Hello, We use SuSE 6.4 for our product development. We will soon be installing a set of test servers, to serve as a semi-stable testing environment. It is probable that we will have to re-install the complete system many times on these servers, to see if our software still runs on a basic install of SuSE. However, we do not want to spend lots of time with re-installing. Is there a utility that allows us to make an image of the whole system? This image should be placed on a self-bootable CD-ROM or something like that, so that we can start off with a completely blank system and install our typical SuSE installation. A backup program is therefore not fit for our purposes, since we would have to install SuSE to run the restore program. Thanks in advance, Hein Ragas
Quoting Hein Ragas on Tue, Feb 27, 2001 at 03:29:46PM +0100:
Hello,
We use SuSE 6.4 for our product development. We will soon be installing a set of test servers, to serve as a semi-stable testing environment. It is probable that we will have to re-install the complete system many times on these servers, to see if our software still runs on a basic install of SuSE. However, we do not want to spend lots of time with re-installing.
Is there a utility that allows us to make an image of the whole system? This image should be placed on a self-bootable CD-ROM or something like that, so that we can start off with a completely blank system and install our typical SuSE installation. A backup program is therefore not fit for our purposes, since we would have to install SuSE to run the restore program.
Thanks in advance, Hein Ragas
-- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/support/faq
We built something like this at work using tomsrootboot or the Linuxcare bbc with an rsync script which downloads a script which runs, formats the hard disk drive, grabs the build from a networked server, etc. All we did was get a build which worked, rsync it to a network server and build the scripts which basically attach to the server, download a script you can specify (for different builds, pretty handy), and grab the build and install it. It finishes by running lilo on teh build and instructing you to reboot. We were able to deliver redhat 6.2 builds in about 15 minutes from beginning to end. Using all open source software. I can get copies of the rsync scripts and our little program if you like and provide them. Our program simply takes some command line arguments and opens a socket connection to the box with the build on it. It then grabs the pertinent installation script and the build is downloaded and installed after formatting the file systems. There are lots of other ways, but if you get to using a floppy disk and rsync things get sweet. If you discover a slight problem with the build and use rsync its easy to correct or change settings. -- Michael Perry mperry@tsoft.com ------------------
Hein Ragas wrote:
Hello,
We use SuSE 6.4 for our product development. We will soon be installing a set of test servers, to serve as a semi-stable testing environment. It is probable that we will have to re-install the complete system many times on these servers, to see if our software still runs on a basic install of SuSE. However, we do not want to spend lots of time with re-installing.
Is there a utility that allows us to make an image of the whole system? This image should be placed on a self-bootable CD-ROM or something like that, so that we can start off with a completely blank system and install our typical SuSE installation. A backup program is therefore not fit for our purposes, since we would have to install SuSE to run the restore program.
That's not realy true. You can use the rescue image on the cd's and use tar to completely restore your system. Do it all the time. The rescue image should provide you with enough tools to partition/mkfs/mount your partitions then use tar to restore. I'm of coarse assuming you have a tape drive connected. The rescue system is a mini kernel that comes from the cd. You can get to it by booting from CD #2. You can even make a custom rescue CD if the generic one doesn't have what you need. In the past, only reiser not being there,was my only problem with it. I THINK with 7.1 even reiser support is in the rescue kernel.
Thanks in advance, Hein Ragas
-- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/support/faq
-- Mark Hounschell markh@compro.net
"Donald G. Knecht"
How could I have missed that! I scrub LJ from cover to cover. I'm getting old.... I was going to recommend Norton's Ghost 6.2, but your suggest is vastly superior. JLK On Tuesday 27 February 2001 10:10, tabanna wrote:
"Donald G. Knecht"
most kindly told me :- okay here it is:(from Linux Journal December 2000 Issue 80, pg.16)
"Wanna make a clone of one hard disk to another? Use tar. Hook up your soon-to-be-cloned hard disk to your system (power off during this operation). Boot your box. As root, cd to /. Mount the new hard drive on /mnt. Then run the following command: $ tar clf - . | ( umask 0; cd /mnt; tar xvf - ) c = create l = stay on local filesystem ( don't cross filesystem boundaries ) f = file ( the next argument is the name of the tarfile or "-" ) - = write to standard out or read from standard in x = extract v = verbose "umask 0" ensures that the new files have the same permissions as the old ones."
................................................................
-- ____________ sent on Linux ____________
okay here it is:(from Linux Journal December 2000 Issue 80, pg.16)
"Wanna make a clone of one hard disk to another? Use tar. Hook up your soon-to-be-cloned hard disk to your system (power off during this operation). Boot your box. As root, cd to /. Mount the new hard drive on /mnt. Then run the following command: $ tar clf - . | ( umask 0; cd /mnt; tar xvf - )
This only works if you have one Linux partition; that is, all your files are under a single root partition. BTW, in this case, the l option is meaningless. Also, the disk-to-be-cloned-to needs to have an already-created filesystem, which should be empty. It sounds like what Hein wants to do would be best served by Michael Perry's solution. You basically want to wipe the disk clean and stuff a fresh build onto it. Tar would work, but it would require you to mount the disk onto a machine already running Linux which (if you've wiped the disk clean) has just disappeared. -- -Mike suse-list@Linux.Schwager.com -o) Go to www.forsitesolutions.com to read Linux /\\ "Guides for Reasonably Intelligent People" _\_v The list will grow as I do.
participants (6)
-
Hein Ragas
-
Jerry Kreps
-
Mark Hounschell
-
Michael Perry
-
Michael Schwager
-
tabanna