On Fri, Aug 11, 2006 at 02:28:29AM +0300, Alex Stamatis wrote: > First of all thank you all for sending me some realtive links around the > remote installation of an Openbsd system. > But I am afraid the problem is much more complicated in our situation. We > have tried so many different ways and we didnt make it. > > This server has : > 1.scsi sata hdds. soft raid > 2. Serial Console > 3. Amd 64 cpu > > If someone can send me a "tutorial" around what he did on his case with some > step by step commands you will help us very much. > Every little help is really apriciated. > I have been using openbsd everywhere for years now and having to turn our > box into linux is worse than our worst nightmare. >
All I have used is plain old i386/ide, so this may not be exactly what you are after: *) tip/minicom/whatever to the box from something attached to the serial port, could be another box, could be that the colo ISP has a console server. If you have only 1 remote box, and the data centre does not offer serial access, maybe you could get chummy with the owner of the box above or below and do a serial/ssh account swap for each other. *) ftp the latest release of bsd.rd to / *) ensure /etc/boot.conf is: stty com0 9600 set tty com0 *) issue the reboot command *) when the box comes backup, I boot the ramdisk kernel and got through a full install, ie: slice the disk, setup networking, then do an ftp install, all as per normal. I do not upgrade as this works so well, so quickly. *) restore data from offsite backups via ftp, rsync, whatever. If you want to practice: *) get 2 old desktops *) put an old version of OpenBSD on them in your usual way *) get 2 null modem serial cables, connect box1,com1 to box2,com2 and box1,com2 to box2,com1 - they must be crossed cables. *) Set up networking on each of box, and make sure you can ssh to each one from a 3rd machine (a lapper, desktop, something with a screen & keyboard & ssh client), and make sure each box can ftp down sets from your local mirror. *) ensure each of the test boxes has this in /etc/remote: $ diff remote remote.orig 68,70d67 < tty01|For hp300,i386,mac68k,macppc,mvmeppc,vax:\ < :dv=/dev/tty01:tc=direct:tc=unixhost: < *) SSH from your 3rd box to one of the practice boxes, you are remote now, so nae fingern pokerin! *) do "tip tty01" as root and login to the other box. *) follow the steps above, go from say 3.7 to 3.8 on box1, then box2, then upto 3.9 on each box so you are confident that when you do it for real that you know what to expect. I guess you will have extra steps for the SCSI & RAID, & you may not have access to the BIOS/other hardware as most x86 BIOSes don't redirect output to a serial line. Most data centres will have someone that you can call to do remote hands duties for you. -- Craig Skinner | http://www.kepax.co.uk | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
