On Sun, 30 Jul 2000, Fran Parker wrote:
= I was wondering if you couldn't make a copy of the etc directory in another
= partition and copy it back or would it not be compatible after the upgrade?
There's a lot of files in and under /etc. Some would be compatible,
others probably wouldn't, some would need to change because of the new
install, others wouldn't. You'd have to catalogue every file there for
every distribution/version with its purpose and when you'd want to make it
stay the same or not. I'm not into a project this large. Better to do it
by hand on a case by case basis.
=
= You made some great points.
tnx,
kf
=
= Bambi
=
=
= On Sun, 30 Jul 2000, kf wrote:
= > I didn't get Pavan's entire post, so I might be off, but I've done one
= > install over another many times with various distributions. In Mandrake
= > (for the Custom and Expert installs... I didn't ever do the first one)
= > you will come to a screen with a small bar chart representing your boot
= > disk and showing the current partitions. Here you have to specify the
= > mount points for each partition and, on the next screen, if you want to
= > (re)format that partition. If you don't format a partition, the data
= > that's there will remain intact. (That's how it's supposed to work.)
= >
= > *** For this reason you will want to do a "df" and copy onto paper the
= > partition devices (/dev/hda1, ...) and their corresponding mount points
= > (/home, /boot, etc.) and do this BEFORE you start the new install.
= >
= > *** If you're installing a network, also record the contents of /etc/hosts
= > because the new install will wipe that out too. Again, do this BEFORE you
= > start the new install. After you start the new install, it will be too
= > late... obviously.
= >
= > *** Record the contents of /etc/passwd because that will be wiped out. If
= > you have one or more users on the old installation with their home
= > directories in, say /home, and you don't format /home as part of the new
= > installation, these home directories will remain intact. However, with
= > the original /etc/passwd gone, these users won't exist anymore and all the
= > old users' files and directories will be orphaned. It would be risky to
= > do anything but fix this by hand.
= >
= > *** Save off to disk or paper important info from other configuration
= > files such as /etc/X11/XF86Config, sendmail.cf and sendmail.cw, bashrc,
= > etc.
= >
= > In most cases you don't want to just save these files over to disk from
= > the old installation and then copy them back into the new installation.
= > If you don't understand the why's and when's of this admonition, then
= > you're especially likely to experience an unsatisfactory new install.
= >
= >
= > hth,
= > kf
= >
= > P.S. Group, is there anything I'm forgetting?
= >
= >
= >
= > On Sun, 30 Jul 2000, Ron Stodden wrote:
= >
= > = Pavan K Balellugari wrote:
= > = >
= > = > What next.. do i have overwrite my existing
= > = > install.. i just wanted to know, what image i should
= > = > get from the web..
= > =
= > = You don't need to burn CDs - just download the helium tree using
= > = rsync or wget from a mirror (1GB) to a 1GB Ext2 partition on your HD
= > = then dd the /images/hd.image to a floppy and install from the hard
= > = disk.
= > =
= > = Don't attempt to upgrade your 6.1 in situ - it is only just recently
= > = operational (ie too risky) and will take about 12 hours.
= > =
= > = Far better to make another ext2 partition (1 GB) with Partition Magic
= > = and make a fresh install of 7.1 there. Both Linuxes can share the
= > = same swap partition. Then set up Boot Magic to choose which to
= > = boot.
= > =
= > = Then you can move across your stuff from your mounted 6.1 partition
= > = ad hoc as you discover you need it. For 7.2 reformat and reuse what
= > = is now your 6.1 partition.
= > =
= > = --
= > = Regards,
= > =
= > = Ron. [AU] - sent by Mandrake Linux.
= > = To write a poem in 17 syllables is very diffic
= > =
= >
= > --
= > Familiarity breeds contempt.
= > -- Publius Syrus (42 B.C.), Maxim 640
=
--
Familiarity breeds contempt.
-- Publius Syrus (42 B.C.), Maxim 640
