Backups, Reimages, and
Drive Fitness Tests
(or how to kill an entire afternoon/evening)
Backup Server
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Used only when Windows is not bootable
 Last resort backup method
 RPI Helpdesk maintained
 Any one is welcome to help with
administering the server
Backup Specifications

Server name: backup.arc.rpi.edu
 Services provided: ssh, scp, sftp
 Accessible on campus or via VPN
 Pentium III 1 GHz, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB
system drive, 80 GB RAID-1 array for user
data, CD-RW driver, 100 Mbit ethernet
Backing up a T30 or Older

Make sure user reads the Conditions of Use Form
 Boot the LNX-BBC CD. If T20 or T30, choose 4 from the
boot menu, for T22 choose 5
 Login as root. There is no password on the CD.
 Run “trivial-net-setup” (Type trivial and press TAB)
 Press ENTER at all prompts
 Run “ssh youruserid@backup.arc.rpi.edu”
 Enter yes to the security question, then enter your
password
T30 and Older, Continued
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Read the welcome screen and press ENTER
Choose 1 off the menu and press Enter
Enter your password at the security prompt
Have the user enter his RCS userid and his real name. If the user does
not have an RCS userid, have them enter their email address on the
same line as their name
The user needs to accept the conditions of user
The user will be prompted for a password. Nothing will echo on the
screen. The password complains about, but accepts most passwords
Log out from the backup server (Q)
T30 and older, continued
Run “cd /mnt/rw/discs/disc0/part1”
 You are now in C:\ on the user’s disc
 Use cd to change directories, ls to list files, and du –h to
see the contents of the folder
 Spaces need to be escaped with a backslash: /Documents\
and\ Settings
 Unix uses / to separate directories
 To backup a folder, run “scp –r folder
client@backup.arc.rpi.edu:” The colon at the end is
important.
 To back up files, run “scp file client@backup.arc.rpi.edu:”
 When done, enter reboot at the prompt
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T40 and T42
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Boot the knoppix CD
At the boot: prompt, type “knoppix lang=us
screen=1400x1050” and press Enter
After the CD fully loads, click the icon that looks
like a terminal with a shell super imposed on it.
Run “ssh youruserid@backup.arc.rpi.edu
Enter yes at the security warning
Enter your password to log in
T40 and T42 Continued
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Read the welcome screen and press ENTER
Choose 1 off the menu and press Enter
Enter your password at the security prompt
Have the user enter his RCS userid and his real name. If the user does
not have an RCS userid, have them enter their email address on the
same line as their name
The user needs to accept the conditions of user
The user will be prompted for a password. Nothing will echo on the
screen. The password complains about, but accepts most passwords
Log out from the backup server (Q)
T40 and T42 Continued
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Run “mount /mnt/hda1”
You are now in C:\ on the user’s disc
Use cd to change directories, ls to list files, and du –h to see the
contents of the folder
Spaces need to be escaped with a backslash: /Documents\ and\ Settings
Unix uses / to separate directories
To backup a folder, run “scp –r folder client@backup.arc.rpi.edu:”
The colon at the end is important.
To back up files, run “scp file client@backup.arc.rpi.edu:”
When finished, click on the K icon and select Log out.
Choose “Turn off Computer”
Drive Fitness Tests

Materials Required:
– 1 laptop
– 1 floppy drive (parallel port to T30 and older,
USB for T40/T42)
– 1 Drive Fitness Floppy
– 1-2 hours
– Full backup of all critical data
Drive Fitness Tests, Continued
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Boot the laptop off the floppy drive.
At the menu, select ATA only (it boots faster and doesn’t
give any errors)
Agree to the license. The trackpoint/touchpads do work in
the program, or you can use the keyboard
Go to the Utilities Menu and select Erase Disk
Have the user click through the confirmation dialogs and
click start. Do NOT do this yourself.
Drive Fitness Test, Continued
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If the end result is a red screen, fill out a drive fitness test report.
If you did not run a test on the report, fill in N/A. For “Text Error”,
you do not need to fill in “Defective Device”, just whatever comes
after it.
Have the user fill out the serial number themselves
Although there is no blank for it, the TRC code needs to be on the
report.
If the DFT does not find a hard disk, note that on the report.
RCR will not replace a failed hard drive without a properly filled out
Drive Fitness Test report
Reimages – T22 and newer
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Make sure the user has filled out the self service reimage
agreement
Have them plug into a BLUE Ethernet switch.
Boot the Reimage CD. Have the user enter all prompts.
There are 4 prompts on the CD.
– The first prompt is a confirmation the user wants to continue.
– The second asks for what model laptop the user has.
– The third asks whether to use the full or base image.
 At the time of this writing, only the full image exists, and the base
images will be availible in the future
– The fourth prompt is a final confirmation
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As soon as the progress bars appear, the CD can be used on
the next client
Reimages T20 and older
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We are currently transitioning to a new
server. At the moment, we are using an
older server. Please ask a senior consultant
who is familiar with the procedure to help a
user with a T20 or older.
 Once the transition is complete, details will
be announced on hd-l@lists.rpi.edu
General Notes

The user MUST remain with the laptop at all
times. We can not be responsible for laptops.
 These procedures can and will destroy all data on
a user’s disk. Make sure the user is aware of this
before the laptop is powered on
 Paperwork is your friend. It covers your butt, if
and only if you follow it. Pat will back you up
100% if you have followed the proper procedures.
More Notes

Make sure the user is aware of the time a
procedure will take
 Make sure you are aware of the current
time. Do not begin a procedure if it won’t
finish before closing
Estimated Times
T20
T22
T30
T40
T42
Backup
Can copy at Can copy at Can copy at Can copy at Can copy at
rate of 45
rate of 45
rate of 45
rate of 45
rate of 45
MB/min
MB/min
MB/min
MB/min
MB/min
Drive
Fitness
30-90
minutes
1-2 hours
Reimage 20 min – 2+ 1 hour
hours
1-2 hours
1-3 hours
1-3 hours
1 hour
2 hours
2 hours
Applications – Windows XP
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Tell user to connect to the blue hub
Start a web browser
Go to http://foo.bar/apps.exe
Run the file
Have user put in their name and rcsid in the top two boxes.
Put your RCS ID in the bottom box and use a password of
“foobar”
Click “Install Software”
Click the application you want. Everything will proceed
automatically.
Applications - Campuswide

Solidworks, Matlab, Labview, Symantec Antivirus
– installed online. We have CDs if sambasrv isn’t
working right
 Mac and Linux versions of Matlab and Labview
are available.
 Solidworks and Matlab use license servers – user
either needs to be on campus, dialed into the
modem pool or connected to the external VPN
Applications – Laptop
Software – Older Windows

Use CDs in binder
 Put borrower’s ID in spot in binder
 Microsoft Products require patches after
installing.
 Microsoft Products require product CD to
patch.
Questions
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Questions?
 Comments?
 Suggestions?
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If you have any questions or are interested in helping to run backup or
any of the servers in the back office, contact hd-sysadminl@lists.rpi.edu