now available:
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHBA-2002-292.html

<snip…>
Advisory: RHBA-2002:292-05
Last updated on: 2002-12-20

New kernel fixes ext3 data-journaling data loss and tg3 hang

Updated packages for Red Hat Linux 7.1, 7.1K, 7.2, 7.3, and 8.0 are now
available that fix a bug in the ext3 file system discovered in the previous
errata kernel. The bug has the potential to cause data loss if the file
system is used in a non-default way.
<snip…>