mandriva

Pulse 2 image content

Nicolas Rueff

$Id: database_documentation.xml 4145 2009-05-12 16:29:28Z nrueff $

Revision History
Revision 1.3.02009-11-20NR

First version

Abstract

Description of a Pulse 2 image folder


1. Overall organization

A Pulse 2 image is contained in a folder, with files containing information, and files containing meta-information.

2. Files containing information

The file collection contains the image data.

2.1. CONF

The file reflects the image content. Syntax as follow :

D:<disk-num> L:<disk-size>
R
<disk-letter><part-num> , S:<start block> , E:<end-block>, t:<part-size>
...
E

For example :

D:128 L:398297088
R
P1 , S:63 , E:1028159 , t:131
P2 , S:1028160 , E:3084479 , t:130
P3 , S:3084480 , E:20498939 , t:131
P4 , S:20498940 , E:24595514 , t:131
E

2.2. [P-S]TABS

The is the exact copy of the first needed sectors. For example, 63 sectors for regular PC/Dos partition table.

2.3. [P-S][1-8]idx

UNKNOWN.

2.4. [P-S][1-8][0-9]{3}

The is a chunk of the backuped image.

3. Files containing meta-information

Those files contain other-than-the-client-data information : logs, GRUB template ...

3.1. conf.txt

The is a Grub 1 config file chunk. More precisely, this contains a full grub 1 item :

title <the image title>
desc  <the image description>
<additionnal GRUB commands goes there>

Amongst GRUB commands (see the grub project for more details), Mandriva added a few commands to permit restoration using TFTP protocol :

  • Partition restoration :

    the command line is :

    partcopy <PART> <START> (nd)PATH/<PREFIX> [TYPE]

    with :

    • PART: a partition, GrUB syntax ((hd0,0) for ex.)

    • START: the start sector (512 B),

    • PREFIX: The image prefix (P1 for example)

    • TYPE: The PC/DOS partition kind (83 for Linux for example)

  • Partition table restoration:

    the command line is :

    ptabs <DISK> (nd)PATH/<NAME>

    with :

    • DISK: a disk, GrUB syntax ((hd0) for ex.)

    • NAME: the name of the file containing the partition table (PTABS for example)

3.2. logs.txt

A bunch of around-the-backup logs :

  • date

  • /etc/cmdline

  • /proc/cmdline

  • /proc/version

  • /proc/partitions

  • /proc/bus/pci/devices

  • /proc/modules

  • /var/log/syslog

3.3. size.txt

This is the output of a simple 'du -k' done on the image folder after the backup operation.

3.4. size<maj><min>.txt

The is the size, in 512 B blocks, of the image with <maj> as major (hex), <min> as minor (hex).