Subj : copy images under OpenBSD
To   : Jasen Betts
From : Francois Thunus
Date : Wed Nov 29 2000 01:57 pm

 Hello !

28 Nov 00 06:07, Jasen Betts wrote to Francois Thunus:

 FT>> normally you mount it first, hence you use your mounting point.

 JB> When most people say "image of [a volume]" they mean a raw binary copy
 JB> of the volume, starting at the first sector and continuing on to the
 JB> last,
yes, but then you can't really know the size. In that case, the less bad 
solution would be to arbitrary limit thesize to the known biggest possible size 
of a data CD, ie 650 megs.
 JB> under unix IME and AFAIK you can usually access the image by going
 JB> straight to the special file (/dev/ entry) associated with the volume.
yes, you can. That the doesn't mean that it is the best way. You do that to 
check the file system, to format, or even to create a bootable floppy (cat > 
/dev/fd0), which are all specific tasks normally performed by root.

 FT>> I am not aware (unless specific cases) that you can just copy to
 FT>> /dev/fd0. normally you first mount /dev/fd0 somewhere (usually
 FT>> /mnt/floppy or /floppy and operate on those.
 JB> people use tar like that sometimes...
that is the exception that confirms the rule. backups by default are made 
directly to the tape device (sd0 or something, I don't even remember since it's 
in cron somewhere).

Anyway. I am not trying to convince anybody, just trying to help.

 Francois Thunus

New Windows cleaner:  Windex 3.1

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