Re: [cobalt-users] OS Restore CD (was Backing up of cobalt raq)

[David Shugarts <Azimuth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> 
>> Hi All,
>> I would like to know how do i backup all sites and users data as well as
>> MySQL databases.
>> 
>> I am unable to boot of the raq but, i can boot it off another machine... I
>> am now gonna do
>> a fresh re-install of this machine.
>> 
>> 
>> Rick
>> 
>> _____________________________________
>> cobalt-users mailing list
>> cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to SEARCH THE ARCHIVES, go to:
>> http://list.cobalt.com/mailman/listinfo/cobalt-users
> 
> If I may add to the question, what is the possibility that we can get an OS
> 6.4 restore disk to bring the machine up to the current patches and OS? Does
> anyone know if Cobalt sells this, and what the price is?
> 
> --Dave Shugarts
> 
> _____________________________________
> cobalt-users mailing list
> cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to SEARCH THE ARCHIVES, go to:
> http://list.cobalt.com/mailman/listinfo/cobalt-users

I will reply to my own question (it only took me, like three hours to find
everything, so I would like to share it.

1. First, if you go through sun.com and wade through all the Solaris
   stuff, you will eventually be able to reach a Sun Cobalt Networks OS
   Restore Disc download page. It has the downloads to make bootable disks
   for most Cobalt products, Raq1 or Qube1 through Raq550 and Qube3. It is
   at least spelled out for the Qube3 that it is an OS 6.4 version.

2. The download brings you (in an hour or so) a gzip file that you extract
   to produce a disk image (.iso) file.

3. Burn the ISO file to a CD to make a Linux bootable CD.

4. If you're like me, your PC wasn't yet set up to boot from a CD, so I had
   to change the primary boot device to CD-ROM, where it had been Floppy,
   by editing the BIOS setup.

5. At this point, you can now boot Linux from the newly made CD. The rest
   of the story is that you need some cabling/hubs and you need to start
   your Cobalt product and network-over to obtain the OS from the PC.

At this point, pick up the instructions that were previously circulated on
this list by John McMaster. I have cut and pasted them below.

Wish me luck--I will be doing the restore this weekend.

HTH.

--Dave Shugarts

============================================================

Boot off the CD and directions will appear on the screen... :)

Or, use this -- from a PDF I made for internal use; text cut-and-pasted
here since I can't send a binary to the list, so excuse any formatting
issues:


Sun Cobalt OS Restore Instructions

Welcome to the Sun Cobalt OS Restore CD. This is a self-booting Linux
distribution on a CD. It is designed to restore the software on your Sun
Cobalt server appliance to its original factory fresh condition.

****************************************************************
Warning: Restoring your server appliance will completely erase
all data stored on the hard drive(s) of the server appliance!
Please backup all valuable data before proceeding.
****************************************************************

****************************************************************
After successfully restoring your server appliance, please
immediately install all system software updates for your product
available on the Sun Cobalt website. For the highest security,
the updates should be downloaded to a local workstation and
installed onto your appliance before it is ever connected to a
public network.

Updates are at http://www.cobalt.com/support/download/
****************************************************************

Equipment Requirements

1. Intel-compatible PC (desktop or laptop):
   - Must have only one IDE (ATAPI) CD-ROM drive
   - Must be able to boot from a CD-ROM (might require BIOS setting
changes)
   - Must have only one of the following Network Interface Cards (NIC):

   Desktop machines (PCI cards):
   - Intel PRO/100+ Server Adapter (PILA8470B)
   - Linksys EtherFast 10/100 LAN Card (LNE100TX)
   - Netgear Fast Ethernet PCI Adapter (FA312TX)
   - 3Com OfficeConnect Fast Ethernet NIC (3CSOHO100-TX)
   - 3Com Fast EtherLink XL PCI NIC (3C905B-TX)

   Laptops (PCMCIA cards):
   - Netgear Fast Ethernet PCMCIA Adapter (FA410TX)
   - 3Com Megahertz 10/100 LAN PC Card (3CCFE574BT)
   - Xircom CreditCard Ethernet 10/100 (CE3B-100BTX)

2. The following connectivity equipment:

   (1) 100Base-T (recommended) or 10Base-T Ethernet hub
   (2) standard Category 5 Ethernet cables

   or

   (1) crossover Category 5 Ethernet cable


Preparation

1. Power off the appliance

2. Boot the restore machine (your PC or laptop) from the OS Restore CD
and accept the License Agreement.

3. If you are using two standard Ethernet cables and a hub:

   a) Connect one standard Ethernet cable from the restore
      machine NIC to the hub.

   b) Connect the other standard Ethernet cable from the primary
      Ethernet port on the appliance (usually marked with a Roman
      numeral "I") to the hub.

   c) Ensure that neither Ethernet cable is connected to an "Uplink"
      port on the hub.

   d) Ensure no other computers are connected to the hub besides the
      restore machine and the appliance you are restoring.

4. If you are using a crossover Ethernet cable:

   a) directly connect the restore machine NIC to the primary
      Ethernet port on the appliance.


Initiating Restore for x86-compatible appliances
(Qube 3, RaQ 3, RaQ 4, RaQ XTR, CacheRaQ 4, Control Station)

1. Power up the appliance while holding down the "Select" (S) button.
"Select" is the top button of the two to the right of the arrow buttons.

2. Continue holding down "Select" until "Select Option:" appears on the
LCD display (time for this to appear varies -- on RaQ XTR it might take
as much as 1-2 minutes from power-on).

3. Press and release the "Select" button until "Boot From Net" appears
on the LCD display.

4. Press and release the "Enter" (E) button to begin net booting the
server appliance from the OS Restore Disk. "Enter" is the bottom button
of the two to the right of the arrow buttons.

5. The LCD display shows the "Loading Kernel..." message.

6. For RaQ XTR and Control Station only: "Erase and Rebuild Y N" will
appear on the LCD display. Move the cursor to the "Y" option with the
arrow buttons and press "Enter."


Initiating Restore for MIPS-based appliances
(Qube 1, Qube 2, RaQ 1, RaQ 2, CacheRaQ 2)

1. Power up the appliance while holding down both the left and right
arrow buttons.

2. Continue holding buttons down until "NET BOOTING" appears in the LCD
display.


Monitoring and Shutdown

1. Various messages will appear on the LCD display as the OS Restore
process happens.

2. Wait until "PLEASE SWITCH OFF POWER NOW" appears on the LCD display.
The restore process is now complete.

3. You may safely turn off both the appliance and the restore machine,
and return them to normal service.


****************************************************************
Warning: During the restore process, the server appliance will
reboot itself at least once. The complete restoration process
will take 15-20 minutes, possibly longer. The entire process
must complete without interruption for a successful restoration
of the server appliance.
****************************************************************


Advanced "Useful" Information

1. There is some additional functionality in the OS Restore CD, which
may be used to troubleshoot problems with a restoration process, or to
at least give you something halfway interesting to watch while the whole
process happens. All these options happen on the restore machine (the PC
or laptop you booted from the OS Restore CD):

- Pressing Alt+F1 will return you to the "main" OS Restore screen, where
the instructions are.

- Pressing Alt+F5 will give you a "login:" prompt and allow you to open
a shell session with the Linux installation on the OSRCD. Use the login
name of 'root' to connect. From here, you have access to some basic
utilities like 'top' and 'ifconfig'

- Pressing Alt+F8 allows you to watch the NFS connections happening
between the restore machine and the appliance.

2. Another way to monitor what's happening, from the appliance side of
the process, is to connect a second PC or laptop, via null modem serial
cable, to the console serial port on the appliance. You then need to run
a terminal emulator (example: HyperTerm on Windows machines), and set
the serial connection speed based on the appliance type. Most products
use the settings: 115200 bps, N-8-1 parity. The exceptions are MIPS
products (Qube 1, Qube 2, RaQ 1, RaQ 2, CacheRaQ 2) and RaQ 3: the
connection speed for these appliances should be 9600 bps, N-8-1 parity.


--
Bruce Timberlake
Sun Cobalt Technology Engineer
Sun Microsystems, Inc.