Re: [cobalt-users] Update failure installing Qube3-ml-Update-4.0.pkg

[Malcolm McLeary <mmcleary@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Lloyd,

on 24/9/02 11:53 AM, Lloyd Kvam wrote:

> The Cobalt Qube3, used as a mail server by the local school district, failed
> to reboot after installing the Qube3-ml-Update-4.0.pkg.

I've experienced exactly the same scenario.

There were two versions of Qube3-ml-Update-4.0.pkg released.  Did you try
installing an old copy of the original release or the 2nd release?  Also did
you attempt installation via the internet or did you do a GUI manual install
from a local source?  My preferred "local" source is;

http://127.0.0.1./packages/Qube3-ml-Update-4.0.pkg

That is I download my updates in advance and copy them into

/home/groups/home/web/packages

What sort of Qube3 is it?

If its not a Pro Ed (i.e. doesn't have RAID), then you could do what I did.
I installed a fresh disk in slot A and did an OS restore.  I then installed
the dead disk in slot B and mounted the partitions.  This gave me a working
system with the files I needed to "recover" readily available.

If it is a Pro Ed, then it'll be a bit more complex as you will not be able
to simply install the dead disk on the 2nd IDE bus as it'll become a member
of the RAID set and get overwritten.  You could try connecting the dead disk
as a slave on the primary IDE instead of as a Master on the 2nd IDE.

These days I have a Disaster Recovery hard disk which is essentially a Qube3
Std Ed disk with the Retrospect Linux Client installed.  I put it in slot A
and the dead disk in slot B.  I boot the system and mount the partitions of
the disk in slot B.  Then from a PC running Retrospect 6.0 for Windows I
perform a full backup of the dead disk.  Next I install a fresh disk in slot
A and do an OS Restore followed by an installation of the Retrospect Linux
client.  With the client installed I can get Retrospect to restore files
from the backup I just made.  If you apply all the updates necessary after
doing the OS Restore you only need to use Retrospect to Restore /var and
/home to bring the Qube3 back to where it was.

Having been stung by an upgrade making a system unbootable on more than one
occasion I now perform a system backup before installing any update.

Cheers,  Malcolm