From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 15093 invoked from network); 5 Oct 2004 02:26:52 +0000 Received: from smtp.gentoo.org (156.56.111.197) by lists.gentoo.org with AES256-SHA encrypted SMTP; 5 Oct 2004 02:26:52 +0000 Received: from lists.gentoo.org ([156.56.111.196] helo=parrot.gentoo.org) by smtp.gentoo.org with esmtp (Exim 4.41) id 1CEf2R-0004Gv-UJ for arch-gentoo-alpha@lists.gentoo.org; Tue, 05 Oct 2004 02:26:52 +0000 Received: (qmail 21698 invoked by uid 89); 5 Oct 2004 02:26:50 +0000 Mailing-List: contact gentoo-alpha-help@gentoo.org; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-alpha@gentoo.org Received: (qmail 882 invoked from network); 5 Oct 2004 02:26:50 +0000 Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2004 21:50:00 -0400 From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Jean-S=E9bastien_Guay?= To: gentoo-alpha@lists.gentoo.org Message-id: <4161FDC8.3070903@videotron.ca> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 8BIT X-Accept-Language: en-us, en User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 0.7.2 (Windows/20040707) Subject: [gentoo-alpha] Disk image? and other general questions X-Archives-Salt: c20af803-6c3b-42a0-b032-2ffb6472c3df X-Archives-Hash: bfd43ddcbfd61dd1c7cbee35e7537755 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/ -- gentoo-alpha@gentoo.org mailing list