Last week our legacy SCO OpenServer 5.0.6 server started showing "panic" errors about bad blocks/sectors on hard drive. I ran the badtrack command which fully checked the disk, and it identified 2 LBA sectors as bad, and it was unable to recover some of the data. Apparently the lost data had something to do with the scoadmin functioning, because now scoadmin is "not found" when I try to invoke it from the command line.
My plan is to try and migrate the system to a VM and I have found a couple of ways to try - but before I do that I want to try and restore the data that was lost from my last backup tape. I also would like to connect via FTP from another LAN computer, so I can copy files over our network. Right now the FTP connection using the root account fails to let me login.
The main problems I'm having right now are not remembering how to do certain tasks from the command line. I ran an integrity check and created a report, but I can't remember how to print from the command line. I need to find out what printers are available and I don't know how to do that.
So here are my initial specific questions:
what command to I use to show me what printers are available to print to?
what do I need to do in order to allow my root account to login using FTP?
I do not believe there is any mechanism to prevent a valid user with an unrestricted shell from logging in using ftp.
I suggest that you log in as root at the console, and try 'ftp localhost' and see if you can log in. It may be that there are more files missing than the ones you have already found.
---------- Post updated at 03:32 PM ---------- Previous update was at 03:29 PM ----------
1a. lp -d[destination] [filename]
You can leave out the -d option if you wish to print to the default printer.
So, ftp appears to be trying to connect. When I typed 'ftp localhost' it said it connected and asked me for a username/password. I entered root as the username, and the correct password (I know it is correct, because it lets me login to console) then it says "530 Login incorrect. Login failed" So is ftp rejecting the credentials, and if so what should I do?
Also - regarding the printing issue, I have tried the following command:
lp -d hp4200n int.report
The reply I get is this: request id is hp4200n-76122 (1 file)
But nothing gets printed to that printer. I got the printer name from lpstat -a
Is hp4200n a network printer, or locally attached?
Do you have another system with a ftp server? You may be able to log in to it and 'put' the files.
Is this the same hardware as your posts in 2015?
The hp4200n printer is a network printer, there are no printers locally attached to the server.
I don't think this hardware is the same as the hardware I was trying in 2015, I think I was trying to install the O/S on newer hardware then, because I knew the hardware I'm currently on now will not last a lot longer (as evidenced by the hd problem). The current hardware is "ancient" probably 10 to 12 years old at least. If you want specifics I'll try to remember.
I will see about trying to connect "out" via ftp from the Unix box.
Printing the results of my integrity check would help me a lot with trying to restore files from backup, would it not?
Only if the results of the integrity are missing files.
Do you have a replacement disk? Does your backup copy the entire contents of the disk, or only the application? Are you able to quarantine the current disk and build a new one from the backup and the distribution media? My concern is that once a disk starts to fail continued use is likely to result in complete failure.
---------- Post updated at 04:41 PM ---------- Previous update was at 04:39 PM ----------
Depending on the terminal emulation you are using at your pc's you may be able to do a local print of the integrity report.
This is EXACTLY my concern as well, and I have a plan but I'm running into roadblocks all along the way. The best solution I can think of is to build a VM to run SCO OpenServer 5.0.6, which is my current licensed product. I have found an article using Google that explains how someone did this successfully in VM Workstation. The initial problem I'm running into there is getting access to a floppy with the BTLD driver that is supposedly compatible for the installation of the O/S to work in a VM. I have obtained the driver file, and created a unix floppy that may work, but all I have is a USB floppy drive and the VM will not recognize it, so I can't even try it. My second option is to create an .iso image of the floppy, which the VM should be able to use, but I can't get Windows XP to create an .iso file from the floppy - windows acts like the floppy is empty or unformatted. I have used my SCO box to create an .iso file from the floppy, but I can't get it copied out of SCO using ftp, or write it to another floppy - nothing seems to work.
I think my tape backup is the whole system, so if I could get a working installation of Openserver 5.0.6 either on newer hardware, or in a VM, then I could try restoring the backup and see what happens.
At this point I would be happy to just get something to work. The system holds our legacy software, so we really only want it for historical purposes. It helps us a lot if we can access the old files, and copy data out of them, in that regard it is not critical. However management has asked me to "do whatever possible" to try and keep the information accessible to us.
Any ideas or help you can offer me would be appreciated. Have you had success with installing 5.0.6 on a VM?
Yet another "hurdle" with copying the iso file to floppy. I have tried four different floppies in the SCO drive, using the dosformat command. Each time the screen says "Formatting..." and the light on the floppy drive is on, but then it fails with: "dosformat: Error formatting drive"
I don't know if it is all of my floppy disks, or the drive just isn't working right. Like I said, all of this hardware is at least 12 years old. I have spare hardware I can experiment with - I have server hardware that was purchased around 2008, it has a CD and floppy drive in it. I could install a new hard drive and set it up as IDE, if I could locate (or I may have) the BTLD driver(s) that would allow me to do a new install of the 5.0.6 software.
At this point, do you think my best shot would be with newer hardware, or trying to go with an installation inside a VM?
There are ide to sata adapters (about $25 startech.com) so you could re-install using a new sata hard drive.
The only btld required would be for the tape drive, which I assume is scsi, and that could be added after the system is running.
I just want to make sure I understand what you're saying. Do you mean to use a new SATA drive with the IDE adapter in the current server hardware? Then reinstall 5.0.6, then restore my backup from tape? I understand this thinking, because the current system has been compromised because of the lost sectors, but I'm just hoping I don't have trouble with the tape drive or the backup files. Let me know if this is what you are suggesting, and it seems like my best option. Thanks - Rob
Yes. Remove the old drive first. Do you know if the driver for the network card is supported directly from the install media, or if you can read it if it is on a diskette?
Even if you have trouble with the tape you are no worse off as you will actually be testing the validity of your backup procedure.
Going back to the question about limiting FTP users, I regret that I don't have a SCO server available to test, however many unix OS variation have a file /etc/ftpusers which work in the reverse to what you might expect. It is a list of accounts that are not allowed to FTP into this server. It is slightly counter intuitive (to me at least :rolleyes:) but I wrote a simple script that I run daily to read /etc/ftpusers.allowed and re-write /etc/ftpusers. It was something like this:-
Would that help? You need to be careful that the input file doesn't have blank lines (which will match every record) or short user ids that are contained within longer ones. Perhaps you should make this a two step process:-
OK, I have my new hard drive installed with the IDE / SATA adapter. Installing from the original SCO 5.0.6 boot disk appears to work fine, I am not linking to any particular driver for the HD and it appears to be recognized. However, when I get to the part about selecting my CD device, the installation does not find the CD. I know from the BIOS that it is attached to the Secondary IDE channel as the Master. Is there some kind of problem with having it as the Secondary Master? I did not change that cable at all, so I know this is how it was configured the last time 5.0.6 was installed. Any ideas why it won't find my CD? I know the CD drive has power, because the tray opens and closes. The "working" light comes on when I insert the CD. However when the installation routine says it is checking the CD the light does not come on. I don't know what to do now. Any help is appreciated.
OK, I tried that and it still will not read the disk in the drive, the light does not come on and it keeps saying I need to insert the CD in the drive. Now I have another problem - it appears something went wrong with either my floppy drive or my boot disk. When I press <enter> at the Boot: prompt now, I get the following message:
fd(60)unix ram.fd-254
unix not found
Everything stops right there. I have used the CD to create a new "install" floppy, but it says the same thing.
I have both a USB CD drive and a USB floppy drive. When I boot with the CD in the USB drive, it loads everything like it is going to install. I get all the way up to the part where it asks where my installation CD is, and no matter what option I try, the installation does not find or read my CD at that point.
I read online that SCO treats USB drives like SCSI drives, but I can't make out which one (during the setup process) is actually the USB CD drive. If I can figure that out, do you think the installation will be able to proceed past this? I don't remember how I ever got this installed 12 years ago.
Duh, my bad. The whole problem was that my CD drive was not working right. I replaced with a different one, and now installation is progressing. It is performing a Bad Track check - I assume automatic before installing - is there any way to skip or abort that? Based on time so far, it's going to take all day just for that. Let me know - Thanks!
Hey - I got the O/S installed and the NIC is working, the server is replying to ping. I now want to go to Microlite Corporation - Home of BackupEDGE 3.x and download my backup software so I can try to restore my tape backup. The test of internet connection is passed, but when I try to navigate to microlite I get a message about security algorythms not being assigned, or something. what is the minimum I need to do in order to be able to get to the download website?