Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-25 Thread Bill Thompson
On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 06:14:01 +
Bruno Costacurta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> > > I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.

> Thanks Alvin for all these details.
> I decided to 'keep it simple' and will try a Knoppix.
> Bye,
> Bruno

If I may be so bold you may want to try a bootable disk specially
designed for recovery, even if it is not Debian based.

My all time favorite is LNX-BBC (http://www.lnx-bbc.org/) because it
fits on a small CD that is easy to carry around.

However, recently I have been using the System Rescue CD
(http://www.sysresccd.org/). It has many more tools than Knoppix
or LNX-BBC, including backup utilities and a bootable FreeDOS option. It
is a very handy tool for recovering all types of x86 operating systems.

Good Luck,
-- 
Bill Thompson
[EMAIL PROTECTED]


pgpuVat2f2i4k.pgp
Description: PGP signature


Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-24 Thread Alvin Oga

hi ya bruno

On Tue, 25 Oct 2005, Bruno Costacurta wrote:

> On Sunday 23 October 2005 09:13, Alvin Oga wrote:

> Thanks Alvin for all these details.
> I decided to 'keep it simple' and will try a Knoppix.

simple is most always the best way to go

c ya
alvin


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]



Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-24 Thread Bruno Costacurta
On Sunday 23 October 2005 09:13, Alvin Oga wrote:
> hi ya bruno
>
> On Sun, 23 Oct 2005, Bruno Costacurta wrote:
> > I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.
>
> proceedure .. "think" :-) ..
>   - find out what hardware chipset is in your pc
>   - find out what kernel you're using
>   - save the kernel and /lib/modules/
>   - save your partition info
>   - save your list of apps installed
>   - save your list of config files installed
>   - add dressing so that you can do something
>   ( bash, libc, networking, fs-check apps, ... )
>
>   - how much time will have you "rescue" the dead box ?
>
> 5min .. 5hrs .. 5 days .. would dictate how you implement
> your rescue cd
>
>   - depending on what you want to rescue .. existing
>   "rescue" cd's will not have your config files and setup
>
>   - or do you want rescue to save a corrupt fs vs
>   a backup of your /home and config changes which
>   is not the same as rescue
>
>   - booting the pc is not the same as rescue either
>
> how complicated do you want to get ...
>   - why start with the hardest way to rescue a system ?
>
> 0)  dd if=/boot/vmlinuz of=/dev/fd0
>   - as long as your kernel is 1.2MB and you have the network
>   modules you can always boot can get online
>
> 1)  do a fancier boot floppy with ( lilo or grub or syslinux ) menu
>   - lots of howto's
>
> 2)  stick a 2nd disk into the same system ... and mirror your boot info
> and may as well copy your /home/bruno directories too
>
> 3)  use raid ... in case hda dies ... your properly configured raid
> will boot off hdc instead
>
> 4)  make a bootable usb-stick ( more space than a floppy )
>   this is the simplest "1 minute change" but assumes your
>   system supports usb-hdd-boot and your system has the usb
>   driver modules
>
>   lilo -C /etc/lilo.hda.conf
>   --> change to boot=/dev/hda to boot=/dev/sda
>
>   more tweeking (2 min) of menu.lst for "grub-install /dev/sda"
>
> 4)  setup (pxe) network boot ... so that you always boot off the network
> as long as the pxe server is running
>
> 5)  use an existing "standalone" cdrom
>   - you're assuming the kernel on the cdrom supports your hw
>   or else it's worthless for rescuing your hardware
>
> 6) make your own standalone cdrom
>   - little more work ... but more fun
>
>   - rescue cd  needs initrd.gz  and rootfs 
>   and you'd need to make an iso of the whole thing
>
>   hacking a existing knoppix is easy but is too big
>   of a rescue disk
>
> 7) test and retest from different failures
>
> 8) endless list with more variances and differences of how to boot it
>
> c ya
> alvin

Thanks Alvin for all these details.
I decided to 'keep it simple' and will try a Knoppix.
Bye,
Bruno


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]



Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-24 Thread Alan Ianson
On Mon October 24 2005 03:49 pm, Bruno Costacurta wrote:
> On Sunday 23 October 2005 10:51, Roberto C. Sanchez wrote:
> > On Sun, Oct 23, 2005 at 10:07:31AM +, Bruno Costacurta wrote:
> > > Hello,
> > > I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.
> > > Thanks.
> > > Bruno
> >
> > Download either the full CD1 or the net install CD from the Debian
> > installer page.  Alternatively, keep a Knoppix or other live CD around,
> > since if you boot one of those it will give you a fully functional
> > system to use with many tools to repair whatever damage has befallen
> > your system.
> >
> > -Roberto
>
> I downloaded the net install CD  from Debian but my feeling is that it
> don't contain 'rescue' but only 'installer'. Is it possible ?

It is, I don't know why but there is no rescue mode on the debian install cd 
anymore.


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]



Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-24 Thread Angelina Carlton
Bruno Costacurta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:


> I downloaded the net install CD  from Debian but my feeling is that it don't 
> contain 'rescue' but only 'installer'. Is it possible ?
>

The net installer doesn't have a rescue image, but there is a way.
http://wiki.debian.org/?DebianInstallerFAQ (look down the page some)

I rescued a broken grub on my desktop with this method, just be careful
about the naming of your partitions as they will be in /dev/discs 
I just mounted my partitions one by one and looked inside to find which
was /boot 


-- 
-Angelina Carlton-
orchid on irc.freenode.net
 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
web:bzgirl.bakadigital.com
--


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]



Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-24 Thread Bruno Costacurta
On Sunday 23 October 2005 10:51, Roberto C. Sanchez wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 23, 2005 at 10:07:31AM +, Bruno Costacurta wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.
> > Thanks.
> > Bruno
>
> Download either the full CD1 or the net install CD from the Debian
> installer page.  Alternatively, keep a Knoppix or other live CD around,
> since if you boot one of those it will give you a fully functional
> system to use with many tools to repair whatever damage has befallen
> your system.
>
> -Roberto

I downloaded the net install CD  from Debian but my feeling is that it don't 
contain 'rescue' but only 'installer'. Is it possible ?

Bye,
Bruno


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]



Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-23 Thread Hendrik Boom
On Sun, Oct 23, 2005 at 06:51:45AM -0400, Roberto C. Sanchez wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 23, 2005 at 10:07:31AM +, Bruno Costacurta wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.
> > Thanks.
> > Bruno
> > 
> 
> Download either the full CD1 or the net install CD from the Debian
> installer page.

When I tried this to rescue a system recently, and booted from
Sarge CD1, it tried to install me a system.  What would I have had to
do to get it to rescue one instead?

  Alternatively, keep a Knoppix or other live CD around,
> since if you boot one of those it will give you a fully functional
> system to use with many tools to repair whatever damage has befallen
> your system.

I succeeded with knoppix though.

-- hendrik


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]



Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-23 Thread Hugo Vanwoerkom

Bruno Costacurta wrote:

Hello,
I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.
Thanks.
Bruno




With lilo comes mkrescue.

mkrescue --iso

puts rescue.iso in the dir.

Then you burn that with cdrecord and you boot from that.

mkrescue is a script.
I change it a little, to show the label of the image on the menu, 
instead of just "linux" so that I know from what partition I cut the 
rescue CD.


HTH
H



--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]




Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-23 Thread Alvin Oga


hi ya bruno

On Sun, 23 Oct 2005, Bruno Costacurta wrote:

> I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.

proceedure .. "think" :-) ..
- find out what hardware chipset is in your pc
- find out what kernel you're using
- save the kernel and /lib/modules/
- save your partition info
- save your list of apps installed
- save your list of config files installed
- add dressing so that you can do something
( bash, libc, networking, fs-check apps, ... )

- how much time will have you "rescue" the dead box ?

  5min .. 5hrs .. 5 days .. would dictate how you implement
  your rescue cd

- depending on what you want to rescue .. existing
"rescue" cd's will not have your config files and setup

- or do you want rescue to save a corrupt fs vs
a backup of your /home and config changes which
is not the same as rescue

- booting the pc is not the same as rescue either

how complicated do you want to get ...
- why start with the hardest way to rescue a system ?

0)  dd if=/boot/vmlinuz of=/dev/fd0
- as long as your kernel is 1.2MB and you have the network
modules you can always boot can get online 

1)  do a fancier boot floppy with ( lilo or grub or syslinux ) menu 
- lots of howto's

2)  stick a 2nd disk into the same system ... and mirror your boot info
and may as well copy your /home/bruno directories too

3)  use raid ... in case hda dies ... your properly configured raid
will boot off hdc instead

4)  make a bootable usb-stick ( more space than a floppy )
this is the simplest "1 minute change" but assumes your
system supports usb-hdd-boot and your system has the usb 
driver modules

lilo -C /etc/lilo.hda.conf  
--> change to boot=/dev/hda to boot=/dev/sda

more tweeking (2 min) of menu.lst for "grub-install /dev/sda"

4)  setup (pxe) network boot ... so that you always boot off the network
as long as the pxe server is running 

5)  use an existing "standalone" cdrom
- you're assuming the kernel on the cdrom supports your hw
or else it's worthless for rescuing your hardware

6) make your own standalone cdrom
- little more work ... but more fun

- rescue cd  needs initrd.gz  and rootfs 
and you'd need to make an iso of the whole thing

hacking a existing knoppix is easy but is too big
of a rescue disk

7) test and retest from different failures

8) endless list with more variances and differences of how to boot it

c ya
alvin


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]



Re: How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-23 Thread Roberto C. Sanchez
On Sun, Oct 23, 2005 at 10:07:31AM +, Bruno Costacurta wrote:
> Hello,
> I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.
> Thanks.
> Bruno
> 

Download either the full CD1 or the net install CD from the Debian
installer page.  Alternatively, keep a Knoppix or other live CD around,
since if you boot one of those it will give you a fully functional
system to use with many tools to repair whatever damage has befallen
your system.

-Roberto

-- 
Roberto C. Sanchez
http://familiasanchez.net/~roberto


pgplVTmMgctkZ.pgp
Description: PGP signature


How to make a rescue disk ?

2005-10-23 Thread Bruno Costacurta
Hello,
I'm looking for procedure / howto about creating rescue CD disk.
Thanks.
Bruno


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]