> Instead - Get two 30 GB HDs with many
> partitions and prepare for multi-
> boots into any of the three services (I could
> have a 4th, small
> installation running to handle a remote request
> for changing LILO to what
> is needed for a soft swap)
No, I'd get 3 10-20 gig drives and use those,
using swappable bays, so you just install the
correct drive and you are all set to boot the
right backup.
> Now the QUESTIONs:
> A) Does my approach sound feasible ?
> B) How to 'transplant' ?
> 1) Given the minimumDowntime/keepingCurrent
> conditions, opening the
> boxes, installing the extra HD and dd'ing the
> partitions should be
> avoided, if possible.
You could tar the entire filesystem and push it
over the network onto the backup box. Not nearly
as fast as putting a swapable bay in each of the
3 units (that is ideal), but it would work.
> 2) Is tar able to handle the more delicate
> things, like symbolic links,
> device driver (pointers?) in /dev/ , if let's
> say /boot=hda1 is now hdb6
> (assuming I did massage the fstab of each
> installation). I played around
> a bit by using fd0 as a target and things
> looked OK at the surface.
> If so I would tar up things - ftp to the backup
> - untar into a new
> partition of similar size.
Yeah, tar and untar onto the new disk would work
fine... you'd want a boot floppy so that you
would tar onto a clean (or wiped) drive...
> 3) What else needs work, in addition to lilo
> and fstab to make a
> 'transplant' work ?
that would probably be it... the advantage to
swappable drives is that you could make dupes
much easier, remove and store the backup OFFSITE
(this is ctitical... if someone steals/blowsup
your server, you have the backup this way).
> C) All 3+1 boxes have only basic devices that
> should be recognized at
> boot. However, if there are fundamental
> differences in the motherboard I
> would not know how to predict the outcome. The
> series of options
> regarding that issue may be the subject of
> another thread ...
nah, barring any real odd problems, I have
swapped drives from machine to machine and it is
usually fine...
> ... instead, I am now leaving for the TechBrew
> at the WildDuck and hope
> to see you all there so you don't have to email
> me :-(
And I did see you and almost nobody else... it
was very quiet there...
Seth
>
> - Horst
>
>
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