Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 08:05:23 -0400 (EDT) From: Bill/Carolyn Pechter <pechter@shell.monmouth.com> To: FreeBSD-hackers@freebsd.org (FreeBSD-hackers) Subject: File System on a tape Message-ID: <199608161205.IAA01360@shell.monmouth.com>
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> From: Joe Greco <jgreco@brasil.moneng.mei.com> > Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 09:04:43 -0500 (CDT) > Subject: Re: Nightmare. > > How about UFS-on-a-tape :-) Never forget the obvious ones. > > # newfs /dev/rst0 > /dev/rst0: 8257536 sectors in 2016 cylinders of 1 tracks, 4096 sectors > 4032.0MB in 126 cyl groups (16 c/g, 32.00MB/g, 7680 i/g) > super-block backups (for fsck -b #) at: > 32, 65568, 131104, 196640, 262176, 327712, 393248, 458784, 524320, 589856, [superblocks deleted --ed ] > # cd /mnt > (whirrrr chug) > # (cd /usr; tar cvf - .) | tar xf - > (whirrrr chug whirrrr chug whirrr chug for several years) > > ... JG Pyramid did this with OS/x and a program called mkrofs (make read-only file system) which built a file system and dd'd it to the disk. It booted like a disk and was used for installation and emergency recovery. It worked with all 9track and 1/4 inch tapes they used for distribution. Seek time sucked -- to optimize you needed to put the common files up front on the file list -- but it was customizable. Mkrofs had a file list that you could use to add local customizations (password files, fstabs, disktabs) so you could build a Rofs tape for installs that served as an emergency recovery tape or a customized install tape. I think it built the file system in /tmp or in a memory based file system and dd to disk. The only problem was limiting the stuff to 1 tape and the size of free space you had to create the stuff. (I seem to remember it used tmp). We could sure use something like this. Some kind of program would be needed to boot the tape, though. A modified FreeBSD program loader that would load from tape... Could something like this be done under dos for recovery and installation? Bill ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Pechter/Carolyn Pechter | 17 Meredith Drive, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724, 908-389-3592 | pechter@shell.monmouth.com I'll run Win95 on my box when you pry the keyboard from my cold, dead hands. FreeBSD, OS/2, CP/M, RT11, spoken here.
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