[OpenIndiana-discuss] [osol-discuss] Can this scenario be accomplished?

[Harry Putnam]

Sean <sean at ttys0.net> writes:

>> Would the newly installed OS recognize the data and zpool/zfs
>> structures enough to retrieve the data or copy it over.
>>
>> Like if you made this external disk a zpool, would it just be erased
>> or would the OS see the data and file structure?
>>
>
> You just need to import the zpool(s). If there is someplace on the
> network where you can copy the data to, there isn't even a need to
> install OpenSolaris/Indiana, you can just boot up from the LiveCD and
> go from there.

Please excuse a bit of running off at the mouth here... I'm not really
clear how to go at this.

Your input sounds really good, but I'm getting stuck on how this to be
done.  (I mean in theory at this point)

On the dead machine there are 3 sets of mirrored zpools (6 discs).
The one I mainly want access to now  is 2 750GB sata drives.

So I manage to connect one or both to a running os (livecd)

 ( How might that be achieved? )

Then the running os will see the discs and the zpool in it/them
along with the zfs filesystems?

If that is right so far then I would have access to the data and could
even copy some piece of it to somewhere else on the network?

Lets say I don't really have room for the full zpool, but I could
still retrieve the needed bits by simple copy commands or rsync?

Where my imagination gets in trouble is trying to visualize how the
new OS will see this disk... That is, will it see a zpool and have
immediate access?  Like I could cd into some directory on it?

> It would be a good idea to first experiment with the procedure before
> trying it out on your real drives, gather up a few USB thumbdrives and
> do the same operations. Once you're confident that your procedure is
> good, then carry on with the real drives.

That is an excellent idea and is exactly what I am doing.

But is there some reason NOT to hookup one of the actual discs to the
running OS (be it live cd or osol running in a VM)

That is, is there a good chance of harming the disc in so doing?

I'd like to just copy my www stuff... all of htdocs, some 11-15 GB.
Over to either the laptop or better still, a networked linux box that
will pass as my apache server for the time being.

Any ideas how one would hook a raw internal disc up to an opensolaris
OS running on a laptop?  The laptop has all modern connectors, esata,
usb, firewire.

Is there some kind of adaptors or external housing available to make
such a connection?