Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce
From: K Kubat <karel@obelix.icce.rug.nl>
Subject: Search And Rescue!
Message-ID: <1994Mar28.212206.21041@cs.cornell.edu>
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 21:22:06 GMT
Approved: linux-announce@tc.cornell.edu (Matt Welsh)

==============================================================================

			Making Search and Rescue Disks

				Karel Kubat
			     karel@icce.rug.nl

==============================================================================

Heia,

This is my SAR (Search And Rescue) set for Linux systems. It contains a simple
shell script which creates a SAR floppy, to be used in the case of an
emergency. The script depends on a number of definition files (which must be
configured prior to usage), and is therefore -at least in my opinion- flexible
enough to suit different sites / systems. Furthermore this set includes a
number of `handy' utilities (well, handy in my opinion..), such as LILO and
sash. LILO is the Linux Loader, and is used to make a floppy bootable.  Sash
is David I. Bell's (dbell@pdact.pd.necisa.oz.au) excellent command
interpreter shell with a lot of built-in commands (cp, ln, etc.) which, when
contained in the shell, need not be copied to the SAR floppy.

Why use SAR, and not other resue packages? First of all, this package makes a
bootable rescue floppy using the *current* kernel, with its *current* settings
such as the video mode, with its *current* compiled-in support for your
devices. Second, this package depends on configuration files, which can be
adapted to suit your needs. Third, I've spent a lot of work creating a
bootable set which is as small as possible. I think I've succeeded well
enough, so that the SAR floppy has some space left for your extra programs
which you need to access your backup medium.

The SAR set can be obtained at beatrix.icce.rug.nl (129.125.14.131) using
anonymous ftp. It is located as an archive SAR-X.YY.tar.gz in the directory
pub/unix, where X.YY is the version number of the archive. The set may
furthermore be available at the Linux sites sunsite.unc.edu (systems/Recovery)
and tsx-11.mit.edu; though I have no idea when.

When unpacked, SAR-X.YY.tar.gz yields a subdirectory SAR-disk/ where all files
are placed. To install, changedir to an appropriate directory (/conf is
suggested) and unpack the archive. The full documentation is in
SAR-disk/doc/SAR.tex, a LaTeX-able file. LaTeX it, print it and READ IT
CAREFULLY! If you don't have LaTeX, just read it in the raw format and pretend
not to see the LaTeX commands.

If you like my SAR set, tell your friends about it. If you *really* like it,
send a postcard to:
    K. Kubat
    ICCE k.312
    Westerhaven 16
    9718 AW  Groningen, The Netherlands.
If you don't like it, tough.

-- 
email: K.Kubat@icce.rug.nl             "Premature optimization is the root
phone: (+31) 50 63 36 47                of all evil.." (Knuth)
mail : ICCE, Univ. of Groningen,
  P.O. box 335, 9700 AH Groningen, Netherlands

