Backing up a scsi drive with Amix and WB

[Magic]

So, Amiga OS 3.2 got me going again.



Years ago I spent about a week figuring out how and installing the software on my A3000UX. I used a Picasso II+ for a graphics card, a Phase 5 4030-50 for the cpu, and an A2065 for a network card. Back then I wrote a short paragraph on the Amiga Unix page about the process of downloading the files and writing them to tape on an A3070 tape drive and then getting Unix and X windows running on the Picasso II+. As I remember it took me about a week.


For personal reasons I had to pack up almost all of my classic Amiga gear and put it in storage. It's been well over 10 years since I have seen most of it. All of the batteries were pulled long ago.



Last night for the first time in many years I burned new Kickstart 3.2.1 eproms for my A3kdUX and it booted the first time! I was amazed that the old scsi drive I set up with Workbench 3.1 and Unix still works! After staying up way too late trying out both systems again it occurred to me that I should back the drive up ASAP. I have most of the common hardware / software to do it, so does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to backup a scsi drive that will boot either Unix or Amiga OS? Many thanks in advance.

[EDIT] Since then I have managed to obtain 2 of the A2410 Lowell graphics boards - 1 is a prototype board that works and the other one is NOS and it also works, another A2065 so 2 now, and 2 of the A2232 cards / cables.

I would really like to have some nice looking tape and disk labels (I do have a few photos) and a re-print of the original manuals. I have looked for years for a set of original manuals and they go for crazy money. I think I have everything else now except for the 3 button A3000 mouse.

[Matt_H]

Do you have another (larger) drive in the system? I think the best bet is to get an image of the entire disk. I’ve done this before with dcp from this package. It’s similar to the Unix dd command. I don’t remember the exact command syntax, but it’s basically dcp scsi.device unit 6 to backupvolume:filename. Substitute scsi.device and unit 6 with whatever your drive is configured as.

There are newer dd-like utilities as well, I think, but I can’t remember any by name. Hopefully someone else knows them.

[Magic]

Originally Posted by Matt_H

Do you have another (larger) drive in the system? I think the best bet is to get an image of the entire disk. I’ve done this before with dcp from this package. It’s similar to the Unix dd command. I don’t remember the exact command syntax, but it’s basically dcp scsi.device unit 6 to backupvolume:filename. Substitute scsi.device and unit 6 with whatever your drive is configured as.

There are newer dd-like utilities as well, I think, but I can’t remember any by name. Hopefully someone else knows them.

Would this back up both operating systems? I just looked at the directions that I helped write on the Amiga Unix page back then and I am not sure that I am in the mindset now to re-create this drive should it fail. I really want to give the install a go again now with a newer and better hard drive. This time using the Lowell graphics card instead of the Picasso II+ and with OS 3.2.1 to see if it all works. I'll probably skip the tape this time if I can figure that part out. I have multiple different classics up and running again with a wide range of hardware so options are not a problem.

[Matt_H]

Yes, it should be a raw copy of the entire disk, equivalent to an HDF file for WinUAE.

Restoring the backup to a different disk is another matter, however, since the drive geometry will be different. I’m not sure how/if that would work.

[Magic]

Thank you!
Soon I hope to use a different newer hard drive and give the install a go from hd this time instead of tape with the Lowell card. I didn't have it last time.

[stevelord]

Doing a disk image backup is great if you want to restore to the same physical disks. For your 3.2.1 system, Abackup on Aminet will give you more options for a file-based backup you can then put somewhere (smbfs, for example).

The Unix side is also possible but a little more convoluted. If your A2065 is configured for IP you should be able to back up using tar onto an NFS export across the network. This way you get the best of both world should you change filesystems.

If you like to leave the Unix side up and running you may be able to use cron to schedule a periodic tar backup.

[fgh]

TSGUI on aminet can also create an image of your entire drive.
You can then write this image to a larger drive.
With ‘FixHDDsize’ from the same author, you could afterwards adjust the drive geometry stored in your RDB to match the new larger drive. (This in itself would not adjust any partitions or mess with any non amigaos partitions, only make the additional space available)

[Matt_H]

Originally Posted by Magic

Thank you!
Soon I hope to use a different newer hard drive and give the install a go from hd this time instead of tape with the Lowell card. I didn't have it last time.

If I remember correctly from my own Amix install a billion years ago, installing from HD wasn’t 100% functional compared to installing from tape. There was at least one thing which didn’t work, the patch disk to the final version of the OS. A solution might be to install from “tape” using WinUAE and then write the image of that partition back to the hard drive.

Originally Posted by fgh

TSGUI on aminet can also create an image of your entire drive.
You can then write this image to a larger drive.
With ‘FixHDDsize’ from the same author, you could afterwards adjust the drive geometry stored in your RDB to match the new larger drive. (This in itself would not adjust any partitions or mess with any non amigaos partitions, only make the additional space available)

Oh, I thought TSGUI could only do partitions/volumes and not whole hard drives? Maybe I’m wrong. But there’s a newer version than what’s on Aminet on Thomas’s homepage. I wasn’t aware of FixHDDSize - good info!

[Magic]

I just found the disk and tape labels on the Amiga Unix page! I might have to print some. I do miss the sounds of an A3070 streaming. I was looking around for a copy of the Gateway! volume 2 CD but no luck yet.

[Matt_H]

All 3 Gateway! CDs are on the EAB FTP. Buried pretty deep, but they're on there.

[mousehouse]

Originally Posted by Magic

I just found the disk and tape labels on the Amiga Unix page! I might have to print some. I do miss the sounds of an A3070 streaming. I was looking around for a copy of the Gateway! volume 2 CD but no luck yet.

Awesome! I spent a few years collecting all the required parts to build my 3000UX. I also had the A2410 card, which was a rare find. A few came by on Ebay a year ago or so. Sold it 2 years ago to a German collector - I needed the funds...

Anyway, I found that using a SCSI2SD board was the easiest way. I've cloned the SD card to an image on my Mac (just use 'dd') and I can create/restore SD cards easily. If you add one to your Amiga you should be able to clone the existing SCSI drive, and then live a happy life off the SD.