From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Apr 21 03:05:13 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C8CA016A4CE for ; Wed, 21 Apr 2004 03:05:13 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail024.syd.optusnet.com.au (mail024.syd.optusnet.com.au [211.29.132.242]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id AA77B43D46 for ; Wed, 21 Apr 2004 03:05:12 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from anubis357@optusnet.com.au) Received: from rdlax9-165.dialup.optusnet.com.au (rdlax9-165.dialup.optusnet.com.au [198.142.44.165])i3LA59Z12867 for ; Wed, 21 Apr 2004 20:05:10 +1000 From: anubis To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 20:11:03 +1000 User-Agent: KMail/1.6.1 References: <4085795F.3060905@potentialtech.com> In-Reply-To: <4085795F.3060905@potentialtech.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-Id: <200404212011.03908.anubis357@optusnet.com.au> Subject: Re: Backing up my system X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 10:05:14 -0000 > > You can use dump/tar to back up the actual data. > > You can use disklabel and fdisk to dump the current partition > scheme to a text file prior to backing up. > > Then, if you needed to restore/rebuild from scratch, you could boot > a CD (such as FreeSBIE) partition the new disk based on the > disklabel/ fdisk dumps you made prior, then use restore/tar to > restore the actual data. These things above are essential. I suggest for extra paranoia that you keep a statically linked copy of the matching restore to the dump you used to create the backup handy. Sometimes Ill bzip up the dumps so Ill keep a bzcat handy too. I had a situation when trying to restore a dump made with a 5.1 dump with a 5.0 restore. There were multiple errors until I used the right one. Note that this could be coincidence or the malice of inanimate objects and could never happen to you. I prefer belts and braces. I also suggest that you do a practice run dumping a machine, destroying it, then restoring it. There is nothing worse when the panic button has been pushed than realising that you dont know what you are doing. Remember your job and maybe the company is riding on that restore working.