Fwd: NFS root problem

[David A. Bandel]

Seems to have gotten lost during the outage:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David A. Bandel <david.bandel at gmail.com>
Date: Jan 21, 2008 8:36 PM
Subject: NFS root problem
To: Linux tips and tricks <linux-users at linux-sxs.org>


Folks,

I have a client with a so-so server (but with a fair expanse of disk
real estate).

They have had 20 systems w/ home NFS mounted and running NIS.  Most of
these systems run fine and have sufficient RAM.

What I want to do is remove the disks and run everything NFS root (PXE
boot).  My plan is to create a "master" directory (/nfsroot) which is
a complete system (actually already done).  Then I want to create 20
other directories (ams1-ams20).  These directories would get an
original copy of /etc, their own /tmp, complete /var, and /dev
(handled by udev).  The rest of the directory skeleton I can easily
create (/proc /root /initrd /sys /src among others).  But the bulk of
the programs I want to just hard link from these ams directories into
/nfsroot.

What I'm looking for is a program/script to build out /bin /lib /sbin
/usr/...  but with hard links vice copies.

I've looked a bit at rsnapshot, and it has some of the logic I need,
but I'd need to rewrite it.

Anyone come across anything that might easily allow me to do what I
want? (What I _don't_ want to do is use /dev/ram for /tmp, /var, etc.,
as recommended in the NFS-root howto's, nor do I want to run
everything on the server a la Linux Terminal Server project).

(BTW, who the devil decided to put udev/rules.d with dynamically
modified files below /etc?  That's what /var is for!)

TIA,

David A. Bandel
--
Focus on the dream, not the competition.
            - Nemesis Air Racing Team motto


-- 
Focus on the dream, not the competition.
            - Nemesis Air Racing Team motto