Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!cbmvax!grr From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix Subject: Re: Getting a bootable kernel on tape Keywords: 9-track ultrix v1.2 Message-ID: <7579@cbmvax.UUCP> Date: 8 Aug 89 21:18:51 GMT References: <1942@leah.Albany.Edu> Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins) Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA Lines: 39 In article <1942@leah.Albany.Edu> rds95@leah.Albany.Edu (Robert Seals) writes: > > Hello, > The recent dicussion of getting a bootable kernel on tape has lead > me wonder just how this is done. I have a 6250 9-track and a tk50 on > a microvax-II (and an ra81); obviously, 9-track is preferable |-@. > So, can I just "dd" my /vmunix onto a 9-track, and then if > the root filesystem gets clobbered, boot from tape thusly Actually, I'd be less concerned with generating a "bootable" tape, than with knowing how to use the installation tools / procedures to get the system up to where you can use the normal utilities. This varies from release to release, however as of the 1.2 release, the first file on the distribution tape is a "dd" dump of a file system that you copy to the swap partition on your system drive. Once you boot from this temporary system, you can mount your root partition and make repairs or do a restore. You may have to make some /dev entries or use non-standard names to access devices. The "console media" supplied with 1.2 includes the standalone copy/format/boot programs. This was the setup for 9-track tape, it may differ a bit for the tk50 version, but the idea is probably the same. Later releases include some sort of image of a standalone unix system on the (multiple) console media. In theory this should again get you to a standalone system you can use to repair/reload the system, though life may be more complicated and you should check out this territory before you find yourself needing it. If you have multiple drives, a *very* wise thing to do is periodically copy your root partition to the 'a' parition of a second drive. It is *much* quicker to boot from a second drive than messing around with console media... -- George Robbins - now working for, uucp: {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr but no way officially representing arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net Commodore, Engineering Department fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)