ok here is the scenario. At work we have a linux based ip phone system. Now this system was buggy for a bit but we now have it working perfectly.

As it is we clone this hard drive and on backup I clone it back. This works but if for whatever I'm not in the office the backup can't go through because apparently no one can read the VERY simple instructions.

What i would like to do is burn a cd with a copy of the hard drive (this configuration will change once every 6-12 months at maximum) as well as a VERY minimal linux install. The goal is they stick the cd in and reboot. The system loads the super minimal linux then it runs a batch file that clones the portion of the CD that has the hard drive onto the system then it asks the nice moron....err....person...to remove the cd and reboot (i will label the reset button so they can pull this off hopefully)

My question is, what ultra minimal linux would the users of this forum suggest? (i was thinking of a stripped puppy linux).

All I need is a a bootable system to a bash script that will run live from cd. I can make the nice bash script that puts to the screen a nice ascii graphic telling the lucky sap it's running and to come back in a little bit to make sure it's done.

You need to check out mondoarchive, also might want to look at mkcdrec and systemimager.

Mondoarchive does EXACTLY this, and works great. You take a 'snapshot', and can make it whatever size you want (i.e. CDROM size, DVD size, etc.), or make it network-bootable. After that, if the system croaks and you're just going to a new hard drive, you put in the disk/boot from net, press ENTER twice, and you're back where you left off. Gets disk partitions, software, EVERYTHING.

see the 'press enter twice' thing is a deal breaker here. yes, my coworkers are that inept. I'm trying to automate things so that they literally have only the smallest number of steps of the most basic kind possible to do. I'm labeling the CD tray here.

I can set up the cloning and the script. I'm just looking for a suggestion on a very minimal linux to go with.

Mondoarchive can be cloned easily. And again, it supports network booting, so they wouldn't even HAVE to put a CD in. Can't get much simpler than that. It comes with a minimal linux install, but the "batch scripts", etc., that you're going to write will have to be bulletproof, if your coworkers are that bad. And all you're doing there is reinventing what's already DONE with the other recovery tools, and making it more complicated than it needs to be.

And really, if they can't press ENTER twice, how exactly are they going to replace a hard drive?

They won't have to replace a hard drive. At the very most they will have to put a CD in to run the system in live cd mode. That way things work till I can get in to work early to fix things (so I don't have to come in at 3 am hehe). Most of our errors have been the issue with the tech support people messing with the system to 'improve' it. I just want to have something that any shmuck in the office can stuff in the cd tray and reset it. That way no one will 'improve' things, go home, and have me called up to come in to fix what someone else broke. again.

This is unfortunately a tech solution to a bureaucratic problem (wtf is tech support for customers messing with MY machines for support of the COMPANY? arrrrgh!) but this is a solution I can implement so I will. Eventually I hope to have management aware that having them involved in my tech work is simply stupid. though my explaining it might not include that word.


mondoarchive seems like a good option. thnx.