[OpenAFS] disaster recovery, help needed.

[Horst Birthelmer]

On Apr 24, 2006, at 12:15 PM, ph rhole oper wrote:
> On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 09:05:11 +0200, "Horst Birthelmer"
> <horst@riback.net> said:
>> On Apr 24, 2006, at 3:42 AM, ph rhole oper wrote:
>>> On Sun, 23 Apr 2006 22:20:19 +0200 (CEST), "Chris Huebsch"
>>> <chris.huebsch@informatik.tu-chemnitz.de> said:
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, 23 Apr 2006, ph rhole oper wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> The hd holding the root directory of an afs server has crashed,
>>>>> thus the
>>>>> /var/openafs/ files are lost with it,
>>>>
>>>> Was the crashed server only a fileserver or both fileserver and
>>>> databaseserver? If the latter, was it your only databaseserver?
>>> It was a db server too, but there is one more left online.I think  
>>> that
>>> if i install a new OS,
>>> mount /vicepa , and start afs services, ubik will synchronize and  
>>> the
>>> new OS's afs will just bring the /vicepa volumes up.Right?
>>
>> The DB server cold make some trouble on resynchronization with an
>> empty database (It's really no big deal)
> Whenever i need to install a new db server on the network, i just  
> start
> it with an empty database and it synchronizes with other
> db servers anyway (is it any other way i could do this anyway?)

No.
My point was, if it doesn't (which I saw sometimes) it's not part of  
this problem. ;-)

>> but the fileserver will
>> work, yes.
>> I did that many times in the past.
>> You just have to take care of the KeyFile etc.
>>
> I'll just copy the KeyFile from another server..

Yes, that's the easiest way, of course.
I just wanted to remind you...

>>>>> But the /vicepa partition is ok.Is it possible to recover the data
>>>>> (transfer them to another working openafs server), from the
>>>>> /vicepa/VOL* files?
>>
>> I don't see why a new copy of the fileserver wouldn't do the right
>> thing here.
>>
> A new copy of the fileserver?

Yes, another binary ... from wherever.

>> IIRC it's a linux server.
> Its FreeBSD actually.
>> If not, you really want to install the same server type (inode or
>> namei).
>> It would be fatal error if you don't. The fileserver of the wrong
>> type can damage your volumes.
>>
> I'll just use the binary version from the openafs.org site.The  
> previous
> OS was linux but i don't think i've tampered
> with the inode/namei option when i built it from source there..

On Linux there is no inode fileserver.
You don't have a choice there. :-)

Did I get that right?
You're trying to attach a partition previously used by a Linux  
fileserver on a fresh installed FreeBSD fileserver?

That kinda changes my statement from above. I don't really know if  
that won't cause you trouble.
You better install the same OS on that machine move all the volumes  
away and install another OS.
 From my perspective, it's safer.

> By the way, if the afs files (KeyFile and /vicepa/*) are generated  
> on a
> 32bit host, would they be compatible if used on a 64bit host?
> I mean, can you use them on a new 64bit OS installation?My first guess
> is no..but i don't know.

I don't expect any problems but I don't know for sure either.
I never switched from 32 to 64 bits on one machine.

Horst