[gentoo-user] Re: Fast checksumming of whole partitions

[7v5w7go9ub0o <7v5w7go9ub0o@gmail.com>]

On 06/05/10 15:23, meino.cramer@gmx.de wrote:

[]
> That looks really interesting. The only problem I have with this is
> that I have to have /dev/sda as /dev/sdb idle (not mounted) and
> because of that I use knoppix as temporary system to boot. And I dont
> think that knoppix has this tool "on board".

Just boot up knoppix, mount root partition that contains dcfldd, go to
wherever the executable is located (e.g. /usr/bin/dcfldd):

1. boot up knoppix
2. create a partition: mkdir /work
3. mount /work to the root partition: mount /dev/sdc /work
4. cd /work/usr/bin
5. run dcfldd: ./dcfldd

If your root partition is encrypted (e.g. mine is), then place a copy of
dcfldd on the boot partition; no boot partition, put a copy on its own
dedicated little partition.

Of course, you can always put a copy on a USB jumpdrive. As a last
alternative, download and compile a copy while in knoppix.

> Or is there a way to do such copies from a one disk to another while
>  one disk is booted???

Sure, but the running disk/sector would have temporary files that would
not consistently hash when you did the hash check. If you do this, try
it in linux without bringing up X. This might avoid copying some software
"locks" that could block startup on the copied disk/sector.

HTH