backup

Forum: HD Install
Topic: backup
started by: petit982

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 15 2005,16:53

Hello everybody.
I want to install DSL 1.5 but I don't want lose DSL 1.4 settings (themes, icons, lilo-backgrounds etc).
Any idea?? I think to copy on-by-one each configuration file...
Other ways??

Bye & thanks
--
Petit982
[DSL - Italian user]

Posted by Patrick on Sep. 15 2005,17:30

What i always do is:

backup: backup.tar.gz (and unpack it later in a directory->OLDCONFIG)
a clean install
add all the dsl-extensions
copy all the .rc-files to the HOME-directory (from OLDCONFIG)
make sure that the new directory structure is the same as the old one (so all the scripts/applications all still point to the right directory

(not all neccesary in this order)

I which that there was a faster way but just copying the backup.tar.gz to the new DSL could give a lot of trouble at X-time (after the preliminary boot-fase)

Posted by adssse on Sep. 16 2005,04:20

petit982, have you considered a frugal install? A compressed image is held on one partition while all of your extensions, /home, /opt and backup/restore are on a seperate partition. Because of this updating to the newest version is usually a snap because you can use the new compressed image by copying it onto that partition.

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 16 2005,07:25

Quote (adssse @ Sep. 16 2005,00:20)

that's a very good idea!! Thank's.

But I'm not an expert on Linux...and also I've never done a frugal installation. (consider also that I've not properly understand what's really a frugal installation and how to do that... But I will read some documents to do that)

A question: a frugal installation is "like" in win when you make 2 partitions (one for the s.o. and custom programs and one for the personal datas)??

Thank's
--
Petit982

Posted by adssse on Sep. 16 2005,12:53

Clivesay has put up a great step by step tutorial.
< http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub....wto.pdf >

and here is a thread with answers to many of the questions I had.
< http://damnsmalllinux.org/cgi-bin....anation >

its took me a little bit to understand everything going on with it, but once you do it is great.

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 19 2005,06:32

Hi. I've done a frugal installation: very fast and very good.
But I've a problem: I can't modify "lilo.conf" file... (obviously as root user...)
System tells me that the filesystem is not writeable...
Also I can't modify writing permissions with "chmod" command...

--> Anyone know how to solve this problem?? <--

Thank's

Posted by adssse on Sep. 19 2005,12:31

What program are you using to edit it? I believe in beaver there is an option to toggle readonly under the edit menu. Not sure if this will help or not.

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 19 2005,13:52

Quote (adssse @ Sep. 19 2005,08:31)

What program are you using to edit it? I believe in beaver there is an option to toggle readonly under the edit menu. Not sure if this will help or not.

I use VI... by root...
but the main problem is that if I try to use "chmod" for modify access-property (read, write, execute etc...) of lilo.conf file, the system give me "filesystem not writeable" error.

So it's obvious that if i can't modify access-property (read, write, execute etc...) I can't also modify the file....

that's the problem....

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 19 2005,22:45

P R O B L E M S O L V E D
to modify lilo.conf with a frugal installation.
Follow theese simple steps:
- make a standard frugal installation (that one with lilo...)
- start DSL
- download extension grub.dsl with mydsl
- download the frugal_grub.sh script from the "download" section of DSL site (download the scripd in the same dir of grub.dsl extension)
- run the rugal_grub.sh script (with the live-CD inserted)

As for a magic..... Grub is installed in 2 minuts!! And your files (old backups, home, etc) are saved thank's to the first frugal installation (the first step I supposed....)

Bye and a BIG thanks to the DSL developers for the great job they do for us!!

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 19 2005,22:47

...sorry for the double post...

Posted by adssse on Sep. 20 2005,00:14

1.5 has a /usr/sbin/frugal_install.sh script to use when you are doing your frugal install. Works great for me so far.

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 20 2005,06:23

Yes: it works great but this script installs Lilo... and then you cannot modify lilo.conf so if you have a windows partition you can'use that.
Follow the steps I wrote to make a frugal installation with lilo and then change the bootloader to GRUB. It's the only way I've found to use DSL (in frugal installation) and windows.

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 20 2005,06:24

However, If you have only a S.O. on your machine, the standard script (frugal_install.sh) is perfect for your scope.

Posted by adssse on Sep. 20 2005,13:56

Sorry, I mistakenly typed /usr/sbin/frugal_install.sh. I meant /usr/sbin/frugal_grub.sh

Posted by petit982 on Sep. 21 2005,15:42

...are you sure...
strange... I downloaded that script just beacuse I did't find it (booting with live cd DSL-1.5...)
patience: the important is "to solve the problems" not "how"....