Backups, Rebuilds, Upgrades, ...
I've done more than my fair share of rebuilding PCs lately. And here's what I learned:
- Always have usable backups of all systems.
- Keep a record of software installations, including how your mod_jk is compiled and installed.
- Rebuilding boxes is easy, restoring all custom software, preferences, and user data is hard.
- Fedora Core, and Red Hat Linux before it, is far easier to install then Windows NT/2000/XP. Rebooting after install wastes more time than you think.
- "My Documents" does not contain Outlook emails.
- Backup data and then reinstall immediately. Don't check POP3 emails after the backup and before the reinstall.
- Backing up to CD is the way to go.
- Backing up by ftping a tar file to another box is confusing.
- Backing up to a partition that you "promise not to delete" during the install is asking for trouble.