Topic: Re-install SME without format?

[spyrule]

Good morning,

 This is a multi-part questions so bare with me here....

 I was attempting to install mcrypt on SME for phpmyadmin, only to read on a different forum that it's not really possible.

 Well, @ that point everything was working, but I had made some changes, so I rebooted.

 Now the server won't start.  It keeps loading the initial settings (the text-based interface, where it asks for server name and whatnot),
 all the original settings are there, and so when I go through it, it finishes, and then NOTHING happens. blank screen with just the blinking
 cursor.

 When I reboot, I watch the boot screen, and at one point it keeps saying "etc/makedev.d" is not available, then I get "unknown user root:root", and then it continues to boot, and @ the login promt I continuously get "httpd: bad user name www"

 When I Alt-2, and attempt to login, all usernames seem to be lost to the system.

 Sooo... I'm thinking I need to re-install the OS.  However, I have files on a samba share that are NOT currently backed up (literally was on my to do list this morning! grrr....).

 Question 1) Is it possible to re-install the OS/Recover the OS without formatting the HDD ? if yes, how?

 Question 2) If it's not possible to do that, I can boot in recovery mode, and "see" the files, but Its too large for a usb key. I DO have an
 external burner, but how could I burn the data to a burner from the command line?

 Question 3) If I mount the drive on a windows machine and just copy the files off of it, anybody know which files need copying to
 backup a mysql database, so that I don't lose it as well (I have a backup as of last thursday, but again, if I can avoid losing data....)

 If anybody has any other suggested solutions, I am totally open to any ideas.

 thank you in advance,

 Spyrule

[spyrule]

anybody?

[mcp_dk]

I had a similar problem once. I needed to get some files off a SME server that had crashed badly.

This is what i did

i took a Damnsmalllinux and booted on the server.
I then mounted the local harddrive.
I then started SSH server on the damnsmalllinux

From a remote PC i used a SFTP client to access the local harddrive via the damnsmallinux ssh connection and retrieved the files.

Then i did a clean install.

I know it is not a precise answer to your question but a suggestions to get the important files.

[spyrule]

Trust me, your answer is by far better then the previous answers I have received so far......

 So you know if damnsmalllinux will mount sata drives? (I have NO experience with DSLinux)

[pfloor]

You can try a re-install of the system without touching the /home/e-smith/file/... directories like this:

1-Download 7.2 CD (if you don't already have it).
2-Boot machine from CDROM.
3-Select "Upgrade" (WARNING: DO NOT SELECT NEW INSTALL)

This will re-install anything missing and "should" get the system back up and running.  It "should not" erase anything in the .../files directory(s).

[spyrule]

Can anybody confirm this information?

 mainly that it WILL NOT delete files from the /files directory?!?

[pfloor]

I can confirm that the "upgrade" feature is specifically designed to NOT disturb your .../files/... directories on a functioning and healthy system.

What I can not guarantee is that your partition/directory structure is in tact and I don't know what will happen if you attempt an upgrade if your structure is not in tact.

From your other thread I gather that you don't have 2 drives mirrored as a RAID1.  If you had done that, you could pull 1 of the drives and tested it on the other leaving the "pulled" drive in tact in case the upgrade didn't work.  That is the beauty of RAID1 and why it is a good idea to use it.

[raem]

spyrule

> ....that it WILL NOT delete files from the /files directory?!?

When you do an upgrade, that is correct , data remains intact.
As pfloor says, you have a problematic drive, so anything is possible, including a total disaster.

To prevent against total loss of information on the drive you have now, you can make a clone image or copy of it using appropriate software or even use the dd command, before attempting the upgrade.

The recommendation is ALWAYS to do a backup (of some sort) before any upgrades or major system changes.

Install another sme OS on another drive, mount the "old" drive , run dd.... to do a copy.
for usage syntax see
man dd
or try one of the GPL clone softwares.

Then you can try and fix the clone drive via the CD upgrade process (the clone is better to play with, keep the original set aside in case), and if all goes well, no problem. If it fails then at least you still have the original drive and can revise your strategy/procedure.

[spyrule]

The ultimate problem I have is that the "server" is just a Dell Optiplex GX520, that only has a single SATA drive connection.

 and... oddly enough, I only have SATA drives, I don't have and older pata drives kicking around.

 So, I think I am going to have to do the suggested, setup a test SME (on my home pc, which has like... 8 sata connections), mount the second HDD, and then backup the data that I need to keep.

 Question,  How do I start the SME install WITHOUT the raid feature?  ie: standard linux mount?

 Please, also if you could tell me the actual command for it (I'm quite a newb to SME Admin, so I'm still faaaaaaar from being even compfortable with the feature commands).

 Thank you both in advance for all the great suggestions.

 Spyrule.

[Bud]

Hi there. This is what I have done to "copy" Required Data from Sata/IDE Drives.

1. Download and Install this Application (Freeware) on a Windowz Box. It allows you to Mount Linux Volumes with Different File Systems on a Windowz Box Easily.  http://www.fs-driver.org/

2. Remove the Drive from the SME Box and Install SME Drive as a Slave Drive in the Windowz Box.

3. Mount the SME Sata/IDE Drive Volume as a Mapped Volume via the Application.

4. Open Explorer and Copy Data from Mounted SME Sata/IDE Drive to a Windowz Folder.

5. Remove SME Sata/IDE Drive and install back into SME Box

6. Reinstall SME on the Sata/IDE Drive on the SME Box.

7. Restore Data from Windowz Box to SME Box.

Voila, Done! (Or you can use the Damn Small Linux Option as mentioned in a previous post)

Hope this works for you

SME is Simply Great 

[spyrule]

Thank you bud,

 However I tried exactly that, and found that their was 2 partitions on the hdd. Partition 0 was readable, but only carried the boot-loader for the second partition,
 which unfortunately, if the OS is install with software raid, cannot be directly mounted (or at least I was never able to get it to be readable).

 Eventually, with help of a co-worker who has 20+ years of experience, he was able to help fix the underlying issues to a point, where we could boot the os in single user mode,
 and then mount the data, and then using the ftp client, transfer the data to another pc with a ftp server running on it.

 It wasn't pretty, but it worked.  Server is now back up and running in it's vanilla state. Now for some reason the yum updates keep stalling at pre-download state, with no indicator
 as to what the problem actually is.

 ahh well, I'll muddle my way through this... lol.

 Spyrule.

[raem]

spyrule

Try
yum clean all

Read
http://wiki.contribs.org/SME_Server:Documentation:FAQ#Yum_Updates