*BSD News Article 3328


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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Path: sserve!manuel!munnari.oz.au!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!torn!watserv2.uwaterloo.ca!watserv1!mks.com!fredw
From: fredw@mks.com (Fred Walter)
Subject: Re: stock 0.1 swap not enough.
Message-ID: <1992Aug9.175542.16722@mks.com>
Keywords: swap
Organization: Mortice Kern Systems Inc., Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA
References: <BsFMoo.EvF@obiwan.uucp> <1992Aug4.162010.16364@mks.com> <BsIGDv.yo@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 17:55:42 GMT
Lines: 49

randy@chinet.chi.il.us (Randy Suess) writes:
>fredw@mks.com (Fred Walter) writes:
>>No, you'll have to re-install. What I plan on doing (once my system is
>>more stable) is backing up my system with cpio, then using the Fixit disk
>
>	I would suggest using tar, as cpio seem quite flakey in reading
>	the tape back in.  Also, make sure you use wt0, not rwt0.

Yes, I noticed cpio is flakey reading, but only if the tape was created with :

	cpio -oc > /dev/rwt0
or
	cpio -oc > /dev/rwt0

But if I create the tape with :

	cpio -oc | dd of=/dev/rwt0 bs=512k

then I can read the contents back. But I always make two copies (on two
different tapes) and I do a 'cpio -it' on them to make sure those tapes
actually were written.

Hmmm. Does the above (requirement of using 'dd') constitute a bug ?

Unfortunately the above only seems to work with the 60MEG or less tapes.
My attempts at backing up to 150MEG tapes seem to crap out after about
40-45 meg. (And, yes, I am using my 150 meg tape drive).

One problem with using tar is that it does *not* save the /dev/* whereas
cpio does.

>>(and an editted /etc/disktab on the Fixit disk that has a correct swap size 
>>entry) to re-disklabel my primary hard disk, re-format my partitions and then
>>restore from tape.

>	Also, disklabel -e is a neat way to modify the disk.  No
>	need to edit /etc/disktab.

I've tried using disklabel -e, and whenever I rebooted the old contents
came back. I even tried using that option (-r ?) that 'makes' it modify
the disk directly... and it didn't.

BTW, I've seen some people mention that the swap partition must start on a
cylinder boundary. Why ?

	fred
-- 
Disclaimer: everything I write is my *personal* opinion and does not represent
or reflect the opinion of the company which employs me.