Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 13:31:25 -0500 From: "Grant Peel" <gpeel@thenetnow.com> To: "FreeBSD Questions List" <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Replace SCSI Drive Message-ID: <9F57CF00DDE541E69F500E26B652DDED@GRANTPC>
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Hi all, I currently have a SCSI drive that *may* be going bad on one of my = production servers. I have lots of backups :-) Scenario: The drive that is showing the occasion error, is a 76 GB Seagate SCSI = 10K spin drive. It is at the network center about 120 miles away. This = drive is not using anywhere near 76 GB, and the server will never need = 76 GB. I estimate its using about 20 GB now. I am at home, and have a barely used 36 GB Seagate 10K SCSI drive here, = currently hooked up to my home (Windows XP BOX) via an Initio SCSI = adaptor. What I would like to do is: Using my windows box, FDISK and set up the disk slices at home, using = some kind of FreeBSD boot disk. I will of course, make sure there is = enough room on each file system to accomodate the data from the other = (going bad) disk. Take the pristine disk to the Network Center, Shut down all software on the machine that has the bad disk, and make = full dumps of all filesystems on that machine (/, /var, /home, /usr) and = move the over to the new formatted drive. Since I have never done this before, I have some questions: !. Can I use a FreeBSD bootable installation disk (6.4) made from an ISO = image, to boot my PC and make the filesystems on the 36GB drive, without = actually installing FreeBSD? (Please feel free to tell me exactly how = :-)). 2. Once I get that drive to the network center, and restore the dumps to = it, how do I ensure the drive is bootable? (I assume I actually do that = in the previous step).=20 3. Is it possible to skip step one altogether and use the instructions = in the man pages regarding "Restoring a filesystem" and makeing the = 'Pristine' filesystem? If so, again, how do I ensure the disk is = bootable? Thanks a billion in advance, -Grant. P.S. I AM reading all the manuals and handbooks, I just can't afford to = mess this up :-)
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