I'm looking to automate some disk commands in Ubuntu and I'm not quite sure where to start. I believe shell scripting might be the way to go, but I'm unfamiliar with writing scripts. I do know Python, so I'm wondering what the best approach would be. Here are the commands I want to automate:
1. sudo umount /dev/sdb*
2. sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdb bs=1M count=128
3. sudo parted /dev/sdb (followed by several partitioning commands)
4. sudo mkfs.ext4 -L boot -O ^metadata_csum /dev/sdb4
5. sudo dd if=build/abc.elf of=/dev/sdb1 bs=1M conv=fdatasync
How long do you think it would take to learn the basics of shell scripting? Are there alternate methods?
4 Answers
To automate those commands, write them in a script file and execute it using 'sh filename' or 'bash filename'. Start your script with '#!/bin/sh' and make it executable with 'chmod a+x filename'. Just remember that commands like 'print' and 'quit' are for interactive use, so you'll need to script those differently for it to work.
If you're familiar with those commands, picking up shell scripting shouldn't take long; you could grasp the basics in just a few hours! Definitely the way to go.
You might also want to consider using the '--script' option with parted to avoid manual inputs. This way, you can script the entire sequence of commands seamlessly. Check 'man parted' for more details.
From what you've written, you've essentially drafted a bash script already. Just include checks after each command to ensure they executed properly, and you'll have a solid script on your hands.
So, does 'print' just display the content? And 'quit' exits parted, right? That sounds critical for automating.