From owner-freebsd-questions Fri Sep 18 13:35:19 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id NAA28041 for freebsd-questions-outgoing; Fri, 18 Sep 1998 13:35:19 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from resnet.uoregon.edu (resnet.uoregon.edu [128.223.144.32]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id NAA27960 for ; Fri, 18 Sep 1998 13:35:02 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu) Received: from localhost (dwhite@localhost) by resnet.uoregon.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id NAA13168; Fri, 18 Sep 1998 13:34:31 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 13:34:30 -0700 (PDT) From: Doug White To: Robert Clark cc: "freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG" Subject: Re: Root Disk Backup. In-Reply-To: <36029DED.100E0A16@open.org> Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG On Fri, 18 Sep 1998, Robert Clark wrote: > I'm trying to establish a set of tools that will minimize downtime when > a root disk fails. Before we get started on this, a good procedure is to add a small root partition to any disk you add to the system, so if the primary one falls over, you simply boot another disk. > All systems should use the same brand and model of 2G SCSI HD. > After the OS and apps are installed, take the HD out of the target > system, install it into a FreeBSD system setup for this purpose, and > dump a binary image of the HD to tape. > Once a month, repeat the process, and dump a binary image of the HD to > tape again. > > In the event of a root failure: > > Grab the most recent root-image tape for the system that failed. > Grab a new 2G HD from the shelf. > Pop the tape and HD into a FreeBSD system configured to restore the > tape. > Half an hour later, a replacement root disk is ready. (Or less time with > a faster tape drive.) Backup/restore. Simple and works. :) > Why go to the trouble: > It would seem difficult to fully backup a UNIX system while it is > running. Taking the system offline would ensure that no changes are made > to the disk while it is being backed up. dump runs under single user. The sticky thing is backing up databases that change during the backup. Doug White Internet: dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu | FreeBSD: The Power to Serve http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~dwhite | www.freebsd.org To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message