[gentoo-alpha] Disk image? and other general questions

["Jean-Sébastien Guay" <jean_seb@videotron.ca>]

Hello,

This question might strike you as a bit bizarre, but here goes anyways.

I have an Alpha XL currently running Debian. I would like to see how 
Gentoo works on it, but I would especially like to have the option to 
back out and go back to my running system if it doesn't work (or I don't 
like it, though I doubt that frankly). Is there a way of making a 
complete "disk image" of my currently running system? By "disk image", I 
mean all files, permissions, filesystem configuration, partitions, etc. 
If possible, I would like to be able to put that image onto a network 
drive (since the current drives on the system don't have the space to 
fit such an image).

If I was able to do that, I would be able to restore from that image if 
something were to go wrong.

The Alpha is currently my household's gateway/firewall, web server, file 
server, etc. That's why I need to know that even after a few days of 
compiling sources for Gentoo, I can go back at any time.


Also, somewhat unrelated -- How does Gentoo handle configuration files? 
I mean, I know a bit about the portage system, the emerge command that 
updates all the packages on your machine. But that raises the question, 
what happens if I had to massively modify a certain software package's 
config files, and then that package is updated and the config file has 
new options, a new format, whatever. Does it do it the way Debian does 
it (which is one reason I'd like to move away from Debian -- it just 
gives you the option to keep your file, or overwrite with the new one, 
no in between)? Or does it do it in a smart way, for example letting you 
merge differences "à la" CVS?

Thanks in advance. I'd very much like to try out Gentoo, but if 
possible, with as little risk as possible.

J-S

-- 
__________________________________________
Jean-Sébastien Guay   jean_seb@videoton.ca
            http://whitestar02.webhop.org/


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