On Mon, Oct 06, 2025 at 09:17:40PM -0700, Gregory Nowak via Dng wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 06, 2025 at 03:52:27PM -1000, Joel Roth via Dng wrote:
> > Looking at my (self-written) backup utility, I find this
> > comment.
> >

> >     do not overwrite when porting to another machine

> >

> >     /etc/fstab

>
> Clobbering fstab might result in the boot process grinding to a halt,
> because file systems don't get mounted.
>

> >     /etc/modules/

>
> This is a file, not a directory. Clobbering modules might result in a
> system without some functioning hardware. I'd add /etc/modprobe.d/ too.
>

> >     /boot 

>
> Clobbering /boot would likely result in a unbootable system.
>

> >     /etc/lilo.conf

>
> I think most machines use grub2 these days. So, I would replace that
> with /etc/grub.d/, /etc/default/grub, and the rest of grub is in /boot.


Isn't there another piece of bootloader outside the file system at
the very beginning of the boot disk?
Especially if using lilo?
And isn't there a DOS partition that's used by the new-fangled bootup
system that replaced legacy boot and that the Wintel copanies have
imposed on us? I've never figured out where its content is supposed
to come from.

-- hendrik

>
> >
> > Do you have any comments, suggestions about what all
> > to avoid clobbering?
>
> I think the above should cover what to keep.
>
> Greg
>
>
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