Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

From: Harry Putnam <reader@×××××××.com>
To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
Subject: [gentoo-user] When copying an os to new disk
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:35:41
Message-Id: 87hbpdotge.fsf@newsguy.com
1 I'm currently rsyncing an OS (new gentoo install) from one vmware disk
2 to a newly created one.
3
4 I know not to copy /proc but not sure about /dev. Looking at an
5 unbooted OS disk with an install on it... I see /dev/ is populated
6 (with no boot up), but I recall seeing things during boot like
7 `populating /dev' (I think).
8
9 So should I copy it over to new disk or not?
10
11 OH, what this is all about is maybe worth mention here for someone
12 else doing similar.
13
14 I opened a vmware appliance (pre made install of gentoo 1008),
15 thinking I'd be able to fairly quickly get it up to date.
16
17 The reason I went with the premade appliance is that I've tried
18 several times to get a vmware gentoo guest going but always have
19 trouble when booting off the newly built kernel. I've fussed with
20 that repeatedly and only managed long ago to get one gentoo vmware
21 guest running. (There was quite a tirade of threads initiated by me
22 here back then),
23
24 So anyway the appliance turned out to be a real chore to get
25 updated... Circular dependancies involving different versions of
26 portage and somekind of api... maybe eapi1 not working with various
27 pkgs, all in all a big nasty circle jerk... so went ahead and tried
28 the `from scratch' route.
29
30 And true to form having plenty of trouble getting my kernel to see the
31 vmware disk I installed on, once I boot off the new kernel.
32
33 I chose to install on a scsi disk as recommended by vmwares' help.
34
35 That, I think is where the rub currently is.
36
37 I noticed the appliance (From bagvapp) was built on an IDE disk, And
38 its worth noting that even when booting from the appliance,,, that
39 kernel doesn't see the scsi disk either... (with fdisk).
40
41 So the livecd kernel sees both the appliance IDE disk and the scsi
42 disk I installed on. That kernel appears to be genkernel built and
43 uses the initrd approach, so all mod are in play before the actual
44 kernel starts booting.
45
46 Anyway, cutting to the chase, I added an IDE disk myself and am copying
47 the OS from the original SCSI to the IDE (I foolishly did quite a bit
48 of emerging and configuring from the chroot before actually testing if
49 it would boot so, don't wan't to lose that work and do another fresh
50 install).
51
52 So, I'm about to find out if any of it is going to work but wondered
53 about copying /dev/ over.

Replies

Subject Author
Re: [gentoo-user] When copying an os to new disk Daniel Troeder <daniel@×××××××××.com>
Re: [gentoo-user] When copying an os to new disk Volker Armin Hemmann <volkerarmin@××××××××××.com>
Re: [gentoo-user] When copying an os to new disk daid kahl <daidxor@×××××.com>