Custom boot flop for ISC 2.2

[David Mason]

In article <1670 at srhqla.SR.COM> rbm at srhqla.SR.COM (Ron Miller) writes:
 [ I am quoting in full, as this article was sent to c.u.i386,
   and may have died in junk on a lot of systems - D.M. ]
>
>Hi.  I have a problem and I am hoping somebody can help me.  I have
>Interactive Unix v2.2 installed on a 380 mb hard disk in my Everex
>Step 386-25.  I have the entire filesystem backed up on the QIK-36
>streaming tape drive (cpio) and, of course, I have the original flops.
>The hard disk crashed last week and I have learned from ISC tech support
>that I have to completely intall (destructive type) Unix from the
>floppies (11 diskettes), install the Wangtek driver, reconfigure
>the kernal and then (and only then) will I be able to read in the
>tape.   (The disk was formatted for DOS to run the diagnostics.)
>
>This is fine (I guess) but while talking to Marla at ISC (who is very 
>helpful) I discovered that there is no way (to her knowledge) to make
>a boot floppy that has a kernel with the wangtek driver.  I would
>like to have this custom floppy in case this problem ever occurs
>again to make it much easier to resore a hard disk.  
>
>Now, this seems like a very fundamental requirement and I find it
>hard to believe it isn't a common thing to do!  Is this a limitation
>of Interactive or Unix in general?  If in fact I *can* make a boot
>floppy to suit my needs please, somebody, tell me where to find the
>necessary information.  I need this info by Wednesday AM as the system
>needs to be shipped NLT that day.
>
>I can be reached by email at the address below or call me voice
>at 800-745-4888.  
>
>Thank you in advance,
>
>-- 
>                        - Ron Miller, System Administrator
>                    Silent Radio HeadQuarters, Los Angeles (srhqla)
>                       Path:{usc|csun|pacbell|pyramid|telebit}!srhqla!rbm
>       TV dinner by the pool, I'm so glad I finished school...

Until 2.2 arrived, what you request was something that could be done
quite easily.  With 2.0, one simply copied a new kernel onto the boot
floppy that had the right tape drive configured in, then modified the
INSTALL script to copy the stuff in from the tape (and a few more
things).

However, with 2.2 I have not managed to get this right, due to the 2
floppy system of installation.  It appears that the request for the second
disk is linked into the kernel on the first disk.  Then a new vanilla
kernel is installed from the core disks.  When one creates a kernel
with kconfig with the appropriate drivers linked in, it doesn't have the
feature to ask for a second disk.  I haven't worked out how to do this,
or even if it is possible, so I tried another method.

I hacked the scripts on the second disk so that when it says "tape?", it
bombs out of the fancy stuff, and runs a cpio from the floppy drive
(possible because the system is now running from the HD).  I have
created a floppy containing a new kernel, a /.profile and a few more
files.  Then run a uadmin 2 2 from the install script, and the system will
reboot and run /.profile.  In there I read in the tape with a fully loaded
and configured system (be sure to have a replacement /.profile) and
again do a uadmin 2 2.  Voila!, a loaded system.

This is an inelegant kludge, I know, but it sure beats being a DJ.  If
anybody can get it slicker, I would like to hear.

The installation script on 2.2 also has an option to back up to tape. 
However, there is no mention of what tapes are supported.  Has anybody
found out?  One thing for sure is that writing to a Wangtek 60 Mb failed.
--------------------
David Mason                       | "Strange the mind, 
mason at oct1.UUCP                   |    that very fiery particle,
"olsa99!oct1!mason"@ddsw1.MCS.COM |  Should let itself be snuffed out
...!ddsw1!olsa99!oct1!mason       |     by an article."       Byron