MondoRescue HOWTO: Utilisation and Configuration of Mondo and Mindi under Linux (Version 2.2.2-rRRR)

# Chapter 5. Tests

# 5.1. Testing Mindi

Mindi is a vital part of the backup procedure. If you have used Mondo before or if you are in a hurry, skip steps 6.2 and 6.3; go straight to QuickStart.

However, if you have time or if you have been having trouble getting Mondo to work, I would recommend trying out Mindi directly (rather than via Mondo) to see if it can produce a bootable CD on your system.

Make sure you are root while doing this, otherwise mindi will fail, now do this.

If you have any problems, please:-

- less /var/log/mindi.log

- feel free to edit mindi (it's a shell script, btw) to try to fix the problem yourself

- contact the mondorescue mailing list if you get stuck.

Type:-

bash# mindi

Example screen output, selecting to use your own kernel, to create boot disks, and to create a bootable CD image:

    # mindi
    Mindi Linux mini-distro generator v1.09-r762

    Latest Mindi is available from http://www.mondorescueg

    BusyBox sources are available from http://www.busybox.net

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Do you want to use your own kernel to build the boot disk (y/n) ?y
    Would you like to use LILO (instead of syslinux)
    for your boot CD/floppies (y/n) ?n
    Analyzing dependency requirements                               Done.
    Making complete dependency list                                 Done.
    Analyzing your keyboard's configuration.

    Adding the following keyboard mapping tables: us-latin1         Done.
    Assembling dependency files...................................................................                                                  Done.
    The files have been subdivided into 5 directories.                              Your mountlist will look like this:-
        Finding all volume groups
      No volume groups found
      No volume groups found
      No volume groups found
      No volume groups found
            DEVICE          MOUNTPOINT      FORMAT          SIZE (MB)
            /dev/hda1       /               ext3                399
            /dev/hda9       /home           ext3              48478
            /dev/hda6       /usr            ext3               4999
            /dev/hda7       /var            ext3               1000
            /dev/hda5       swap            swap                349
            /dev/hda8       swap            swap               2003
        Finding all volume groups
      No volume groups found
      No volume groups found
      No volume groups found
      No volume groups found
    Tarring and zipping the groups..................                Done.
    Creating data disk #1...#2...#3...#4...#5...                    Done.
    Making 1722KB boot disk...........................1440+0 enregistrements lus.
    1440+0 enregistrements écrits.
    mke2fs 1.38 (30-Jun-2005)
    Failed to copy /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.12-15mdk-i686-up-4GB to ramdisk

    Warning - failed to create 1.44MB boot/root floppies

    Warning - failed to create 1.72MB boot image. Please reduce your kernel's size

    if you want to make a 1.72MB floppy disk.

    Making 2880KB boot disk...........................mkfs.vfat 2.10 (22 Sep 2003)
    ... 2880 KB boot disks were created OK                          Done.
    In the directory '/root/images/mindi' you will find the images:-
       mindi-data-1.img    mindi-data-2.img    mindi-data-3.img    mindi-data-4.img    mindi-data-5.img mindi-root.1440.img
    Would you like to create boot+data floppy disks now (y/n) ?n
    Shall I make a bootable CD image? (y/n) y
    NB: Mindi's bootable CD always uses isolinux.

    For a bootable CD w/LILO, please use Mondo.

    Finished.

    Boot and data disk images were created.

    #

If your kernel is too large (more than about 900KB) then you cannot make boot floppies, although you can still make a bootable CD image. The easiest way to test Mindi in either case is to say 'n' to its first question and 'y' to its second, then use the separate application cdrecord to make a bootable CD-R or CD-RW.

Use the cdrecord application to write the CD image:

bash# cd /root/images/mindi
bash# cdrecord -scanbus

The output of the above call to cdrecord will tell you your CD writer's node. It is usually '0,0,0'. Choose one of the following calls to write the CD, depending on whether the disk in the drive is a CD-R or a CD-RW. Please replace 'x,x,x' with your writer's node. For further information, type 'man cdrecord" from a Linux command line.

If writing to a CD-RW Drive/Disc:

bash# cdrecord -v blank=fast dev=x,x,x speed=4 mindi.iso (for CD-RW)

If writing to a CD-R Drive/Disc:

bash# cdrecord -v dev=x,x,x speed=4 mindi.iso (for CD-R)

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