Re: New hard disk, copying data

[Niels Dettenbach <nd%syndicat.com@localhost>]

Riccardo Mottola <riccardo.mottola%libero.it@localhost> schrieb:

Hi,

I want to install a new hard disk in my laptop. The previous hard diss 
(traditional winchester) two partition, NetBSD + Windows with the boot 
selection menu. I want to install a new SSD disk, just slightly smaller 
than the existing netbsd partition. I have this laptop often in bumpy 
condition and the current HD seems to fail, so I thought trying SSD 
might be interesting.

How can I copy the existing data, to avoid a reinstall? I thought

1) attach the hard disk in an external USB enclosure
2) Partition int
3) Copy the data (how? using tar/untar perhaps?)
4) write the MBR (but how, from the command line? and I don't need the 
boot selection anymore, just flat into NetBSD)

Please fill in the voids :) I'm open also to other suggestions

about partitioning then? I was thinking t
 hat
perhaps a separate swap 
partition is less useful on a SSD and a file might be more flexible, 
since there is no seek time. A bit of filesystem overhead would remain, 
but I can take that, Mac and Windows do it.
Any particular options to set for the filesystem? I read about TRIM, but 
do not well how the state is on NetBSD.

Riccardo

Riccardo Mottola <riccardo.mottola%libero.it@localhost> schrieb:

>How can I copy the existing data, to avoid a reinstall? I thought
>
>1) attach the hard disk in an external USB enclosure
Ok, or just a USB SATA adapter...

>2) Partition int
OK.

>3) Copy the data (how? using tar/untar perhaps?)
hmm,
i use dump / restore for such jobs, but tar works too if you mount the root twice onto a own folder - i.e. /mnt/root - and use that. This avoids copying virtual files with tar and such tools. Dump automatically uses just the stuff on a filesystem base.

>4) write the MBR (but how, from the command line? and I don't need the 
>boot selection anymore, just flat into NetBSD)
Not shure, i assume you had to update the boot loader (depending from your boot loader tech/chain).

>about partitioning then? I was thinking that perhaps a separate swap 
>partition is less useful on a SSD and a file might be more flexible, 
Swap on SSDs is very nice, but you should choose a really good SSD which allows more such typical i/o cycles / ops per life by cell quality and management.

>since there is no seek time. A bit of filesystem overhead would remain,
Yes,

if you would avoid that - use two swaps (one "real" swap with highest priority, one as file with lower i would suggest here).


hth,
good luck,


Niels.
-- 
Niels Dettenbach
Syndicat IT&Internet
http://www.syndicat.com