Attachment 48219 Details for Bug 77549 – XML Guide version of documentation - cloning Sun Sparc disks

XML Guide version of documentation - cloning Sun Sparc disks

tftpboot-udpcast.xml (text/plain), 8.70 KB, created by Labrador on 2005-01-11 10:21:11 UTC

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><?xml version='1.0' encoding="UTF-8"?>
>
><!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">
>
><guide link="/doc/en/tftpboot-udpcast.xml">
>
><title>Making clones of Sun Sparc machines via network boot</title>
>
><author title="Researcher, Author">
>    <mail link="&#100;&#116;&#101;&#101;&#100;&#064;&#097;&#114;&#116;&#105;&#115;&#116;&#105;&#099;&#046;&#099;&#097;">Donald Teed</mail>
></author>
>
><abstract>
>This guide will help you create disk images of Sun Sparc machines from a network boot 
></abstract>
>
><license/>
>
><version>1.1</version>
><date>Nov 17, 2004</date>
>
><chapter>
><title>Introduction</title>
>
><section>
><title>About this guide</title>
><body>
>
><p>
>  This is a guide to making disk clones 
>  of Sun Sparc machines using a Gentoo tftpboot image, with Udpcast.
>  The source for these materials are with the various projects utilized.
>  This guide is simply glueing together the very useful contributions 
>  of Udpcast and Gentoo's experimental tftpboot images.
>  You can either use the ready-made tftpboot image, or download
>  a modified and updated package based on the Gentoo tftpboot
>  file generator (by Jason Wever).  The tftpboot-udpcast package
>  includes updated versions of the kernel and tools,
>  and adds Udpcast binaries and lzop binary.
></p>
>
></body>
></section></chapter>
><chapter>
><title>Utilization</title>
><section>
><title>How would it be used?</title>
><body>
>
><p>
>  Suppose you want to make a disk clone 
>  of a Sun Sparc machine, perhaps in building a cluster, or simply to have a complete 
>  backup of a Sun Sparc machine's drive. With this tool set, you could boot the Sun Sparc
>  machine from the network ('boot net' at the prom prompt), and enter a Linux 
>  environment running completely in RAM memory. From here it is possible to use 
>  a Udpcast command, and have it send or receive the disk image. Another machine 
>  on the network, perhaps even an x86 box, can run the complimentary instance 
>  of Udpcast, and store or send the disk image as a file.
></p>
>
></body>
></section>
><section>
><title>What do I need to use it?</title>
><body>
>
><p>You need to know how to set up a network 
>  boot image for a Sun Sparc. Gentoo provides a good how-to <uri link="http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/gentoo-sparc-netboot-howto.xml">here</uri>. 
>  Although parts of the instructions are oriented for Gentoo, I think any seasoned 
>  Linux user would be able to use the instructions to make <e>rarpd</e>,
>  <e>tftp</e>, and friends work on Debian, Slackware, 
>  etc. 
></p>
><p>You need to know a little bit about 
>  Udpcast - both the concept of how it works, and what command line options are 
>  available. The project site for Udpcast is <uri link="http://udpcast.linux.lu/">here</uri>.
></p>  
><p>
>  You need a tftpboot image which includes 
>  the Linux kernel, busybox, Dhcpcd, raidtools, and e2fsprogs, and also
>  the Udpcast programs.  You can obtain a ready-made tftpboot image
>  for network boot of a Sun sparc64, containing these disk imaging
>   tools, by downloading this file:
>   <uri link="gentoo-sparc64-1.4_rc4-20041112.tftpboot">gentoo-sparc64-1.4_rc4-20041112.tftpboot </uri>
>  (tftpboot-able).  It includes Linux kernel 2.4.27, busybox 1.0, and
>  Udpcast 20040531.  If you need specific kernel features compiled, 
>  see below on how to make your own tftpboot image file.
></p>
><p>
>  The original package for generation of a tftpboot image was obtained 
>  from a Gentoo developer, Jason Wever.  It can be found 
>  <uri link="http://dev.gentoo.org/%7Eweeve/tftpboot/">here</uri>. 
>  In the tftpboot-udpcast package (see below to download),
>  the versions of kernel and software have been updated, and a couple
>  of packages have been added that would assist the imaging of disks
>  with Udpcast: <e>udp-sender</e>, <e>udp-receiver</e>, and <e>lzop</e>.
></p>
></body>
></section>
></chapter>
>
><chapter>
><title>I've booted the tftpboot image, how 
>  do I clone the disk?</title>
><section>
><title>Zero unused sectors of the master drive</title>
><body>
><p>
>To create a disk image, first fill the unused portions of the master disk with zeros.
>This allows it to compress much better. Here is an example:
></p>
><pre caption="Zeroing unused sectors">
># <i>mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/gentoo</i>
># <i>dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/gentoo/zero.bits</i>
># <i>rm /mnt/gentoo/zero.bits</i>
></pre>
><note>
>Only zero writable file systems (reiser, ext2, ext3, etc.).   Do not attempt to
>zero swapfile partitions and other types of partitions.
></note>
>
><p>
>When all file system partitions have been zeroed like this,
>you can image either partitions, or the entire disk. The following
>examples assume we are cloning the whole disk.  
></p>
></body>
></section>
><section>
><title>Step 1 - make the disk image file.</title>
><body>
><p>
>On a remote/server machine (any machine where udpcast applications can be run and where
>you will store the image files), run the receiver:
></p>
><pre caption="Receiving the disk image on the remote/server machine">
># <i>udp-receiver --file sundiskimage.lzo</i>
></pre>
><p>On the Sun Sparc machine to be cloned, boot the tftpboot image (boot net from the prom)
>and then run the sender:
></p>
><pre caption="Sending the disk image from the Sun Sparc">
># <i>udp-sender --full-duplex --pipe "lzop" --file /dev/sda</i>
></pre>
><note>
>If you get an immediate error from udp-sender on the tftpboot'ed client,
>it may mean the network is not up.  Try running <e>dhcpcd</e>
></note>
><p> This will produce a image file on the receiver machine of the entire
>first SCSI disk on the Sun Sparc machine. You can adjust the command accordingly
>for what disk you are imaging.  lzop is used to compress the image.
>gzip could also be used here, but I found lzop was a lot faster and
>only slightly larger image file size.
></p>
></body>
></section>
><section>
><title>Step 2 - recreate the disk copy on a new machine or disk</title>
><body>
><p>
>On the remote/server machine, run the sender:
></p>
><pre caption="Sending the disk image on the remote/server machine">
># <i>udp-sender --full-duplex --file sundiskimage.lzo</i>
></pre>
><p>
>On the Sun Sparc machine to be created from the disk image, run the receiver:
></p>
><pre caption="Receiving the disk image on the client">
># <i>udp-receiver --pipe "lzop -d" --file /dev/sda</i>
></pre>
><p>
>This will write the disk image to the entire first SCSI disk on the Sun Sparc machine.
></p>
><comment>
>The disk must be identical size and geometry. If working with only partitions
>(e.g. /dev/sda4) the partition must be the same block count as on the original
>partition that was imaged.  If the same geometry is not possible, but is
>close (.e.g., both are different models of 18GB disks) , ensure that
>the master disk image leaves a few blocks unpartitioned at the end
>of the disk to improve the chance of partition size compatibility
>across disk makes and models.
></comment>
></body>
></section>
></chapter>
>
><chapter>
><title> What is the difference between this, and the vanilla Gentoo Sun Sparc tftpboot package?</title>
><section>
><title>How this package is unique</title>
><body>
><p>
>The original make script has been updated and enhanced, so that 
>it downloads source and compiles the lzop compression utility and Udpcast. 
>The primary focus of the Gentoo tftpboot environment was for installing Gentoo. 
>In the tftpboot-udpcast project, the focus has been to create a network
>boot environment that can be used for cloning disks and disk partitions.
>If you are curious how the tftpboot-udpcast building script differs
>from the Gentoo script, look at
><uri link="make_tftpboot.sh">the updated <e>make_tftpboot.sh</e>
>script</uri>
></p>
></body>
></section>
></chapter>
><chapter>
><title>How do I build my own tftpboot image?</title>
><section>
><title>Generating a tftpboot image on a Sun Sparc</title>
><body>
><p>
>The full tftpboot-udpcast package is available for building your own tftpboot
>images.  It works very much like the original from Gentoo, adding the packages
>for lzop (and it's required lzo library), and udpcast prior
>to building the tftpboot image.
><uri link="tftpboot-udpcast.tar.gz">Download tftpboot-udpcast.tar.gz</uri>
></p>
><p>To use the package, extract it, and run </p>
><pre caption="Generating tftpboot image">
># <i>sh make_tftpboot.sh</i>
></pre>
><p>
>See the folder configs/kernel for the kernel configuration.
></p>
><note>
>This has been tested on sparc64 only - if you have another platform or you need
>other kernel options enabled, you may need to tweak the kernel configuration.
></note>
><p>
>Questions or comments? <uri link="mailto:&#100;&#116;&#101;&#101;&#100;&#064;&#097;&#114;&#116;&#105;&#115;&#116;&#105;&#099;&#046;&#099;&#097;">Ask 
>  me</uri>.
></p>
><p>
>This document maintained by Donald Teed.
></p>
></body>
></section>
></chapter>
></guide>

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