I think I have the correct steps on how to backup and restore an OS from one system to another. My problem is that I don't know if the hardware is different if it can be done or not. I hope someone can offer some advice. I need to backup a Solaris 2.4 system and make a mirror system of it. Yes I know it is old, and will one day be replaced, but for now, I need to make a copy of this old system to safeguard it. Right now it is just being backed up, but there is no other system set up to replace it in case of failure. I've been tasked with the fun job of creating a second system to use as a backup in case of failure. (While we still have some old equipment around). If the original system is a SUN Sparc5 and the mirror is a sUN Sparc20, and I restore the OS from the original system to the second system, will it work? Does a reconfigure at boot take care of any hardware differences?

Use ufsdump to make image copies of each file system and ufsrestore to restore. The sparc5 and sparc20 are in the same processor family. On the target computer reboot -- '-r' will reconfigure all the boot devices as it reboots. Write down the partition information so you can give at least that much size in the new drive. A later machine like a ultra1 will run fine in 32 bit mode substantially faster than a sparc20.

Thank you! I was unsure if a -r would do the trick, but sounds like it will work just fine. Im not all that worried about speed...I just need something there in case the old clunker dies. It is doubtful that it will ever be used. Anyway..They are investigating a replacement system...finally. Even if it is never used..it's all good experience for me to accomplish this task. :) The old sparc 5's and 20's were good solid systems. There are still a few of the old systems around here. Anyway, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my question.

Ok..I've been playing with this old clunker all week. Hopefully some of this will make sense and someone will have an idea that might help. I do not have a SunOS 5.4 disk to recreate a file system for a system I need to duplicate. So reloading the OS is out of the question. I have to get the system set up from a full tape backup. I am going from Sparc 5 to a Sparc 20 hardware. I do not have a spare sparc 5 that I can use to create this second system. This is the basics of the original file system. /dev/dsk/c0t3d0s0 / /dev/md/dsk/d19 /data Using the same sizes I partitioned the second disk with the same size partitions as the original. They are both 2GB drives, with / being under the 1GB limitation that the SunOS 5.4 version has. I used ufsrestore to get the data restored to these partitions. No problem there. Notice that the data directory is under volume manager control..I dont know what headache this will cause me once or even if I reach that step. Anyway..After I was successful in getting the OS and data off the tape onto the corresponding partions on the new drive. I finally got the bootblk set up onto the /dev/rdsk/c0t3d0d0 partition and fsck checks it out fine. Now the system will sort of boot up, but there is still something not right. I need to reconfigure the system to adjust to the Sparc 20 hardware, but it keeps bombing out with the following messages. A simple reboot produces the following: The / file system (/dev/dsk/c0t3d0d0) is being checked. Can't open /dev/rdsk/c0t3d0s0 mount: /dev/dsk/c0t3d0s0 no such device setmnt: cannot open /etc/mnttab for writing INIT: cannot create /var/adm/utmp INIT: cannot write blah blah. A boot -r produces a load of stuff that scrolls by so fast I cant catch it all: drvconfig: /etc/..something read only a bunch of Could not create symlink /dev/rmt/xxx because Read-Only file system Then it asks for the root passwd. Basically I am getting that it cant write the changes for the new hardware because it's somehow read only. The permissions on the dev directory are rwx for everything. Im lost on what I need to do to get it so the devices can be updated. I tried removing /dev and /devices and then doing a boot -r, but that only caused it to just hang. Does anyone have any ideas..or is this just a lost cause? I know this is a very old OS, but maybe someone can remember from way back. Thanks