Thanks for David J. DeWolfe for spelling it all out...
-------------------
How about calling the domain something other than root_domain? We do this
sort of thing every time we do an upgrade:
label /dev/xxxx and make it bootable (disklabel -t advfs)
mkfdmn clone_root /dev/xxxxx
mkfdmn clone_usr /dev/yyyyy
mkfset clone_root root
mkfset clone_usr usr
mkfset clone_usr var
mkfset clone_usr log
mkfset clone_usr tmp
mount the filesets and vdump/vresore:
vdump | vrestore / -> /clone_root
vdump | vrestore /usr -> /clone_usr
vdump | vrestore /var -> /clone_var
vdump | vrestore /log -> /clone_log
edit /clone_root/etc/fstab to specify the "clone" filesystems as the ones
to mount at /, /usr, /var, /log, /tmp.
We then come up on the clone_root device and do a "dry run" of the upgrade.
We've also, as you want to do, taken the "cloned" system to another machine
and booted it there. Once you're up on the other machine you could change
it back to the original root_domain either by doing the opposite of above
(vdump | vrestore) or perhaps there's another easier way.
---------------------
And as usual Tom Blinn hits the nail squarely on the head with...
---------------------
Create the new domain with a temporary name. You don't really want it to
exist on the "working" system, anyway, once you move the disk. Use the
temporary name to mount it. Copy all the relevant files. Then go over
to /etc on the clone disk and make sure that all the domain directories
in <clone>/etc/fdmns are set up correctly for how the disk has to work on
the target system. This, of course, depends on how <clone>/etc/fstab is
set up.
Then unmount the disk, and remove the temporary domain definition from the
"working" system's /etc/fdmns with rm -rf.
Yes, UFS is MUCH easier for this sort of thing, I have no idea why we keep
trying to persuade people to use AdvFS for the root file system, it IS NOT
a big win in most cases, and it's MUCH harder to deal with in all kinds of
cases where UFS is a piece of cake to use and manage.
---------------------
... which cheers me up as I was beginning to think that I had become
some sort of dinosaur/luddite in sticking with ufs by choice. The
trouble these days is that when a crate of machines arrives pre-installed
the easy solution is to just plug them in and run. Easy in the
short term that is :-)
k.mcmanus_at_gre.ac.uk -
http://www.gre.ac.uk/~k.mcmanus
-------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Kevin McManus ||
School of Computing & Math Science ||
The University of Greenwich ||
Wellington St. Woolwich ||Tel +44 (0)181 331 8719
London SE18 6PF UK ||Fax +44 (0)181 331 8665
Received on Mon May 10 1999 - 16:07:10 NZST