Carl Karsten wrote:
> Carl Karsten wrote:
>> Carl Karsten wrote:
>>> I am pondering how to add a safety net that somehow will prevent someone 
>>> from 
>>> dropping an image onto the wrong disk.  "are you sure" isn't it because the 
>>> person generally doesn't understand what they are committing to.
>>>
>>> The story goes like this: Joe service guy figures out that a system needs a 
>>> new 
>>> disk.  he calls the office and tells someone.  person in office grabs a new 
>>> disk, plugs it into a sata->usb cable, plugs the usb into a linux box, runs 
>>> a 
>>> script that drops an image on the disk, unplug, box it up and ship it out 
>>> to Joe.
>>>
>>> The slight problem with this plan: the "runs a script" step has to be done 
>>> as 
>>> root, and it has the potential of wiping out the wrong disk.  For instance, 
>>> if 
>>> someone adds a new internal disk to the box, now the usb disk is sdc 
>>> instead of 
>>> sdb.  or if someone plugs in their iPhone or something.  This all kinda 
>>> results 
>>> in: person in office needs to figure out what the target device is and not 
>>> mess 
>>> up.
>>>
>>> I am ok with getting them to help (pick a device from a list), but would 
>>> like to 
>>> offer an extra level of protection.   This is when I start pondering...
>>>
>>> One idea I had: only restore to an empty disk.  "empty" could have a few 
>>> definitions: no partitions defined, no partition table, no files in any 
>>> partition.
>>>
>>> Another idea is looking for some sort of signature: like a file name, or a 
>>> file 
>>> with a string in it.  and to be over the top, the string could be the date, 
>>> so 
>>> that the signature expires after some time.
>>>
>>> One problem I keep thinking is:  The step of prepping a disk has the same 
>>> risks 
>>> as dropping the clone on the wrong disk.  I have 2 solutions to this:
>>>
>>> 1. someone else preps the disks, and they are standing by.  (this is 
>>> different 
>>> than just dropping the clone on them, because there may be more than one 
>>> image 
>>> to pick from, and the image may change over time.)
>>>
>>> 2. person in office uses a 2nd box to prep: maybe a windows box, or 
>>> something 
>>> they are more familiar with, and less likely to wipe out critical data.
>>>
>>> btw - make this an option.  I don't want to inflict this added step on the 
>>> current clonezilla userbase, especially me :)
>> I just figured out I can include all of this in the "runs a script" script.
>>
> 
> Well, no - I can't exactly just script this, because I wanted to use the 
> "pick a 
> device from a list" feature that clonezilla provides.
> 
> How about a hook before or after the "Are you sure?" that calls a script with 
> some parameters (like the device about to be whacked) and looks at the return 
> code to decide if it should continue?
> 
> Then I could try various techniques and report back what seems to work.
> 

I have another idea about this:  detect change in "list of drives" (whatever 
that is - I am actually not sure how linux decides what is/isn't a drive)

Here is what works for me:

#!/bin/bash
read -p "if the drive is connected, remoe it.  When it is removed  press 
[enter] 
to continue..."
fdisk -l >fdisk.1.txt
read -p "connect disk and press [enter] to continue..."
fdisk -l >fdisk.2.txt
diff fdisk.1.txt fdisk.2.txt | grep Disk

ju...@dell30:~$ ./x.sh
if the drive is connected, remoe it.  When it is removed  press [enter] to 
continue...
connect disk and press [enter] to continue...
 > Disk /dev/sdd: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes
 > Disk identifier: 0x000ae623

Carl K

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