Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!virtech!cpcahil
From: cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Recovery diskette.
Keywords: ESIX, mkpart, mkfs
Message-ID: <1990Jun30.141012.23343@virtech.uucp>
Date: 30 Jun 90 14:10:12 GMT
References: <1990Jun30.010038.8714@clark.uucp>
Reply-To: cpcahil@virtech.UUCP (Conor P. Cahill)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Virtual Technologies Inc., Sterling VA
Lines: 43

In article <1990Jun30.010038.8714@clark.uucp> ade@clark.uucp (Adrian Miranda) writes:
>Once again, if anyone has a working recovery diskette for UNIX/386, 
>I would certainly be interested in seeing it, or at least the script
>that does the work.  Thanks in advance.

My solution to recovery (a: because I am lazy, b: because I don't have the time
to experiment, c: because I can't keep our machine down that long) is to 
do the following:

	A: make a cpio diskette that contains the /unix with tape driver
	   installed.  Make sure the /dev entries for the tape drive are
	   included on the diskette (tar can't do this, you must use cpio  or
	   make a mountable diskette.  I prefer cpio).

	B: Keep up-to date backups of your system

	C: When all is lost, pull out the original install disk and start
	   the full installation.
	
	D: Be sure to set up your partitions as you need them (follow the
	   mechanism you used to set them up before, including the mechanism
	   for creating more then 3 partitions that is described in the FAQ)

	E: reboot system & load rest of core (total of 4 diskettes)

	F: Load in the /unix and /dev entries from the diskette mentioned in A

	G: reboot
	
	F: reload your system from the backup tapes.

This does work (I know from experience, we lost our main drive (680MB) back
in Feb) and it doesn't take that much time.  The only "critical" part is to
to remember the disk partitioning stuff (actually you could restore root and
then setup the rest of the partitions using the /etc/partitions file that
you read from the restore.  Then the only partition you have to have correct
is the root partition.


-- 
Conor P. Cahill            (703)430-9247        Virtual Technologies, Inc.,
uunet!virtech!cpcahil                           46030 Manekin Plaza, Suite 160
                                                Sterling, VA 22170