Good day all,
If I am not posting to the right ng, please let me know.
First I am fairly new with qnx but I’m a quick learner.
I’m a field tech (for 22+y) and have to service point-of-sale systems
using qnx on a custom platform using Cyrix 266 CPUS,
no floppies, only a hard disk, monochrome video and a
NIC. My background is mostly with MS.
So far nothing special.
The problem is, the way that POS (give it the meaning you wish)
is designed, the HD failure rate is pretty high. When the HD fails
I need to send the complete P.O.S. device to the manufacturer.
Not pratical.
My question is: can I ghost/copy a working p.o.s from the network
(there are usually 4 in a network) on a suitable media or environment
so I can prep another HD ?
By HD failure I mean a completely dead HD, so retrieving data from
it is impossible. Can anyone help me on this ?
Thanks in advance,
Syl
Syl’s Old Radioz <restoration@oldradioz.com> wrote:
SsOR > Good day all,
SsOR > If I am not posting to the right ng, please let me know.
SsOR > First I am fairly new with qnx but I’m a quick learner.
SsOR > I’m a field tech (for 22+y) and have to service point-of-sale systems
SsOR > using qnx on a custom platform using Cyrix 266 CPUS,
SsOR > no floppies, only a hard disk, monochrome video and a
SsOR > NIC. My background is mostly with MS.
SsOR > So far nothing special.
SsOR > The problem is, the way that POS (give it the meaning you wish)
SsOR > is designed, the HD failure rate is pretty high. When the HD fails
SsOR > I need to send the complete P.O.S. device to the manufacturer.
SsOR > Not pratical.
SsOR > My question is: can I ghost/copy a working p.o.s from the network
SsOR > (there are usually 4 in a network) on a suitable media or environment
SsOR > so I can prep another HD ?
SsOR > By HD failure I mean a completely dead HD, so retrieving data from
SsOR > it is impossible. Can anyone help me on this ?
SsOR > Thanks in advance,
SsOR > Syl
It would be doable if you could boot tha system with the dead HD.
Is it feasable to install a floppy drive into these systems? If only to
boot into the network and initialize and populate a brand new HD?
Syl’s Old Radioz <restoration@oldradioz.com> wrote:
SsOR > “Bill Caroselli” a crit dans le message
SsOR > Thanks for the lightning fast reply !
SsOR > I believe the main board has a provision for a floppy.
SsOR > This I could validate from the motherboard’s manufacturer.
SsOR > It is a non standard MB.
SsOR > Let’s presume I can install the floppy, what’s the next step ?
SsOR > Get a boot disk from QNX ? or can I boot from DOS and
SsOR > populate a new HD accessing files on the network from
SsOR > another working device?
You can probibly make a boot floppy from a working system.
What version of QNX are these systems running?
“Bill Caroselli” a écrit dans le message
It would be doable if you could boot tha system with the dead HD.
Is it feasable to install a floppy drive into these systems? If only to
boot into the network and initialize and populate a brand new HD?
Thanks for the lightning fast reply !
I believe the main board has a provision for a floppy.
This I could validate from the motherboard’s manufacturer.
It is a non standard MB.
Let’s presume I can install the floppy, what’s the next step ?
Get a boot disk from QNX ? or can I boot from DOS and
populate a new HD accessing files on the network from
another working device?
Syl
“Bill Caroselli” a écrit dans le message
You can probibly make a boot floppy from a working system.
What version of QNX are these systems running?
From what I know it’s V. 4.2
AS said, I’m not too familiar with this OS, so I issued a sin ver
(I connected remotely to the site) and got 4.24T for the fsys
and various 4.2x for other system files. Sorry if I sound like
a complete dummy here. I found the QNX manual online
so I could familiarize myself with that OS (neitherUnix).
I plan serious reading in the following days.
Syl
Syl’s Old Radioz <restoration@oldradioz.com> wrote:
SsOR > “Bill Caroselli” a crit dans le message
You can probibly make a boot floppy from a working system.
What version of QNX are these systems running?
SsOR > From what I know it’s V. 4.2
SsOR > AS said, I’m not too familiar with this OS, so I issued a sin ver
SsOR > (I connected remotely to the site) and got 4.24T for the fsys
SsOR > and various 4.2x for other system files. Sorry if I sound like
SsOR > a complete dummy here. I found the QNX manual online
SsOR > so I could familiarize myself with that OS (neitherUnix).
SsOR > I plan serious reading in the following days.
SsOR > Syl
Then you probibly have enough information to make a boot disk, not that
this is trivial. Here’s a couple of things to look for next.
-
Look in /boot/build (does it exist?) Are there any Network boot build files?
-
Get a good understanding of what network driver your system is
using when it is working, and all pertinent options. You will need to
build a boot image with the correct Net and Net.driver, etc commands
and options.
-
Read up on how to do a network boot. Some other node will have to
be a boot server.
Check back when your ready for more. It’s not quite as bad as it looks.
“Bill Caroselli” a écrit dans le message
Then you probibly have enough information to make a boot disk, not that
this is trivial. Here’s a couple of things to look for next.
-
Look in /boot/build (does it exist?) Are there any Network boot build
files?
-
Get a good understanding of what network driver your system is
using when it is working, and all pertinent options. You will need to
build a boot image with the correct Net and Net.driver, etc commands
and options.
-
Read up on how to do a network boot. Some other node will have to
be a boot server.
Check back when your ready for more. It’s not quite as bad as it looks.
Doesn’t look that bad at all…so far…
I’ll be back in a couple of days most probably.
I have some reading and understanding to do.
Let’s see now if the on-line manual I found covers that.
Many thanks for the quick reply,
Much appreciated,
Syl