How to add a new / extra disk to server

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  • Shutdown server when convenient
  • Install disk drive
  • Setup BIOS on bootup
  • Start server normally.
  • Go to command prompt
  • Type: fdisk /dev/hdc to configure the new partition and / or to get rid of the old (WIN) partition
  • /sbin/mkfs -c /dev/hdc1 (checks the drive before making the file system)
  • /sbin/mkfs /dev/hdc1 formats the new partiton(s)
  • e2fsck -c /dev/hdc1 will do a read test checking for bad blocks on the drive, again. This is important to do with pre-loved drives.
  • Edit /etc/fstab to include the new file system, so it is available when you restart the computer. This can also be done with linuxconf (in Config / File System / Access local drive)
  • You should also mount (also possible through linuxconf) the new file system. The command would be: mount /dev/hdc1 /aux
  • Then you can start using the new disk. REBOOTING (like in Windows) IS NOT NECESSARY.

Extract from the SLUG.org.au mailing list: REPLACING A DISK WITH ANOTHER

On Wed, 29 Mar 2000,

Matthias Oertli generated:
>Hi all,
>I need to copy the contents of a linux partition onto a bigger
>partition on a replacement harddisk. I’d like an exact copy with all
>the permissions intact, etc.
>Would a simple cp -a /oldhd/* /newhd/* do the trick is there a
>better way?

* get tomsrtbt distro, install onto a floppy.
* turn off putr, install new disk, leave in old disk
* boot tomsrtbt & login
* mount /dev/hdold /mnt (or whatever)
* mkdir /mntnew
* mke2fs /dev/hdnew (assuming that there is no filesystem on this disk already)
* mount /dev/hdnew /mntnew
* cd /mnt
* tar cf – * | (cd /mntnew ; tar xf -)
* wait for a while
* once done, check to make sure the /mntnew filesystem seems intact
* umount /mntnew and /mnt
* mount the root partition, edit /etc/fstab on *it* (not the tomsrtbt) to make sure you mount the new drive in the right place
* reboot
* take out tomsrtbt disk 😉 the important line here is the tar line, this will preserve symlinks (a few caveats apply) and permissions and everything while copying a directory tree to another directory/filesystem/etc hope this helps —

jamesw

I think that you’ll need the second tar to be “tar xfp” (I usually use “tar xvfp” for amusement’s sake).

Man tar says:
-p –same-permissions
–preserve-permissions

Extract all protection information. from which I have always concluded that without -p you get the operator (root’s) current permissions on everything.

You probably want an “l” or “–one-file-system” option on the first tar too, so that it doesn’t follow a symlink onto some partition other than /mntold.

— Andrew

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