Preserving disk authorizations using Apple Software Restore.

[MacTron]

As some as you know I was playing with Apple Software Restore this days... and now, I had the idea of using it with a different purpose:

I just to make a Apple Disk Copy Image file in a MDD @1.50 and restore it with Apple Software Restore to another hard disk placed in a different computer (a MDD @1.25) successfully preserving Hard Disk authorizations!

The tested software was: Cubase VST/32 5.1, Arturia CS-80, Arturia Moog Modular v2.0, NI Absynth v2.0, NI Kompakt, NI FM7, Waldorf Attack, Waldorf PPG Wave and Orange Vocoder.

All of them continued to work in a different hard disk placed inside a different computer, after being transported in a Disk Copy image file and restaured with Apple Software Restore without reauthorization needed.

I know that there are dozens of plugins and very different DAWs and authorization techniques... so each one mileage may be very different...

*** UPDATE: The final version of the ASR Utility (Apple Software Restore) can be downloaded here ***

http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,1822.0.html

[supernova777]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Software_Restore

command line utility in osx?
block copy?

this could be huge if it could be discovered how to make a single restore cd of working system
instant daw + instant os9 setup in one

[MacTron]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Software_Restore

command line utility in osx?
block copy?

...even Wikipedia forgot Mac Os 9   





Thankx we have macos9lives.com

this could be huge if it could be discovered how to make a single restore cd of working system
instant daw + instant os9 setup in one

That's exactly what I have done.
... but not tested with all DAW and all plugins, just a few VST ones.

[supernova777]

is this included already in 9.22?
or a seperate installation?
(re: ASR)

i had a similar success once before using disk utility in X to restore a clone of a 9 partition
but like i documented here, another attempt of mine failed, i suspected the reason to be
that it was due to using multiple partitions on the same disk, i think the time that i had success
i was using 1 hard drive, 1 partition..

out of curiousity in your success, was it also with 1 drive/1 partition?

[MacTron]

is this included already in 9.22?
or a seperate installation?
(re: ASR)

ASR comes in most Macs that came with "Software Restore" disks.

out of curiousity in your success, was it also with 1 drive/1 partition?

The original image was a 2GB USB booting disk. And yes, may be this is important, especially the 2GB size. The image was created with Apple Disk Copy. And Restored to a 80 GB partition HD (the other partition of the HD have 30 GB) using Apple Software Restore.

I have to use a special Disk Copy script to avoid the Checksum bug ¿?

Everything was made on Mac Os 9. Of course.

[IIO]

what i would sometimes like to have is an "all steinberg CDs" CD.

sometimes after hard disk failures you loose all authorisations and then you have to install 25 products again. of course it is only 5 minutes work, but if you multiply that with 25 ...

[supernova777]

The original image was a 2GB USB booting disk. And yes, may be this is important, especially the 2GB size. The image was created with Apple Disk Copy. And Restored to a 80 GB partition HD (the other partition of the HD have 30 GB) using Apple Software Restore.

my questions:
a) the original 'source' disk, how many partitions were on this drive at the time of backup?
b) was the restore performed to a single partition or 1 of multiple partitions on the 'destination' disk?
c) did u have to boot to another system drive while doing the disk copy backup?

my comments:
re: A) usb booting? u mean a thumb/flash drive? or externa usb1.1 disk? under mac os
9? u really mean usb? or firewire disk? im guessing it was 1 partition if it was a smaller size disk? especially a thumbdrive? it must have taken a long time to install os + apps to a usb 1.1 drive??? really slow??
re: B) (im pretty sure the answer is multiple, fom your comments in brackets above)
re: C) im guessign u used your 'rescue cd' to boot while performing this backup?

[MacTron]

my questions:
a) the original 'source' disk, how many partitions were on this drive at the time of backup?

The original 'source' disk have *one* HFS partition.

b) was the restore performed to a single partition or 1 of multiple partitions on the 'destination' disk?

The restore was performed to *one* of a multiple partitions 'destination' disk.

c) did u have to boot to another system drive while doing the disk copy backup?

No, I haven't.

my comments:
re: A) usb booting? u mean a thumb/flash drive? or externa usb1.1 disk? under mac os
9? u really mean usb? or firewire disk?
re: B) (im pretty sure the answer is multiple, fom your comments in brackets above)

Yes. booting from a USB 1.1 thumb/flash drive.

The System folder in my macs are thin enough to boot "fast" even from USB 1.1.
I just making some stuff with Apple Software Restore and all my Firewire disks have important data... so I've taken a old USB flash drive  that I have around here and where the "MacOS9Lives Rescue & Install CD" was prepared and made a fast test with Cubase and a few VST plugins.
I'm not really interested in this... because  I only have installed Cubase and a few plugins on my working System.  But I have post it because I know that it can be useful for some users...

[supernova777]

so.. you have told us u did this and it worked.. but u havent explained to any of us how to go about doing this..step by step?

not many would understand or know whats involved in using apple software restore..
is all thats involved making a folder called "configurations" and placing the .img file inside and running ASR?
it will then prompt u for a destination? how does it work?
i have no idea.. neither do many i would assume?

all of the info on this program i have tried to look up just now points to mac os x version
which uses disk utility as a front end

[MacTron]

We only need 3 things: Apple Disk Copy, Apple Software Restore (ASR) and ASR script.

1- Make a Apple Disk Copy Image file of the original hard disk.
2- Apply ASR script to the image file with Disk Copy.
3- Place the image file inside the same folder as ASR App.
4- Start Apple Software Restore his options are really straightforward:

what i would sometimes like to have is an "all steinberg CDs" CD.

Now I'm working in a new test that include a few more plugins from Steinberg (Halon 2, Xphraze and D'cota )and the image is created from a partition from a multi-partition hard disk.
Let's see how it goes...

[IIO]

for OSX there are optical drive deamons since a while, something like that would be great for OS9, then one could reauthorise CD-stuff from image files.

[MacTron]

... then one could reauthorise CD-stuff from image files.

NI FM7 can be reuthorize this way (in Mac Os 9) and so NI Kontakt, NI Pro 53, Arturia CS-80, Arturia Moog Modular, Waldorf Attack, Waldorf PPG Wave, Steinberg D'Cota ... just to name a few...

[MacTron]

Now I'm working in a new test that include a few more plugins from Steinberg (Halon 2, Xphraze and D'cota ) and NOW the image is created from a partition from a multi-partition hard disk.
Let's see how it goes...

Successful again!
 

[supernova777]

Successful again!
 

awesome!
to restore to a seperate machine ? or same machine? i remember u said it matters if same type of hard drive, same type of mac (motherboard) can u detail the two systems in your test?

[MacTron]

awesome!
to restore to a seperate machine ? or same machine? i remember u said it matters if same type of hard drive, same type of mac (motherboard) can u detail the two systems in your test?

First test:
From a USB 2 GB flash drive in a [email protected]
TO
a 80 GB partition on a multiple partitions hard disk in a [email protected]
Second test:
From 4.5 GB partition on a multiple partitions hard disk in a [email protected]
TO
a 50 GB multiple partitions hard disk in a [email protected]
(This [email protected] only have one HFS partition the other two are EXT3 and swap ... )

Steinberg Cubase VST/32 5.1,Steinberg Halion 2, Steinberg Xphraze, Steinberg D'cota, Arturia CS-80, Arturia Moog Modular v2.0, NI Absynth v2.0, NI Kompakt, NI FM7, Waldorf Attack, Waldorf PPG Wave and Orange Vocoder.

ALL of them retained the authorizations during the image and restore process.
I have to admit that I feel highly surprised even. May be I am lucky and I have tested the easiest ones...

[IIO]

i thought the steinberg CD protection does look for the media type? ... will try again.

[supernova777]

do u think its time to have someone else try to restore to another machine?
maybe tis because they are all mdds...
maybe it would have a problem if u restore to a qs or sawtooth
(some motherboard ids different?)

ready to move to the next level of 3rd party testing? ? 
we need volunteers!

[MacTron]

do u think its time to have someone else try to restore to another machine?
maybe tis because they are all mdds...
maybe it would have a problem if u restore to a qs or sawtooth
(some motherboard ids different?)

The same good result from one of my Sawtooth...

ready to move to the next level of 3rd party testing? ? 
we need volunteers!

Yes.
It is impossible to me to test all the DAWs and plugins...
In my FTP folder and attached is the software needed, if some one wish to continue the test...

[supernova777]

of course its impossible to test all...
we should vote for the top 10 must have to be included
everyone will have different request but at least we could see the most common ones this way
perhaps its a good idea only to include the ones that are really a pain in the ass to install with lots of codes to enter
ie: if something is really easy to install its easy to add afterwards

as u could guess i would like to see ableton live 4 included
for me cubase + live are the number one vst hosts
live4 can cost about 75mb of space added

also some basic compressor vstfx (1176 LA-2A emulations)

[IIO]

It is impossible to me to test all the DAWs and plugins...

well you already got half of them i guess. there are like 50 or so products which could be copied including authorisation ... (erm, plus those steinberg CDs maybe) everything ethernet is out. and everything "preferences file" doesnt need to be cloned.