What's best Linux way to backup (clone) a big harddisk ?

frenchn00b · 08-31-2008, 02:42 AM

What's best Linux way to backup (clone) a big harddisk on DVD ?

Thx; happy tux

Fantasio · 08-31-2008, 03:47 AM

it depends how do you want to backup your disk, what kind of medium do you have ?
At least, I used two firewire disks (same size) synchronized with rsync, so, the backup took only few minutes.
For some servers, I used mondo/mindi to create backup on CD.

jschiwal · 08-31-2008, 04:56 AM

Is this a server or a destop machine. For a personal desktop, I like the dar/kdar programs.

It also depends on the filesystem used. A server may use lvm or use the xfs filesystem. They allow live dumps.

frenchn00b · 08-31-2008, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fantasio

it depends how do you want to backup your disk, what kind of medium do you have ?
At least, I used two firewire disks (same size) synchronized with rsync, so, the backup took only few minutes.
For some servers, I used mondo/mindi to create backup on CD.

On DVD, cuz I have no tapes

frenchn00b · 08-31-2008, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jschiwal

Is this a server or a destop machine. For a personal desktop, I like the dar/kdar programs.

It also depends on the filesystem used. A server may use lvm or use the xfs filesystem. They allow live dumps.

you maybe know whether we can find a kdar live cdrom to burn ?
thx

frenchn00b · 08-31-2008, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jschiwal

Is this a server or a destop machine. For a personal desktop, I like the dar/kdar programs.

It also depends on the filesystem used. A server may use lvm or use the xfs filesystem. They allow live dumps.

kdar needs an empty harddisk if I am right? Can it burn directly to DVD, with only 5GB free space on the / ?
thanks

Quote:

Re: DVD and large files

by Neil Bothwick Jul 06, 2008; 11:16pm :: Rate this Message: Clear Rating

Reply | Reply to Author | Print | View Threaded | Show Only this Message
On Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:42:52 -0500, Dale wrote:

> Oooops, my bad. I'm using Kbackup. My fingers are going coo coo.
> Kdar was masked a while back so I unmerged it.

Kdar was masked, but not dar itself. Kdar was unmasked a few weeks later.

From http://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=216063

Kdar was given last rites and pronounced dead at 3/5/08. But in the
process of being wheeled down to the morgue for cremation it sat bolt
upright in the gurney and coughed. Scared the sh*t out of the poor nurse.

kdar project is said to be dead

jschiwal · 08-31-2008, 06:01 AM

KDAR provides a convenient way to configure your backups. Then you can export the job as a bash script that uses the dar command. KDAR doesn't on it's own burn to a DVD. It can pause after creating each slice. Backing up to an external drive or a share would be a better idea. You can keep the entire backup in the external drive/share, or burn the slices to DVD and then free up the space.

If you save the restore job to a script, you could easily add the libdar and the dar program to a rescue disk. You could even add them to the initrd file.