[Info-vax] "cloning" disks initially, after upgrades, after patches

[Bob Koehler]

In article <icet0b$uf3$1 at online.de>, helbig at astro.multiCLOTHESvax.de (Phillip Helbig---undress to reply) writes:
> In article <uHHJUd8ckIIk at eisner.encompasserve.org>,
> koehler at eisner.nospam.encompasserve.org (Bob Koehler) writes: 
> 
>>    I keep as few as possible system disks.  Why use up storage for
>>    multiple copies if I don't need to?  From decades of experience,
>>    I find that every time you copy something you double the
>>    maintenance effort.
> 
> Some background: hobbyist cluster, so each node has its own system disk
> (apart from satellites, but those are not relevant here); dual-ported
> disks are something I don't have, nor do I have controllers which
> support this (as far as I know).  SYSUAF and friends are on a shared
> non-system disk, so no trouble here.

   My hobbyist cluster is like that, too.  Mostly because I have one
   VAX, one Alpha running 7.2-2, and one Alpha running 8.3.

   I keep the Alphas at different versions because I wanted to
   experiment with the latest when I got a copy of 8.3.  But I have
   compilers that won't install on 8.3 and I don't have a full layered
   product media for 8.3.

> 
> I'm thinking more of changes due to upgrades and patches.
> 

   That's when I generally found myself making small changes via SYSMAN
   and EDT scripts.  But I'd apply patches or upgrades to a system disk
   and then that would take care of all the satellites.  I only had four
   system disks on the cluster at work, and a couple of dozen
   satellites.  Many of the satellites had local page and swap disks
   that were large enough to hold a copy of VMS, but what for?