[gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Jarry]

Hi,

is there some software for "live" partition backup/copying/cloning
with raw/smart copying capabilities, like Acronis TrueImage, Norton
Ghost or O&O DiskImage in windows-world?

Some of them should have linux version (e.g. clonezilla), but I did
not find anything in portage...

Jarry
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Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Dirk Heinrichs]

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Am Dienstag, 19. Mai 2009 18:59:06 schrieb Jarry:

> is there some software for "live" partition backup/copying/cloning
> with raw/smart copying capabilities, like Acronis TrueImage, Norton
> Ghost or O&O DiskImage in windows-world?

What's wrong with dd?

Bye...

	Dirk

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Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Jarry]

Dirk Heinrichs wrote:

>> is there some software for "live" partition backup/copying/cloning
>> with raw/smart copying capabilities, like Acronis TrueImage, Norton
>> Ghost or O&O DiskImage in windows-world?
> 
> What's wrong with dd?

Nothing. But this is what I expect from such a software:

1. backup of partition in use (sync disk, snapshot of partition)
2. "smart" copying (only sectors with data)
3. automatic partition recovery (including partition-table)

Jarry

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Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Tue, 19 May 2009 19:50:59 +0200, Jarry wrote:

> Nothing. But this is what I expect from such a software:
> 
> 1. backup of partition in use (sync disk, snapshot of partition)
> 2. "smart" copying (only sectors with data)
> 3. automatic partition recovery (including partition-table)

Then use LVM and tar. Otherwise, trying to backup an in-use partition
can result in inconsistencies. 


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Did you know that eskimos have 17 different words for linguist ?

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Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Jarry]

Neil Bothwick wrote:
> On Tue, 19 May 2009 19:50:59 +0200, Jarry wrote:
> 
>> Nothing. But this is what I expect from such a software:
>>
>> 1. backup of partition in use (sync disk, snapshot of partition)
>> 2. "smart" copying (only sectors with data)
>> 3. automatic partition recovery (including partition-table)
> 
> Then use LVM and tar. Otherwise, trying to backup an in-use partition
> can result in inconsistencies. 

I'm using O&O DiskImage with WinXP, and never had any inconsistency
while doing backup of "live" partition. I'd like to have the same
possibility with linux. But maybe I simply expect too much...

Concerning LVM: IIRC it is not recommended to use lvm for /boot or
/ partition (maybe this has changed since I tested lvm last time).

And finally, tar is file-based backup/recovery tool. It does not
take care of partition table (sizes, flags, names, etc) nor for
boot loader. And it is less comfortable, you must exclude some
directories (/proc, /dev). What I need is a tool which can quickly
and easily backup/restore the whole disk. Fully automatic action
is highly prefered. I think partition-based backup/cloning software
is better suited for this...

Jarry
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Re[2]: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Sergey A. Kobzar]

Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 9:28:44 PM, Jarry wrote:

> Neil Bothwick wrote:
>> On Tue, 19 May 2009 19:50:59 +0200, Jarry wrote:
>> 
>>> Nothing. But this is what I expect from such a software:
>>>
>>> 1. backup of partition in use (sync disk, snapshot of partition)
>>> 2. "smart" copying (only sectors with data)
>>> 3. automatic partition recovery (including partition-table)
>> 
>> Then use LVM and tar. Otherwise, trying to backup an in-use partition
>> can result in inconsistencies. 

> I'm using O&O DiskImage with WinXP, and never had any inconsistency
> while doing backup of "live" partition. I'd like to have the same
> possibility with linux. But maybe I simply expect too much...

> Concerning LVM: IIRC it is not recommended to use lvm for /boot or
> / partition (maybe this has changed since I tested lvm last time).

> And finally, tar is file-based backup/recovery tool. It does not
> take care of partition table (sizes, flags, names, etc) nor for
> boot loader. And it is less comfortable, you must exclude some
> directories (/proc, /dev). What I need is a tool which can quickly
> and easily backup/restore the whole disk. Fully automatic action
> is highly prefered. I think partition-based backup/cloning software
> is better suited for this...

snapshots + rsync?

> Jarry

-- 
Sergey

Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Tue, 19 May 2009 20:28:44 +0200, Jarry wrote:

> > Then use LVM and tar. Otherwise, trying to backup an in-use partition
> > can result in inconsistencies.   
> 
> I'm using O&O DiskImage with WinXP, and never had any inconsistency
> while doing backup of "live" partition. I'd like to have the same
> possibility with linux. But maybe I simply expect too much...

A live partition will, by definition, be changing, so how can you
guarantee consistency?

> Concerning LVM: IIRC it is not recommended to use lvm for /boot or
> / partition (maybe this has changed since I tested lvm last time).

Not for /boot, no, but for everything else.

> And finally, tar is file-based backup/recovery tool. It does not
> take care of partition table (sizes, flags, names, etc) nor for
> boot loader.

With LVM, you don't need to worry about partition tables so much. You can
use exclusively primary partitions, so those and the bootloader can
be backed up with dd on the first 512 bytes of the disk.

> And it is less comfortable, you must exclude some
> directories (/proc, /dev).

No, you just use the one-filesystem option to backup individual
filesystems.

> What I need is a tool which can quickly
> and easily backup/restore the whole disk. Fully automatic action
> is highly prefered. I think partition-based backup/cloning software
> is better suited for this...

Then you want something like Clonezilla, which you mentioned in your
original post. It's not in portage because it's a live CD, and that's the
only safe way to do a whole disk backup.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.

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Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Peter Humphrey]

On Tuesday 19 May 2009 23:56:48 Neil Bothwick wrote:

> it's a live CD, and that's the only safe way to do a whole disk backup.

Well, no. I have a small rescue partition on each of my Gentoo boxes, not 
necessarily on the physical disk to be backed up. Quite useful from time to 
time, such as when doing backups.

-- 
Rgds
Peter

Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Wed, 20 May 2009 00:31:32 +0100, Peter Humphrey wrote:

> > it's a live CD, and that's the only safe way to do a whole disk
> > backup.  
> 
> Well, no. I have a small rescue partition on each of my Gentoo boxes,
> not necessarily on the physical disk to be backed up. Quite useful from
> time to time, such as when doing backups.
That's the same thing really,booting from a separate device. A USB
stick would do as well, as would a network boot.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature.

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Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Dirk Heinrichs]

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Am Dienstag, 19. Mai 2009 20:28:44 schrieb Jarry:
> Concerning LVM: IIRC it is not recommended to use lvm for /boot or
> / partition (maybe this has changed since I tested lvm last time).

/boot: Of course not.
/: Was possible ever since (given that /boot is separate).

Bye...

	Dirk

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Re: [gentoo-user] partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Jacob Todd]

On Tue, May 19, 2009 at 06:59:06PM +0200, Jarry wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> is there some software for "live" partition backup/copying/cloning
> with raw/smart copying capabilities, like Acronis TrueImage, Norton
> Ghost or O&O DiskImage in windows-world?
> 
> Some of them should have linux version (e.g. clonezilla), but I did
> not find anything in portage...
> 
> Jarry
> -- 
> _______________________________________________________________
> This mailbox accepts e-mails only from selected mailing-lists!
> Everything else is considered to be spam and therefore deleted.
> 
Clonezilla?

[gentoo-user] Re: partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[walt]

Jarry wrote:
> Hi,
>
> is there some software for "live" partition backup/copying/cloning
> with raw/smart copying capabilities, like Acronis TrueImage, Norton
> Ghost or O&O DiskImage in windows-world?
>
> Some of them should have linux version (e.g. clonezilla), but I did
> not find anything in portage...

I just noticed sys-block/partimage, which may do what you want, but
I've never used it.  One of the patchfiles mentions mbr_backup.cpp,
which sounds promising.  Hey, it's free so give it a try.

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Jacques Montier]

walt a gentiment tapote:
> Jarry wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> is there some software for "live" partition backup/copying/cloning
>> with raw/smart copying capabilities, like Acronis TrueImage, Norton
>> Ghost or O&O DiskImage in windows-world?
>>
>> Some of them should have linux version (e.g. clonezilla), but I did
>> not find anything in portage...
>
> I just noticed sys-block/partimage, which may do what you want, but
> I've never used it.  One of the patchfiles mentions mbr_backup.cpp,
> which sounds promising.  Hey, it's free so give it a try.
>
>
>
Hi,

I use Partimage for years and it works fine !

Cheers,

--
Jacques

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Jarry]

walt wrote:

>> is there some software for "live" partition backup/copying/cloning
> 
> I just noticed sys-block/partimage, which may do what you want

Thanks man, that's exactly what I have been looking for!
Not dd, lvm, tar, rsync...

Jarry

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Re: [gentoo-user] Re: partition-based backup/cloning tool...

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Wed, 20 May 2009 19:01:13 +0200, Jarry wrote:

> >> is there some software for "live" partition backup/copying/cloning  
> > 
> > I just noticed sys-block/partimage, which may do what you want  
> 
> Thanks man, that's exactly what I have been looking for!
> Not dd, lvm, tar, rsync...

partimage can't backup in use filesystems. Clonezilla uses partimage
AFAIR.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Software: (n.) That which hardware manufacturers can blame for physical
failures.

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