On Wed, Nov 05, 2003 at 10:26:37AM +0100, JC Simonetti wrote:
> [...]
> > But in the testing so far, we're finding some odd results:

> > * The actual program that the Win32 client uses to do the backups
> >   appears to be an NT port of tar.  But trying to restore a file
> >   made from that backup on a FreeBSD system generates a message saying
> >   that the file does not look like a tar archive.

> Sure... It's a Win32 tar archive...

I wasn't aware that the Win32 environment was sufficiently "special"
that tar archives were unportable between that and normal (UNIX)
environments.

> A tar archive includes: data of the file and data related to the file: name, 
> rights... And rights are completely different between *nix and Windows...

OK; I'll take your word for it.

> Take your tar on a Windows box and untar it: it will be successful.

Well, I suppose it might be, if it were small enough to fit in the
available space on the Windows box, and if someone who had a clue about
the Windows environment (i.e., not me) did it.  But it's a (Win32) tar
archive for the entire "C:" drive.

> >   Also, "ls" showed each directory twice -- once as a directory; once as
> >   a regular file.

> Which ls? In amrecover?

Yes.

> > * Trying to use the "amrestore" on the Win32 side, the "ls" command
> >   doesn't seem to work.

> amrestore or amrecover? amrestore just dd's out the tape and, if you want, 
> make a grep on the output. There's no ls...

Right; sorry:  I screwed up.  I meant "amrecover".

> > At some point, I would like my employer to contribute some resources
> > toward making this version of the amanda client solid enough to install
> > from the directions and run.  This may include paying someone to
> > implement "selfcheck," for example, as well as other parts of the Win32
> > client that need attention.  Speaking only for myself, I would be less
> > interested in a GUI for any of this, but that's just me.

> When I tested the Win32 client, I needed a selfcheck. This was for production 
> systems, not workstations (so you may find my solution not useful). My 
> selfcheck was something like:
> int main() {
>   return 0;
> }

That's fine (and resembles /usr/src/usr.bin/true/true.c, without
the BSD copyright that the version I use has), but I have no Win32
development environment.  At the rate things are going, we're looking
for some help in doing some work in such an environment so we can
create executables that will actually work; I have no reason to
believe that a physical presence here (in Fremont, California) is
especially necessary.

Thanks,
david
-- 
David H. Wolfskill                                 david AT egation DOT com