> THis is basically the same problem as using a backup of one machine to
> run on another machine. There are potential issues: The biggest one is
> that the drivers for the disk controllers for the new "target" machine
> need to be available in the "initrd" file on the old "source" machine
> or its backup. Anything else can be managed by someone at the console
> after the system boots successfully. You can do that in advance by
> looking at the "target" machine's
>
> The relevant controller drivers, especially for SCSI controllers, used
> to be in /etc/modprobe.conf, but that changed with the 6.x releases,
> and I've not poked the new modprobe structure.

From observation, the initial RAM disk image on SL/RHEL 6.x includes
all the storage drivers by default (it's a lot bigger than the 5.x
images). In fact, I believe it includes a lot more, as I found out
when troubleshooting a machine that reset during the initial boot due
to an oddball graphics configuration. It is possible (using dracut) to
build an image that _only_ has the drivers for the machine you're on.

> SL 5 and its like used to leave the old
> /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/iccfg-* files in place, with the wrong
> MAC addresses, which simply needed to be corrected and the network
> restarted. SL 6 is using this "UUID" setting to identify particular
> devices consistently, which I've not personally played with. You may
> need to reset those manually with the "system-config-network" tool, if
> this is just a one-off job

The one time I did this with '6 it made new ethN devices for the NICs
on the new box, which I then just configured with the proper
parameters.

I'm always flummoxing the Windows guys when I say I just have to
restore the backup to another machine, using a live CD, and everything
works :). I've even got some scripts on that CD so it's almost an
automatic disaster-recovery.

                 - Bluejay Adametz, CFII, A&P, AA-5B N45210

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