IX. TROUBLESHOOTING/README
Are the errors from
Mindi or Mondo? Mindi does not write to any log, so if you get
errors on the screen which relate to the creation of the boot
disk(s) and or data disk(s) then pipe that output to a text file
and send it to the Mondo mailing list. See the web site - http://www.microwerks.net/~hugo
- for details. If you are going to e-mail the list (or me) then
please attach that text file and tell me:
- your kernel version
- your Linux distro's name and version
- whether your kernel supports initrd and loopfs; it should!
- what sort of PC you are using, including hard disk
configurations
Mondo is
freely available, you are given it for no charge and I am giving
you technical support in my spare time. When you e-mail me, please
bear this in mind.
1. General
Q: What is
"Mindi"?
A: Mindi, a.k.a. Mindi-Linux, makes a mini-distribution from your
kernel, modules, modules, tools and libraries. It can also generate
an El Torito 2.88MB boot disk image. Mondo uses Mindi to create a
mini-distro, then boots from it and runs on it.
Q: Why is it called "Mondo"?
A: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles described cool things as
'mondo'. I wasn't sure what to call this project. 'Faust' was one
idea I had, partly as a dig at my former boss who practically owned
me because of my legal status at the time. In the end, I chose
something short and distinctive.
Q: Mondo does not work on my system. It keels over and dies.
What's wrong?
A: It works on Red Hat 7.x, Linux-Mandrake 8.x, some flavors of
SuSE, some flavors of Slackware, some flavors of Debian, etc. Do
you have any idea how many little differences exist between these
distributions? The more distributions I support, the more moving
targets I have to hit. Please bear this in mind when e-mailing me.
If you would like to help me by beta-testing Mondo (or Mindi) on
your PC then I would be very interested in working with you to work
around the eccentricities of you're Linux distro. However, rest
assured, 90% of the bugs reported to me are actually symptoms of
FooLinux X.Y's unique way of doing things.
Q: What if the error is in Mindi?
A: Then send me a copy of /var/log/mindi.log, along with a
description of your distro, your kernel, etc. I'll have a look when
I have time.
Q: Can I trust Mondo?
A: Mondo has generated good, reliable archives since May 2000. I
have lost data by using bad CD-R disks and not verifying their
contents. Some users have not tried booting from their Cd's until
crunch time. Remember to boot into Compare Mode to verify the
backup before you trust it. If Mondo did not work, you would not be
reading this. If it does not work for you, your kernel is usually
the culprit. Check Linux Kernel Support
to see what your kernel should support. Please e-mail the list
(or me) if you need some help with this.
Q: How do I report a bug?
A: E-mail the bug report (mondo.err.xxxxx.tgz) to me. If you want
to discuss it, please e-mail the list. The list is for talking; my
e-mail address is for big files. :-) If you don't send me a logfile
then there isn't a lot that I can do for you, so PLEASE include a
logfile at the very least. Or, pop into #mondo on irc.redhat.com
and see if I'm there.
Q: I think Mondo should (...insert suggestion here...) and I
have rewritten it accordingly. Would you like to see my
patch?
A: Absolutely! :-) The best way for you to make Mondo do what you
want is to modify it and then send me the patch. That way, we can
all benefit.
Q: I think Mondo should (...insert suggestion here...); will you
incorporate this feature for me, please?
A: I'll definitely think about it. Would you like to help?
Q: Mondo says, "XXX is missing," and then terminates. What's
wrong?
A: A good Linux distribution should contain XXX but the designers,
in their infinite wisdom, decided not to include that particular
tool. Check Related Linux Packages and install the missing package.
If that fails, contact the vendor/distributor/manufacturer/designer of your distro.
Q: Can Mondo handle multi-CD backups and restores?
A: Yes, up to twenty Cd's per set. This 20-CD limit results from
laziness on my part. I can remove it at any time. However, if your
system occupies more than 20 Cd's, may I recommend that you invest
in a tape streamer?
Q: Can Mondo handle Linux/Windows dual-boot systems?
A: Yes. If your system currently boots into Linux or Windows via
LILO, you can backup and restore both OSes at the same time using
Mondo. If you are using NTFS then add the switch, '-x
<device>'.
Q: Can Mondo backup Windows-only systems?
A: Sure, if you pay me to play catch-up to Microsoft. ;)
Q: Does Mondo support LVM?
A: Mondo supports LVM, yes. Mondo backs up and restores your
existing setup but it does not make it easy for you to change your
LVM configuration. You have to edit /tmp/i-want-my-lvm (IIRC) at
boot-time to do that.
Q: What if I don't use LILO? What if I use GRUB?
A: GRUB is supported by mondo 1.3x and newer versions. Try it and let me know how you get
on.
Q: Mondoarchive (or mondorestore) segfaults when I run it. What
could be wrong?
A: Install from tarball instead of RPM. (Or, try RPM if you just
installed from tarball.) Your compiler or your libraries may be
fubar. We'll see. If that doesn't work then please e-mail the
mailing list.
Q: I get the error, 'Cannot find /tmp/dev.0'; what do I
do?
A: Type 'losetup /dev/loop0 -d' to unmount that loop device. If
your OS will not let you do that, contact your local support group
or Linux vendor.
Q: Can I create a Mondo CD and then use it to create an archive
of any OS on any PC?
A: Not yet. You can use Mondo to backup Linux or Linux/Windows dual boot.
One day, Mondo will let you backup partitions it can't read or
write, by treating each partition as one long file to be backed up.
This file will be chopped, compressed and archived like any other
big file.
Q: Why do you insist on putting floppy disk images on Mondo
Cd's? They waste space and I never use them. The Cd's works just
fine, so why keep the floppy disk images?
A: Because of my old college buddy, Justin Case. If you really,
truly want them gone then please submit a patch to make them
optional.
2. Kernel/Linux/Booting
Q: How do I know
if Mondo works with my Linux distro?
A: Check the Download page - http://www.microwerks.net/~hugo/download.html.
Q: When I try to boot from the Mondo CD, it says, "VFS: Unable
to mount root fs." I am using a Debian distro. What do I
do?
A: Ask Debian's designers why they, unlike every other distro I can
find, have included cramfs and other 'goodies' with their kernel.
In the meantime, please use '-k FAILSAFE' in your command line when
calling Mondo.
Q: When I try to boot from the Mondo CD, it says, "Cannot mount
root fs - kernel panic," or something similar. What do I
do?
A: Recompile your kernel (or use '-k FAILSAFE').
Take a look at Linux Kernel Support to see what you're kernel must support..
Q: When I try to boot from the Mondo CD, it says, "Mounting /tmp/tmpfs...
fatal error! Failed UPGRADE YOUR RAM". What does that mean?
A: Recompile your kernel and add Virtual memory file system
support. Take a look at Linux Kernel Support to see what you're kernel must support.
Q: When I try to boot from the Mondo CD, it says something about
not finding my CD-ROM drive and then it blames the kernel. What
does that mean?
A: Your kernel must
support initrd, loopfs, IDE CD-ROM's, and ramdisks. Please see
Mindi's web site for a complete list. If your kernel does not
support these things, Mondo will not boot from your CD. However,
when running Mindi, you may choose to use _its_ kernel instead of
your own. In addition, you may boot from floppy disk images instead
the CD: copy the disk images from the Cd's /images directory to
floppy disks, using 'dd'.
Q: The Mondo CD/floppy takes ages to boot. How can I speed it
up?
A: Edit /usr/local/mindi/mindi and change LILO_OPTIONS="" to
LILO_OPTIONS="-c". This enables map compaction in lilo and speeds up booting, for more info
see the lilo man page
Q: I made a Mondo CD using the failsafe kernel (i.e. I said 'no'
when Mondo asked if I wanted to use my own kernel). It still
doesn't boot. Help!
A: OK, now _that_ is a bug. :-) I included a kernel with Mondo
(technically, with Mindi, which Mondo uses) to make sure that users
could use Mondo despite flaws in their own kernels. If you are
using Mondo/Mindi's kernel but still cannot boot from your Mondo CD
then please e-mail the list.
Q: What if my PC won't boot from a CD?
A: Copy the image files from the Cd's /images directory, using the
dd command. Then boot from the first floppy; follow it up with the
data disks; finally, type 'mount /mnt/cdrom' and then utilize the
restore program as usual - 'mondorestore'.
Q: But why won't Mondo boot from my CD? It says my kernel is
flawed/outdated/ whatever, and when I wrote to you, you told me the
same thing... but I still don't get it. I mean, my kernel works for
everything else. Why not Mondo?
A: Because Mondo makes a boot disk using your kernel. I bet your
other software doesn't do that. Also, not all kernels are suitable
for boot disks. I'm sorry but that's Life. Upgrade your kernel
and/or recompile it to include loopfs and initrd support, among
other things.
Q: Why do I only need a boot disk if I'm using a tape drive?
Where are the data disks?
A: On the tape. :-) The first 32MB of the tape will be set aside
for a large tarball containing the data disks, a list of all files
backed up, and other sundries. If Mondo and Mindi do their
respective jobs then you won't need additional floppies, just the
boot floppy and the tape(s).
3. Installation
Q: Why do I get,
"newt.h not found," several times when I try to install
Mondo?
A: You have not installed libnewt and/or libnewt-devel. Please do
so. Check Related Linux Packages to see what Mondo requires and where you can get
tarballs and RPM's.
Q: I've just used up 6 CD-R's, only to find that Mondo won't
boot!
A: You should have used CD-RW's. ;) In the HTML manual, it gives
instructions on how to create a test CD (one, not six).
4. Equipment-Related
Q: Can Mondo
handle CD-RW's?
A: Yes. Use '-Ow <speed> <device>' to make it work.
Q: Does Mondo support tape drives?
A: Yes. See above.
Q: How do I copy the floppy images from the CD to floppy
disks?
A: Mount the CD-ROM, e.g. at /mnt/cdrom. Insert a blank floppy.
Type:
# cd /mnt/cdrom/images
# dd if=mindi-boot.1722.img of=/dev/fd0u1722
Insert another blank floppy and type: # dd if=mindi-data-1.img
of=/dev/fd0u1722 Do the above for each 'mindi-data' disk image.
Q: Sometimes, my laptop won't mount Mondo Cd's properly, or
something. Umm...
A: Please insert the CD, close the CD-ROM tray, wait a few seconds
and then press Enter to acknowledge insertion of the next CD. Your
laptop is on crack and is sucking a little too hard on the
pipe.
Q: Does Mondo support RAID?
A: Yes. You may backup and restore RAID systems. You may also
backup a non-RAID system and restore as RAID (or vice versa) by
using the mountlist editor to edit your RAID and non-RAID
partitions and their settings. Mondo will do the partitioning and
formatting for you.
Q: Were is my CD burner, in SCSI terms?
A: Type 'cdrecord -scanbus'. Find your CD burner's device# (e.g.
'0,0,0'). Call Mondo with the switch '-Oc <speed>' -d
'<device>'. Or, if you feel lucky, just use '-Oc 2'; Mondo
will (a) assume you want to write at 4x to a CD-R and (b) will do
its best to find your CD burner.
Q: Can Mondo handle SCSI devices?
A: Mondo should be able to handle almost any hardware. So long as
your kernel and modules support it, Mindi will support it and
therefore so will Mondo.
5. Backup
Q: Can Mondo
burn Cd's as they are created?
A: Yes. Use the '-Oc <speed> <device>' switch. Use a
negative number for a dummy burn.
Q: When I try to backup to CD, cdrecord/mkisofs returns an
error. Nothing else appears to be wrong. What do I do?
A: Upgrade cdrecord and mkisofs.
Q: Mondo failed to burn my CD. It said something like, "Error
CDB A1 01 02 53 ..." and so on. What does that mean?
A: Cdrecord reported some serious errors while trying to burn your
CD. Check your CD burner, your CD-R and your kernel.
Q: May I backup my system with one partition layout and restore
with another? A: Yes. Boot in Interactive Mode and edit the
mountlist using the snazzy new mountlist editor. Mondo can now edit
your RAID partitions for you. Just open /dev/md0 (or whatever) and
select "RAID.." to start. Or, to add a RAID device:
- add two or more partitions, of type and mountpoint 'raid'
- add device '/dev/md0' and click OK
- follow the prompts and your own common-sense :)
Q: Why does
Mondo need so much free disk space?
A: Because I'm a bitter, twisted man who lives to torment you.
Mwahahahaha! :-) Mondo has to work around the inadequacies of
mkisofs, cdrecord and your own Linux distribution; in return, it
asks for a lot of free disk space.
Q: Will Mondo backup partitions whose formats are not understood
by Linux, such as NTFS?
A: Yes. Use '-x <device>'. (You can have more than one
device.)
Q: I am trying to do something clever, e.g. write my ISO's to an
NFS mount, and I get some weird error messages. What do I
do?
A: Well, (a) use '-T /tmp' or '-T /home' or something in your call
to Mondo. Oh, and (b) send me /var/log/mondo-archive.log, please
:-)
Q: Can Mondo backup to data files on another partition, e.g. an
NFS mount?
A: Yes. Just backup as usual but add '-d /mnt/nfs' or wherever your
partition is mounted; don't use '-Oc' or '-Ot' at all; just '-Oi -d
/root'. Then, after booting from the floppies which Mondo
generates, you need to type 'ISO' at the console.
Q: Can Mondo backup _to_ an NFS partition, i.e. backup over a
network? How about restoring?
A: Yes. Use '-On <mount> <directory>'. On my system, I
use: # mondoarchive -On 192.168.1.3:/home/nfs
Q: Does Mondo handle System or Hidden attributes when archiving
Dos/Win files?
A: No. It probably never will, either. Sorry.
Q: Why do you include IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS in mondo-vfat, when
they belong to Microsoft and are copyrighted?
A: Well, I used to, but I don't anymore. However, if you do have a
Windows partition, you can still use 'format-and-kludge-vfat
<DEVICE>/' to format and make bootable a VFAT partition.
AFAIK, I am the only person to write a Linux equivalent of the DOS
"SYS" command.
6. Compare
Q: When I
compare my archives to my file system, Mondo tells me there are
differences or errors. Are the archives bad?
A: Look at /tmp/changed.files; if the files are logfiles, temp
files or files which you think you may have changed recently then
the archives are simply out of date, albeit only by a few minutes.
Not a problem. However, if lots of files in /usr have changed or if
you get lots of _errors_ then perhaps your Cd's, your tapes or even
your hardware could be to blame. Check your CD writer or tape
streamer.
7. Restore
Q: Can Mondo
help me move/resize/re-allocate my partitions?
A: Yes. Just backup your system in Interactive Mode using Mondo.
Edit the mountlist when prompted.
Q: My zip drive is a SCSI drive. When I restore, Mondo craps
out, saying it can't mount the drive (because there is no disk in
it). What do I do?
A: Restore in Interactive Mode. Delete the SCSI drive from the
mountlist before you restore. Then Mondo won't try to partition or
format it. Next time you backup, use -E /dev/sdd (or whatever your
zip drive is). The /dev entry will be excluded from the mountlist
but not from the filelist. So, when you restore, you won't
accidentally reformat your zip disk. However, after restoring, you
will find that /dev/sdd (the _file_) will be present in your /dev
directory. Cool, eh?
8. Hugo
Q: Who are you,
anyway?
A: My name is Hugo Rabson hugo@firstlinux.net and I was born
in England. I emigrated in late August '99 to be with my wonderful
wife, Jeanette (who is now my equally wonderful ex-wife). I worked
for WebMD Transaction Services Division until my visa ran out. I am
now in England, temping for $$$ and working on Mondo. If you have
any comments or questions, please join the mailing list (on the web
page).
Q: I'm still reading this FAQ. Shouldn't I get a prize or
something?
A: Yes, here's a cookie. Enjoy. :-)
Q: What if my browser doesn't support cookies?
A: *groan* Corky, quit messing with me, dawg...
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