Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix
Subject: Re: Getting back an Overwritten config file
Message-ID: <13213@cbmvax.commodore.com>
Date: 15 Jul 90 06:19:45 GMT
References: <56677@lanl.gov>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA
Lines: 31

In article <56677@lanl.gov> jrr@lanl.gov (John R. Red-horse) writes:
> Hello Netlanders,
> I ran into a peculiar, though self-induced problem that I am hopeful
> can be recovered from in some reasonable fashion.  Specifically,
> while adding disks to each of the machines, I noticed that I was going
> to have to modify the config file via the utility ``doconfig'' and rebuild
> my kernel.

See the man entry for doconfig(8).  There is no reason you can't run it
again and regenerate the configuration files.  The trick seem to be that
you have to be running "genvmunix", since what it does is scan through
all the myriad devices defined in this kernel and echo back those that
autoconfig actually found when the kernel was booted.

> Is there a sane way to do this again without going through the install
> again from scratch?  Assuming that I do have to do the install, do I lose
> all the stuff that is currently configured and running on the systems
> (e.g., DECnet, nfs, etc.)?  Do not mistake the overall tone of this
> note as that of a calm man---I am desperate, I need help.

You can also probably start the installation and abort it part way, but
you have to be very careful about this, especially if you don't know/
remember the flow of events.

It should alo be mentioned that occasional backups of *all* the disks,
including the "system areas", help prevent this sort of embarressment.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,     uucp:   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing:   domain: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com
Commodore, Engineering Department     phone:  215-431-9349 (only by moonlite)