this way copies everything that is needed to make a system run. i'll make an
example so that you can understand better:
now you have
/dev/hda1 as /
/dev/hda2 as /boot
/dev/hda3 as swap
/dev/hda4 as /usr
/dev/sda1 as /mnt/disk

when you make cp -a with the system in run (all the partitions mounted
right) you'll get a single partition in /mnt/disk that contains /, /boot and
/usr.
later on you aren't sattisfied with the partition table and decide to move
to the following:
/dev/hda1 /boot
/dev/hda4 extended
/dev/hda5 /
/dev/hda6 /usr
/dev/hda7 /var
/dev/hda8 /tmp
/dev/hda9 /opt
/dev/hda10 swap
/dev/hda11 /home

all that you'll have to do is boot into some livecd and mount the drives in
some directories (we'll assume in the /mnt) and then mount the external disk
into /mnt/sda.
now all that you have to do is do:
cp -a /mnt/sda/var/* /mnt/var/
cp -a /mnt/sda/usr/* /mnt/usr/
.
.
.
cp -a the dirs in their partitions and /etc /mnt /lib /sbin /bin /root /dev
/include /media /mnt /share /sys on the new root partition (these need to be
on the root partition otherwise you cannot boot).
after recopying you go to /etc/fstab and point the new root and other
partitions to the new location following the fstab example inside.
then you only have to reinstall the bootloader. unmount all the partitions,
remount  the new root under /mnt/root, remount the new /boot into
/mnt/root/boot and the others partitions in the /mnt/root/[partition] and
the chroot into the new environment with
chroot /mnt/root /bin/bash
do a env-update && source /etc/profile
then type grub
you'll get the grub command line
write root (hd0,0)
then setup (hd0)
quit
then exit, unmount the partitions and reboot
you'll be able to reboot into the old linux with the new partitioning.
this was an example on how the cp -a helps you do a backup of the things
that you have on disk and on how you can use it if you want to modify your
partitioning. obviously, you can also just do a backup and then copy the
stuff on a partition that doesn't boot anymore.
if you change your partition table but you mantain the same hdd and don't
change /boot partition then you don't need to reinstall grub, but only to
repoint your /etc/fstab.
this type of work is better than partimage's one since partimage can only
backup a partition and recopy in the same way it was and you can only do it
from partimage, while the cp -a stuff works independently from the linux
version you're using and on whatever pc you have, since cp is a base linux
command.


2007/11/11, Herbert Laubner <laubner@gmx.net>:
>
> Am Sonntag, 11. November 2007 14:31:46 schrieb Beso:
> > there's no other way to do it for what i know since partimage won't run
> on
> > 64bits.
> > there's another option:
> >
> > if you need a / backup take a disk (also an usb one) go to a shell and
> then
> > do a cp -a / /mnt/disk (assuming that the disk is mounted into
> /mnt/disk)
> > and after some time which depends on the stuff installed you'll have a
> > mirror version of / on the other disk. if you want it to be compressed,
> > then do a tar on the mounted disk and you'll have a compressed image of
> > your / partition.
> > then when you want to to copy it from the backup disk to the running
> disk
> > do again: cp -a and you'll have the / running as it was when you made
> the
> > backup. if you experience problems with running x then do
> > chmod 777 /home -R && chmod 777 /tmp -r && chmod 777
> > /var/tmp/kdecache-[your username] and then x would run again. the
> problem
> > is that sometimes when doing the cp -a you can experience problems with
> the
> > permissions on these directories when not using root.
> >
> Will I get this way also the mbr and the file alloction table correct
> copied?
> --
> gentoo-amd64@gentoo.org mailing list
>
>


-- 
dott. ing. beso