On Fri, Jun 12, 2020 at 04:41:22PM -0700, Steve Schlaifer wrote: > On Fri, 12 Jun 2020 15:58:27 -0400 > Hendrik Boom <hend...@topoi.pooq.com> wrote: > > > It's getting to be time for me to upgrade my ascii server to beowulf. > > > > But I have some worries, having heard people have had problems with > > said upgrade. > > > > What I absolutely need after the upgrade is a text console and > > network cnnectivity. Because this is my link to the rest of the > > world, and if something goes wrong I won't be able to ask for help. > > Since i'm in coronavirus lockdown, a trip to a local coffeeshop's > > wifi isn't really an option. (they're pretty closed down anyway) > > > > So. What information, code, binaries, documentation should I be > > collecting ahead of time in case it doesn't go smoothly? I don't > > care that much about interactive graphics, desktop environments, and > > the like. If I get a text console with root access, internet > > connection and bridging and masquerading to my LAN, that's enough. > > > > My upgrade went pretty well with a minor problem with permissions > on /tmp which would allow root to log on but not me. Adding o+t to the > permissions took care of that. > > How about a disk image using dd to a thumb drive or equivalent. If > things go really badly, you could then dd that thumb drive back to your > hard drive and start over.
If I can boot enough to do dd. I'd need a 2 terabyte thumb drive. Sounds like I need heavier metal, but I should be able to find another heavy-duty backup drive. I guess the thing to do is to make a rescue disk (possibly a live Devuan USB) or the installer an to use that. Or maybe install a small Linux system for recovering the one that works. Having a spare emergency Linux system on disk is probably a good idea anyway. I think I have enough space for that. It will have to understand local text console, IP routing, access to two ethernet intefacing, maasqierading, PPPOE, and software RAID. That's close to a minimal installation, with some configuration copied over from the current working system. Sounds doable. -- hendrik > > > Yes, I've heard of people's woes with things like ehternet device > > renaming and the like. I need to know what to do if this happens to > > me. > > > > The machine is an old AMD-64 box; it's been running for over a > > decade. I'm not entirely sure of the USB subsystem; and its floppy > > drive is dead. The lase Debian on it was the one before jassie; it > > has been updated to Devuan's jessie and has been running Devuan ever > > since. > > > > -- hendrik > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Dng mailing list > > Dng@lists.dyne.org > > https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/dng > > > > -- > --Steve > > I programmed three days > and heard no human voices > but the hard disk sang. _______________________________________________ Dng mailing list Dng@lists.dyne.org https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/dng
