Golden Image

[baiju_3]

Hi ,

I have Linux Installed in HP Intel Servers.
I am very femliar with HP system/ignite and recovery methods .

Is there any similar tool in Linux by which I can take a Bootable Image .

My requirement is to take system backup of a Linux system , install new version of OS in case of problem revert back .


Thanks,
BL.

[Gopi Sekar]

There is HP product Rapid Deployment Pack which can help you in this. http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/servers/management/rdp/index.html

or if you want to go with open source method then you can use System Installation Suite/System Imager (www.sisuite.org)

[Rouchon_2]

If you have a spare drive you can make a clone of your disk. If i remember ignite can make bootable tapes to recover the system. I have never try to do that on Linux. But i have made a lot of disk clone ( if you have s smart array it's very easy just remove a drive then put another one to rebuild the mirror. the first drive will be your backup. If you have no spare drive but a mirror you can remove one drive then make your upgrade if it fail just remove the drive upgraded and reboot on the backup then rebuild the mirror. And then you can try again your upgrade.

[renarios]

Hi BL,

Give a look at the 'dump' command.
This could be handy too: http://www.mondorescue.org/

Cheers,

Renarios

[Rick Garland]

There is the kickstart utility that is standard with RH.

Also look at mondo. Very good app for DR recovery and golden image creation.

[Steven E. Protter]

You might be able to create install images by learning kickstart.

I'm just exploring that idea myself so can't offer specific advice at this time.

SEP

[Gopi Sekar]

i dunno the latest kickstart features but as far as i know, by using kickstart you can be able to get the factory default operating system. you wont be able to get latest changes and non standard applications which you have manually installed.

Gopi

[Huc_1]

Have a look at the following link for more info on Kickstart.

http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/RHEL-3-Manual/sysadmin-guide/s1-kickstart2-file.html

if you do a search on kickstart in http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/

You will get lost more !

Jean-Pierre Huc

[Huc_1]

I have just answered an other forum entry with this other link and maybe this also usefull here.

This a handy linux bootable rescue cd to have

http://www.tux.org/pub/people/kent-robotti/looplinux/rip/

Have a look at doc also on link

Jean-Pierre Huc

[Florian Heigl (new acc)]

For the Golden Image installation there's already all the good tools been mentioned, I think.

If You also want to have the backup component, it's a bit harder, I have yet to come across a matured bootable backup system for any of the free unices.

If a short downtime window for getting bootable and quick backups is acceptable, I'd strongly ask You to look at G4U, which I dare to call very usefull and mature.
see http://www.feyrer.de/g4u/ on that.