HP-UX

Hello, I am totally new to Unix

We have a piece of test equipment, three of them actually, that run HP-UX 9.0 from like 1994. We had backup tapes with procedures to load the OS and our test software, but the 16-track tapes are corrupt now. HP will not support it, they dont have it anymore, and we cannot buy it.

The controller has a 50-pin SCSI drive and a cable with extra ports. I also have an older Dual PII Xeon system with 50-pin SCSI drives although it has windows 2000 on it right now. Although I have been thinking of trying Linux on it.

We paid a company to image one HD out of a functioning contoller onto a new HD they gave us after repairing one controller. We sent them both drives and they said and we verified that the good one is corrupt and the new one does not work. Great company huh? Now where we had 3, we only have 1.

Thats my sad story, but so what I really would like to know is how to copy a whole drive to make a backup? Is there a procedure with simple instructions out there, since I am not familiar with UNIX commands? I am guessing I can install more SCSI drives on the chain, or if I had Linux on my own computer could it read the functional drive, format the new one correctly and copy it to work in HP-UX 9.0?

It looks as though there is also a system recovery method using MKRS command to make a recovery tape(s), but I really want a whole image. I will probably attempt both if possible.

Thank You much for any help,
Tom

2 things:
Are you talking of 9000/800 servers or 9000/700 series workstation? (dont laugh ,there is a difference...)
OS version 9.XX yes but what XX. Then disk size 1Gb or 2 GB? if you are talking of boot disk it has to be SE SCSI (because I remember we could only use FWdifferential as non bootable/data disks...)

What is actually your issue?

It is a workstation of sorts, its a piece of test equipment that runs a program to test our other equipment. I have a manual that references HP-UX 9.0, but will try to start the good one up later to see if it tells me the version.

It has a 525MB Quantum ProDrive LPS 525S SCSI drive, although I think originally only came with a 250MB drive.

This controller is only used for one thing, its not something anyone does any other functions on, it just runs one test software program.

The issue is we have 3 controllers (worstations) and only one hard drive with the OS and test software. We need two more copies of the hard drive. All 3 systems are identical.

---------- Post updated at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous update was at 09:53 AM ----------

It is an HP 9000/382U workstation controller

And on the one that still works it does not boot to the OS, it goes straight into the test software, so I could not get a HP-UX version off of it.

Is there some trick to get to a command prompt or go into the OS while its in POST, like safe mode or something to give me booting options?

We are still trying to learn from the original manufacturer 20 years ago if they archived this software, but its not looking good.

You will have to forgive me, Im hopeless when it comes to handle a WIN notebook (my son's) I'm using now...
Apollo Workstations - Adding SCSI Disks over 1GB
What worries me is that I believewe are talking of ancesters of the series 700 (I have little knowledge of...) I remember a HP friend explaining to me that HP bought long ago a firm producing or called Apollo to add unix workstations to their offer these original ones were using motorola 68000 processors (700 using PA-RISC) so I dont know if thw commands are the same when it come to what is not standard unix (admin - diags etc...)
Ive found the previous link about adding scsi disks to an apollo..
But I will leave for now being very frustrated in front of a PC that seems to have its own life...

Is it one of these?
HP Computer Museum
If so, there are manuals filed for the 382 here for research purposes.

Agilent looks like a dead end.
Product Library: A1324A R/382U Integrated Controller [Obsolete] | Agilent

As for breaking out of your test software it would help to know what the software is called.

When the system boots, do you have to login?
Do you have the "root" account password?

It has a built in touchscreen and its long, you can set a keyboard up on the fornt of it. Its mobile. Its a proprietary custom software, nothing similar in the commercial world.

No logins, but what I am wondering is there buttons in Unix that stop the booting process during POST and go to like a bios, or to select a boost source? Anything to interupt the boot?

Thanks for you help

Earlier I thought you were quoting from the "382 Owners Guide for HP-UX" (which also describes how to stop HP-UX booting so you can set BIOS values). Obviously breaking into the BIOS settings is before unix boots, therefore there is no standard unix command.

Have you got any manuals or other literature which might give away what BIOS this computer uses?
Perhaps it displays the BIOS version during the boot sequence?
Maybe you can identify the computer from the HP Museum?