From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Oct 15 23:13:05 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 60546106566B for ; Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:13:05 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from af.gourmet@videotron.ca) Received: from relais.videotron.ca (relais.videotron.ca [24.201.245.36]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3688D8FC12 for ; Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:13:05 +0000 (UTC) MIME-version: 1.0 Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Content-type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Received: from [192.168.0.51] ([96.21.103.185]) by VL-MO-MR005.ip.videotron.ca (Sun Java(tm) System Messaging Server 6.3-4.01 (built Aug 3 2007; 32bit)) with ESMTP id <0KRK005NOWHSXZT0@VL-MO-MR005.ip.videotron.ca> for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:13:04 -0400 (EDT) Message-id: <4AD7AC82.6020806@videotron.ca> Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:13:06 -0400 From: PJ User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.23 (Windows/20090812) To: Polytropon References: <4AD74198.9010301@videotron.ca> <20091015203922.d98bc249.freebsd@edvax.de> <4AD77127.1060805@videotron.ca> <20091015211743.e910374e.freebsd@edvax.de> In-reply-to: <20091015211743.e910374e.freebsd@edvax.de> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: how to prepare disk for dump/restore X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:13:05 -0000 Polytropon wrote: > On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:59:51 -0400, PJ wrote: > >> I would like to just partition, label and newfs the disk; livefs wants >> to waste my time by installing other stuff like the kernel & man pages >> etc that I have not even selected; >> > > Just don't go through the whole installation cycle; from the > sysinstall main menu, select "Custom" and perform slicing > (setting disk active, adding standard MBR) and partitioning > (creating partitions, format them with "w" or "z"). Then > leave the menu and use the shell. You can get to the "Fdisk" > and "Label" through "Configure" in the main menu, too. > > > > >> and if I use postinstall >> configuration, that doesn't do anything. Or should I use fixit and then >> do the manual thing? >> > > You can use sysinstall from the Fixit CD, too. That's the way > I'm mostly doing this kind of thing: Preparing the disk with > the sysinstall tool, then dropping to CLI for the restoring > process. > > > > >> Sysinstall requires already being booted... ??? >> > > No. You can execute it even on a running system. > That's what I meant. :-) > > > >> Or do I do it manually as per Polytropon's recipe of fdisk, bsdlabel, >> newfs mount, dump/restore and use/play? ;-) >> > > This method is quite usable when you completely understood what > you're doing; furthermore, it enables scripting automated > processes, which is very handy especially when you want to > provide larger numbers of cloned systems. > > In any case: Be sure which device you're operating on, and keep > in mind that it may (!) be a different device when in the place > where it should go. > > For example, if you intend to prepare a disk to be ad4 in the > target system, let it be (if possible) ad4 in the source system, > and boot your source system from ad12. From this running system, > perform the cloning. If everything is done, check references > for ad12 and change them to ad4 (even *that* can be scripted); > eyes on /etc/fstab. After you've done everything, shut down the > running system, unplug ad12 and let the system boot from ad4. > Everything should be alright now. Extract ad4 and take it to > its new system. > I think i'm at the stage where my stumbling is beginning to get straightened out... ;-)