[WBEL-users] Question regarding restore...

[Karl-König Königsson]

Joe Brouhard wrote:

> For the first time in my life, I'm stumped with a backup.  LOL.
> 
> Anyway, here's the scenario:
> 
> I'm attempting to build some sort of robust backup network for our 10-some
> linux servers (varing in version numbers from RH 7.3 to 9.0).  The backup
> script works, and it does full backups.  i'm certain of that.
> 
> However, it's the restore proceedure that I'm stuck on.
> 
> Here's what I have thus far:
> 1) Install Redhat from scratch, using a very bare minimum install.
> 2) boot into the new redhat system.  download the tarball that contains
> the dump files.
> 3) extract dump files
> 4) CD to / and then run restore -rf /path/to/dump file
> 
This sounds very much like the scheme I use, but for the installation of 
a scratch system.

My first backup scheme was like that, but I replaced it with a, in my
opinion, better way: having a separate boot disc, in my case Tom's rtbt.

This is how my backup restore procedure works:

- Boot the system with Tom's rtbt
- Format the disks if necessary
- mount the disks according to my (paper documented) disk tree
structure under "/mnt". Create mount points as necessary.
- Insert the tape in the tape drive
- Cd to "/mnt"
- Do a "tar xvbf 64 /dev/st0"
- Wait
- a long time
- chroot into the new system with "chroot /mnt /bin/bash"
- check "/etc/fstab" for possible changes in the disc layout
- check "/etc/lilo.conf" for the same reason, applies to grub as well
- run lilo or grub to restore the boot partition
- exit the chrooted shell and unmount the partitions
- reboot

The same scheme can of course be used with Knoppix or any other bootable 
business card or the likes.

> However, i keep seeing "file exists." all over my screen.  I'm pretty sure
> this is caused when restore is not copying the files to disk cause the
> file already exists...
> 
> Someone please let me know what I'm doing wrong here.  I've read the
> Restore man page, and it's more or less telling me to mount the disk in
> anothe drive... not something i'm particularily interested in right now.

I think your problem is that you are trying to restore to the same disc 
you are running from. Generally not a good idea and which should, unless 
you have *very* good reasons, be avoided. Hence the recommendation to 
mount the disk on another drive and hence the way I outlined my restore 
procedure above.

My belief is that you could well use my scheme, replacing the "tar" step 
with a restore and achieve the same result. YMMV.

Cheers!

	Karl-König Königsson


-- 
Karl-Koenig Koenigsson, CM Pablo
Black holes are where god divided by 0.