Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ulowell!apollo!flinn From: flinn@apollo.COM (Donald Flinn) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo Subject: Re: SR10.1 Installation Procedure ! Message-ID: <4484dd1d.8ecf@apollo.COM> Date: 19 Jul 89 20:16:00 GMT References: <12735@well.UUCP> Reply-To: flinn@apollo.COM (Donald Flinn) Distribution: comp Organization: Apollo Computer, Chelmsford, MA Lines: 86 In article <12735@well.UUCP> rchrd@well.UUCP (Richard Friedman) writes: > >1. There needs to be a load/install option for the stand alone >system. In particular, there should be a clean-up procedure that >deletes unneeded parts of the software from the disk. Also, the >installation procedure could be smarter and not bother to load unneeded >system files. I have noticed that even tho only one SAU option is >selected, MINST loads all the SAU directories into the AA. Why? >Information about the parts of the system the user does not want >(such as /usr/games, /usr/new, domain_examples, unneeded manual pages, etc.) >should be requested at the start and skipped from the load process as well >as the install. > >2. Documentation of the load/install is terrible! The "Installing >Software" manual should have been re-issued with corrections rather than >having the corrections in the release notes. In the end, the messages that >come out of MINST and INSTALL++ during installation don't correspond to >anything in either document. This adds great anxiety when you are >2 hours into the installation and a question comes up that you don't know >how to answer. The documentation should be clearer on what happens when >you answer questions on the screen. All answers should be mentioned. > >3. Once the system is installed, there should be a backup procedure that >will transfer the system, with a boot record, to a backup medium, like >cartridge tape, so that should the disk have to be INVOL'd later on we >can re-load the system without having to go thru the whole load/install >procedure again! This seems simple enough to do. A system backup builder >can look around to see what is installed on the disk, prepare a >bootable tape in whatever structure it needs, and write the tape(s). >Later, after an INVOL, a RELOAD from the monitor shell should be able to >put everything back and setup for a boot back to DOMAIN_OS. Were this >system backup/reload available I could have saved at least 25 hours of >real agony! > >4. Finally, I have noticed that the load procedure at times will >retension a cartridge tape twice! Retensioning should be a y/n option >from the console and be global: "Should load volumes be retensioned >before being read [y/n]" If this is the second re-install today, I really >don't think I have to retension and would like to skip it. > >Lets hope SR10.2 looks better. And don't forget about us stand alone >sites, please! > >-- > ...Richard Friedman rchrd@well.uucp > (Pacific-Sierra Research/Berkeley, CA.) > also: {lll-crg,pacbell,hplabs}!well!rchrd Richard Thanks for your comments. We are trying to make RAI easy to use as well as give the flexibility that our different customer need or desire. This is an ungoing task. We welcome comments, suggestions and constructive criticism. As to your specific comments - 1. distaa is the program that handles loading the AA from media. It uses a script driver file which allows you to select parts of a product to load into the AA. You can generate one of these file using cfgsa (see the install manual on using cfgsa). cfgsa's output is a selection file and an override file. The selection file is the one that drives distaa. The override file restricts what you can pick during config and subsequent installs. This stops you from picking and/or trying to install a subproduct that you did not load into the AA (the overrides file and the selection files are paired.) In order to use cfgsa first rbak file 1 from the tape to get the release index for that product. Then run distaa using the selection file that you have generated. In this manner the AA will only contain those subproducts that you have choosen. ( The templates that we supply are built with cfgsa.) If you only choose one sau in the cfgsa session, only one sau will be loaded into the AA. Likewise, if you don't choose /usr/games you will not get /usr/games in the AA. 2. Documentation is being rewritten. 3. Save your selection and override files to a tape. Next boot from your boot tape to get your node up and running with the boot software. Restore the selection and override files. Run distaa with the restored selection file and the -l switch. This is equivalent to a reload. 4. We are following the cartridge tape manufactuer rules which say that you must retension the tape each time you use it.