Last revision -- 03/05/97

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CS 4750 -- Operating Systems II
Class Notes for Week 03
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IDEAS FOR THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK (Some of these things are
project ideas.)

* Use dd to write to a floppy from a hard disk on a Linux
  machine.  The command syntax and problem of figuring out the
  right name for the device file is similar to problems
  encountered using (r)dump and (r)restore.  Hint: do "apropos
  floppy" to get titles of man pages containing an indication
  of the names of floppy drive device files.  Do "man dd" to
  get information about how to use dd.

* Experiment with using the "tar piped to dd" command we demo'd
  in the third lab session.  All you need is an account on two
  machines, one of them being omicron.  Fix your .rhosts file in
  your home directory on omicron.  For example, if I want do a
  tar from salina to omicron's tape drive, I make sure the
  following entry is in my .rhosts file on omicron:

  salina.csustan.edu john

  Use the command to write to a tape on omicron, and then try
  to get it to "work in reverse" -- try to restore the contents
  of the tape.  You will want to be careful of what you make
  the target -- make the restored stuff go into a temporary
  directory somewhere -- if something goes wrong, you do not
  want important files corrupted.  Ask Julie or me for help
  getting and mounting tapes.

* Read the man pages on dump and restore, and design some
  command to dump and restore a small filesystem.  Get Julie's
  help trying it out.

* Look for information on Amanda.  Share any interesting URL's
  with the class.

* Search the Internet for information about new and exciting
  backup hardware and software for Unix and Linux.  For Linux,
  there is information to be gleaned from the issues of "The
  Linux Journal" -- kept in Julie's office.  Share goodies that
  you find with the class.  How should we be doing our backups
  of the Linux machines?

* Actually organize regular backups of the entire contents of
  one or more of the Linux machines in the CS Lab.  Get help
  from John or Julie with getting tapes, access to the tape
  drive, and so forth.

* Install spacegripe from the CD-ROM onto a Linux box.

* Ask John or Julie for access to a copy of the script we run
  on the suns to figure out who the top ten disk hogs are and
  create a similar script to run on a Linux box.  Get it
  running out of cron.

* Interested in quota's?  On your Linux box, turn them on.
  Make this part of your semester's project work.  Share
  information obtained with the class.